Clarkson Integrator

Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Chuck Kennedy/US News/MCT Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running-mate Sarah Palin acknowledge delegates following his speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday, September 4, 2008.

This past week in Saint Paul, MN, the Republican Party officially gave the nod of approval to John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin. Now that both parties have officially designated their presidential teams, the race for the White House can begin.

This year's convention held more excitement than usual for what is typically considered to be a dry political event. The police preemptively raided and detained a group of protesters, known as the Republican National Convention (RNC) welcoming committee, who were planning to protest the RNC. The police held an estimated 300 people on a bridge informing them that they would be arrested and repeatedly spraying them with pepper spray. The protesters' permits expired at 5:00 p.m., but they refused to leave, many of them sitting in the road waving peace signs and singing.

At the convention, there were two newsworthy events. An acceptance speech from Palin, the governor of Alaska, brought much of the audience to their feet. In the speech, Palin tried to instill confidence in her ability to be persistent and fight for her beliefs. Palin also used her lime-light to attack Obama on many notes, saying that his work as a community organizer was similar to her position of Mayor of Wasilla, except she had real responsibilities.

The following night, John McCain took the stage himself to a slightly less energetic crowd, as he reached out to party moderates and distanced himself from the Bush administration. However, many felt that his attacks were hollow when he outlined policies that were very similar to those of the Bush administration.

Now that the parties have made their decisions, the general race can begin. Not only will there be more funding available to the candidates, but the attacks ads are bound to start in full force.

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