Last week, a little over 38 million people tuned in Sen. Obama’s speech. Yesterday, I speculated that 30 million people might tune Gov. Palin’s speech in. According to this article, I underestimated Gov. Palin:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night nearly matched the record-setting numbers of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Palin pulled in 37.2 million viewers across broadcast and cable networks, according to Nielsen Media Research. That’s 55% higher than Day 3 of the DNC, when her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden, and President Clinton took the stage (24 million).

It’s also up a sharp 99% from the Republican convention’s third day in 2004 (18.7 million). In fact, it came close to upsetting Obama’s historic address on Thursday, the most-watched convention speech in history (38.4 million viewers).

I knew that the Democrats’ criticisms would work against them. Their constant criticism caused people to judge Gov. Palin for themselves. I’m betting that they came away liking her. ALOT.

This number also has to worry Democrats. In January, February and March, Democrats were drawing far more voters to their primaries than Republicans were drawing to their’s. The term “enthusiasm gap” became the journalists’ buzzword. Based on those numbers, pundits started talking wildly about a Democratic clean sweep: Democrats retaking the White House, building a bigger majority in the House and reaching a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

I was skeptical throughout.

It wasn’t that I thought it’d be a great year for Republicans. It’s just that I’ve never believed in the Belway punitocracy’s conventional wisdom. More often than not, I’ve sided with the opposite of the CW because the CW is usually wrong.

Now that Gov. Palin has joined the ticket, excitement is running high in GOP circles and the enthusiasm gap has essentially disappeared. This isn’t going to be the year that Democrats thought they were getting into. In fact, I’d be surprised if Republicans don’t win back some seats in the House. As I’ve said all along, I think that they’ll still lose seats in the Senate, though not nearly as they’ve been predicting.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there might not be a couple of surprises come Election night.

Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin, TV Ratings, Barack Obama, Acceptance Speech, Conventional Wisdom, Senate, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

1. Did you know that the first woman EVER elected to Congress was Jeannette Rankin (1917) and she was a REPUBLICAN!! So isn’t it fitting that the first woman ever elected for Vice-President be a REPBULICAN?!!

   (There are several other similarities between Palin and Rankin: both from rural America, both had parents that were teachers, both went against the “establishment”) We’re MAKING HISTORY!

   Comment by MIKE — September 4, 2008 @ 5:34 pm

2. Obama:
   Occidental College - Two years.
   Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations.
   Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

   & Biden:
   University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
   Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

   vs.

   McCain:
   United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899

   & Palin:
   Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
   North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
   University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
   Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
   University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

   But no, conservatives apparently don’t like ‘elitists’.

   Comment by Liem — September 5, 2008 @ 12:40 pm

3. Elitist shmelitist!

   Louise Heath Palin:
   44, Governor of the State of Alaska

   Barack Hussein Obama II: 48, Junior Senator from the State of Illinois

   Palin: 2 sons, 3 daughters
   Obama: 2 daughters

   Palin: Evangelical Christian
   Obama: Trinity United Church of Christ

   Previous Public Service
   Palin: Mayor of Wasilla, AK 1996-2002
   Pres, Alaska Conference of Mayors
   City Council 1992 - 1996
   Obama: State Senator 1997 - 2004
   143 days in attendence
   Community Organizer

   Executive experience
   Palin: 6 years as Mayor
   2 years as Gov. of Alaska
   Obama: NONE

   Foreign Relations
   Palin: Governor of State that borders two countries.
   Obama: Chairman Senate Sub Committee on Iraq which was never called into session
   Visited Iraq once, gave speech to 200,000 Germans.

   Military affairs/experience:
   Palin: CINC of Alaska National Guard,
   charged with manning early warning
   radar sites for the US Army and Air
   Force, (the only National Guard
   with 24/7 active duty assignments).
   Obama: NONE

   Legislative Record:
   Palin: Passed landmark ethics reform bill,
   used veto to cut budgetary spending
   returned money for the “bridge to
   nowhere”
   Obama: Voted “present” over 100 times in
   Illinois legislature, voted for the
   surge in Iraq, after he said he
   would not.

   Guns
   Palin: Member of NRA, and avid hunter.
   Obama: Supports legislation that would
   prevent all law abiding citizens
   from owning firearms.

   Earmarks
   Palin: Opposed Bridge to Nowhere,
   camapigned against Don Young,
   R-AK in 2008 primary.
   Obama: Secured Federal earmark of
   $1,000,000 s for wifes employer,
   U of Chicago Hospitals, after she
   was promoted.

   Abortion
   Palin: Pro-life gave birth to second son,
   knowing he has downes syndrome.
   Obama: Only Il state senator to speak
   out against the Born Alive
   Protection Act which requires
   medical care be given to infants
   who SURVIVE an abortion.

   Energy:
   Palin: Believes energy independence is
   a matter of national security,
   FOR drilling in ANWAR.
   Obama: Encourages tunes ups and checking
   tire pressure as energy saving,
   Says ” we cant expect the world to
   be okay with” our use of heating
   and air conditioning

   Environmental accomplishments:
   Palin: Chair of Alaska Conservation
   Commission, 2003-04.
   Announced plans to create sub
   cabinet group of advisors to
   address climate change and reduce
   greenhouse gases in Alaska.
   Obama: NONE.

   What they’ve done to bring about “Change”
   Palin: Replaced entire Board of Agriculture
   and Conservation because of
   conflicts of interest, Resigned
   from position of Ethics Commisioner
   of the Alaska Oil and Gas
   Conservation Commission in order to
   expose corruption among members
   of her own party.
   Obama: Selected a 36 year incumbent as a
   running mate.

   Comment by T A Gray — September 5, 2008 @ 5:27 pm

4. I’m a conservative supporter from England, and I watched Palin’s performance open-mouthed. How DARE a consrevative woman speak in such forthright terms, hitting the right buttons time and time again. The same buttons that ordinary people feel. As an aside, the message that she delivered on Thursday is equally applicable to the UK, that has been decimated after 11years of socialism under Labour. How I wish we had someone of her calibre and guts over here.

   I wish the McCain-Palin team every success in Novemember and just cannot wait for the headlines the morning after, when the Democrats and their lackeys realise they have another 4 years of Republican rule to deal with - and this time is will be REAL Republicanism.

   All power to Palin - the American Margaret Thatcher!

   Comment by John Whitney — September 5, 2008 @ 6:34 pm

5. I rest my case!

   Thank you John!

   (London is like my second home town,
   spent 6 weeks there as part of a liaison team for a US/Royal Navy joint task group in the Indian Ocean in 1986, and have been back several times, Im also a secular brother of the London Oratory on Brompton Rd. in Knightsbridge.)

   Comment by T A Gray — September 5, 2008 @ 9:43 pm