McCain Closes Convention On His Own Terms

John McCain during his 2008 nomination acceptance speech. Image captured from MSNBC (Newsvine is owned by MSNBC.com)

A protester holds out a sign during the McCain acceptance speech. Image captured from MSNBC (Newsvine is owned by MSNBC.com)

John McCain's speech was a departure of sorts: a departure from the fiery rhetoric of Sarah Palin's speech on Wednesday night, a departure from the Paton-like format of pervious speeches at the Republican National Convention, and a departure from the traditional mode and and method of an nomination speech. It was, in essence, a gamble and one that could either pay large dividends or cost the McCain campaign dearly in the months to come.

A Departure From Palin

Notably absent from McCain's speech to the convention was the biting rhetoric and fiery language of Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin. The Alaska Governor's harsh words and relentless assault on the Democratic ticket have proved polarizing but predictably popular in Republican circles. Rather than following Palin's lead, McCain took a more centrist and civil approach, stating that the Obama campaign has his respect and admiration. McCain went on to highlight his disagreements with Senator Obama, but – for the most part - engaged the Democrats on matters of substance rather than style. It was a calculated move and a wise one, intended to appeal to moderates as much as Palin's far more vitriolic speech targeted the conservative base.

Indeed, the two speeches are best considered together. Palin's blistering rhetoric and hard-line stances, both on and off the convention floor are clearly intended to consolidate the ticket's credentials with the hard-right Republican base. This effectively freed up McCain to play the maverick which he did extensively during his acceptance speech. Relying on the Palin's record and the implicit statements made by her presence on the ticket, McCain, like Obama in Denver, spoke to the all-important middle, talking about bipartisanship and promising to [work] with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed.

A Departure From Rhetoric

As George W. Bush proved in both 2000 and 2004, that crucial, middle of the road, undecided voter has certain expectations and desires of a candidate – expectations that McCain played to expertly. Americans look for a candidate they can connect with, one that, as the saying goes, they might like to have a beer with.

McCain has doggedly pursued this public image, doubly so in his acceptance speech. The Republican nominee used short and simple sentences throughout the speech, providing a stark contrast to the high rhetorical style that Senator Obama has become known for. In some ways it was a shrewd political move; McCain will inevitably be compared to Obama and his speaking style and strengths do not run towards the sort of classical rhetoric that allows the Democratic nominee to draw and dominate stadium sized crowds. Avoiding a contest there avoids the (fairly inevitably) unfavorable comparison; it risks, however, the possibility of coming across as too simple and insufficiently ceremonious for the nomination of a Presidential candidate though the St. Paul crowd's enthusiasm was unabated.

Most of the St. Paul crowd anyway. Unlike Obama's speech in Denver, McCain was plagued with protestors throughout his address, forcing him to break from the prepared text at least once. His crowd, loyal to the last, shouted many of them down but the result for the television viewer was a disjointed looking speech which gave the impression that McCain could not control the crowd.

A Departure From Tradition

McCain's short and simple style also meshed well with the Arizona Senator's choice of venue. Uncomfortable in the vast open space of a football stadium and more at home speaking to crowds of a hundred rather than a hundred-thousand, McCain delivered his acceptance in a town-hall format. He spoke on a low platform that extended out into the audience, putting him among the delegates and sending what was no doubt a populist image, though one that was largely missed by those watching a tightly-cropped image of the speech from home.

He carried it off successfully and the audience seemed to respond well to him; chants of "USA! USA!" and "John Mc-Cain!" reverberated through the hall and – on more than one occasion - the Republican Nominee waited patiently and for the crowd to settle down.

Of course, the audience response is the strength of the the town-hall style; it's basically a given. What remains to be seen, and what really cannot be judged from the reactions of the crowd in the convention hall is how the larger audience at home responded to the speech and McCain's unorthodox style. Town halls lend a comfortable and homey feel, but it is a feel that may not seem altogether appropriate to a nomination speech.

A Departure From The Republican Brand

The weakest aspect of McCain's speech proved his delivery. While McCain started with confidence and comfort, as he made his way through the speech the Senator seemed to tire. By the half-way point McCain was tripping over words, skipping pauses, and nonsensically repeating things. He seemed tired and – from time to time – flustered by his difficulty with the text. The speech had a big finish and the crowd certainly reacted to it, but it seemed out of place given the rest of the speech, almost

While his style was weak, the substance of McCain's speech was strong. The Republican Nominee played well to the crowd but it was his willingness to be critical of the GOP's own record that proved most compelling and most bolstered his "maverick" image. Before McCain moved into the "compare and contrast" phase of his speech he critiqued not just the Democrats but Washington as a whole, using words like "we" instead of "they," and accepting some of the blame and fault for the failures of the last few years; it was a powerful message and one that, more than anything else said in the evening and perhaps the in week, served to distinguish him from the unpopular Republican brand and establish him as his own man.

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