The speeches are done, the confetti is swept and the nominating conventions are over. So did Romney get a bump in the polls? Did Obama maintain his lead? Who cares? Poll numbers change; the Las Vegas Weekly’s convention scoreboard is forever.
President Clinton brings down the house: Best political speech we’ve heard in years! Trouble is, Clinton’s not the candidate. (Points: -2)
Last-minute location change for Obama’s speech: The Dems promised to hold it outside “rain or shine,” but with a 20 percent chance of rain, they moved inside. Probably because they were afraid they couldn’t fill the 70,000-seat stadium. (Points: -2)
Obama’s Speech: Unfortunately, Obama’s 2012 convention speech had to compete against Obama’s 2004 barnburner—the one that made everyone go, “Who the hell is this guy and when can he be in charge?” Cleverly, Obama went a different route; he stayed calm and cautiously optimistic. (Points: +4)
Hurricane Isaac: Memories of President Bush’s Katrina handling don’t do the Republicans any favors. But Isaac turned out fine. The GOP delayed its convention one day and continued on with respect for those in harm’s way. (Points: 0)
Clint Eastwood clumsily belittles an imaginary Obama: Yeah, it was weird, but it somewhat diverted the media heat off VP candidate Ryan’s numerous factual manipulations. (Points: +1)
Ryan’s Speech: Less fiery than Palin’s 2008 speech … and far less accurate. (Points: -3)
Romney’s Speech: Was it flashy? Was it substantive? No and no. But it was solid and gaffe-free. Phew. (Points: +2)
Honey Boo Boo. Seriously, just look at the ratings.