Republican John McCain officially accepts the nomination to be his party’s presidential candidate tonight, but many in St. Paul, Minnesota, are saying he already has been eclipsed by his running mate, Sarah Palin, whose speech September 3 was praised by delegates and many in the news media.

A nearly record-setting 37.2 million people watched Palin’s speech on television, 1.1 million fewer than watched Barack Obama’s speech. In comparison, 24 million watched Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden’s speech.

Throughout the week, party leaders have called the Alaskan governor a “reformer,” and “a woman of action.” Republicans say she has more executive experience than Obama or Biden, who, as senators, have never run a city or state. (See “Republican Leaders Call Sarah Palin a Reformer.”)

Democrats are criticizing one particular point in Palin’s speech: “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer except that you have actual responsibilities.” Obama launched his career as a community organizer and his supporters argue that that type of work has proven his leadership ability.

What do you think? Can community organizing work prepare one for governmental leadership? And what do you think of Sarah Palin – do you agree with McCain that she’s the right person for the job of vice president? Post your comments below.

Remember Ron Paul? He’s the Texas congressman who sought the Republican nomination. Although he raised stunning amounts of money and developed a group of passionate supporters, he ultimately did not receive many primary votes. Paul came to Minnesota this week as well – but not for the Republican National Convention.

Paul held his own convention in Minneapolis, drawing more than 10,000 to his “Rally for the Republic” event featuring speakers and musical performances. Paul supporters were spotted throughout the city, holding signs in protest outside the Xcel center or shouting his name. People exiting the Republican Convention on its first night listened to one man just outside the security fence shouting “Ron Paul!” over and over and over.

Robert Tamburo of Pennsylvania said he was inspired by Ron Paul this past primary season to do what he could to help the Republican Party and “get it back to its conservative roots.” He decided the best way to help was to run as a delegate. He went door to door in the heart of winter seeking enough signatures on his petition to allow him to run as a delegate on his state’s election ballot. He then drove hours in a snowstorm to make sure his petition made it to the state’s board of electors by the deadline.

Tamburo’s efforts paid off when he was selected as a delegate, but he did not get a chance in Minnesota to see the man who inspired him. Why? Tamburo said there was not enough time. “I wanted to fulfill my obligations as a delegate.”

At the Democratic and Republican conventions, journalists can learn about more than politics. Throughout the media areas, companies are luring reporters with free coffee, soft drinks, snacks, pins and other free goods.

It’s a golden opportunity for businesses to attract media attention. As another America.gov blogger pointed out last week, conventions draw thousands of journalists but offer very little actual news to cover.

While visiting the companies’ booths, reporters have access to piles of material about the businesses. Companies present include 3M, LexisNexis, Quest, Google and Diageo – a beverage company. As reporters taste Diageo’s products, they can read about the company’s history and its humanitarian work, such as providing food to orphans in Afghanistan and delivering medical supplies to those affected by the conflict in Sudan.

General Motors also is displaying its new products at the Republican Convention: a hybrid vehicle and a fuel-cell electric vehicle. Those eyeing the cars can ask employees about the company’s efforts to get alternative-energy vehicles on the road and can take home literature about the new cars. According to the packet of information Campaign Trail Talk received, General Motors’ environmental mission is to “take America from gas-friendly to gas-free.”

“I am delighted to welcome my fellow Republicans to the land of Minnesota nice,” exclaimed Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann on the floor of the Republican Convention September 2. “It is not just a saying. We really are nice in this state. We’re friendly, happy people.” And although not everyone in the state is Republican, Bachmann said, even the liberals are “happy liberals.”

Campaign Trail Talk agrees with Bachmann. Throughout the city of St. Paul, hundreds of volunteers greeting journalists, delegates and others have been quick to offer any help. They are eager to tell you about the many sites Minnesota has to offer. In the convention hall, the Minneapolis-St. Paul host committee has set up a booth with free snacks, drinks and piles of information about the state. Those who don’t make it to the booth can learn about what the state has to offer from a television ad airing throughout the week.

Are the more than 45,000 visitors taking advantage of the state’s sights? In downtown St. Paul, it seems many are not. In the hours preceding the convention September 2, stores and restaurants opened their doors and hung signs welcoming Republicans, but most were pretty quiet – a sharp contrast to downtown Denver during the Democratic Convention. “We expected a crowd, but it hasn’t happened yet,” said an employee of an Italian sandwich shop less than a block from the convention hall.

There are many possible reasons for the difference. For starters, the weather has not been as nice in Minnesota as it was in Denver. And, the Xcel Center, home to official convention events, is in downtown St. Paul, where security measures required street closures that make navigating the area difficult. The sandwich shop, although outside the security perimeter, was nearly hidden by security fences.

St. Paul may is also competing for attention with bigger “twin city” across the river, Minneapolis. The two cities have promoted themselves as a team to Republicans, hanging street signs that read “Fun Squared” and “Twice as Nice,” but some in St. Paul are jealous that many of the delegates are choosing to spend more time in Minneapolis.

Despite the quiet streets, St. Paul residents and Minnesota officials hope delegates and journalists will want to visit again. It’s a message Bachmann echoed. “Come back to Minnesota,’ she concluded. “We’re a really nice state that loves you.”

With Hurricane Gustav degraded to a tropical depression, Republicans moved into a full schedule of convention events on Tuesday, including scheduled speeches by Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman (a former Democratic vice presidential nominee turned Independent who campaigns regularly for John McCain) and President Bush (who will speak via satellite.)

Republicans seem excited to have their convention back on track. “Republicans at this convention are much more excited than Republicans have been in the last couple of years,” Missouri Representative Roy Blunt told journalists at the Foreign Press Center September 1. “That’s a good thing.”

One of the reasons they are excited is McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate. One sign that they think she is a good pick: John McCain raised $47 million in August; $10 million came in since Palin’s candidacy was announced August 29. (See “John McCain Chooses Alaska Governor as Running Mate.”)

Inside the convention hall and across the United States, there have been many discussions about Palin, who was not a well-known politician prior to August 29. Most Americans are learning about her personal and political history for the first time this week and many are eagerly awaiting her acceptance speech September 3.

Party leaders like Blunt believe McCain’s pick shows his commitment to bring change to Washington.

“When John McCain reached out to pick the first person that you know would absolutely be in a McCain administration, that’s a pretty bold decision to go all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. That’s as about as far from Washington, D.C., as you can get and still have somebody who lives in the United States,” Blunt said.

Some Americans were puzzled that McCain chose a first-term governor to be his running mate when he has criticized Barack Obama’s lack of experience. Matthew Dowd, a political analyst for ABC News and chief strategist to the Bush/Cheney campaign in 2004, told journalists at the same briefing that when the general election picks up speed after the Republican convention, Americans will not hear much about experience.

“This will be a fight over who is the ‘change’ candidate, not over who is the most experienced candidate … which is why this whole convention will be set up about reform, as opposed to experience,” Dowd said.

The press filing center at St. Paul, Minnesota, is very different from the center in Denver. Thousands of journalists are working out of a series of auditoriums connected to the Xcel Energy Center, where official convention events will occur – although Hurricane Gustav’s arrival on the Gulf Coast has limited these events severely.

The good news for reporters is that the indoor location means no more portable bathrooms. The bad news is the series of auditoriums are on many different levels of a big building, which makes navigating the site confusing. Fortunately, there are hundreds of volunteers to guide the way – each one eager to help lost reporters and welcome them to Minnesota.

The mood here among the Republicans is more subdued than at the beginning of the Democratic convention. It is quieter, and the televisions turned on throughout the press areas are showing reports from the Gulf Coast.

Throughout his campaign, presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain has said he puts his “country first.” Party leaders say his decision to postpone most convention events is another example of this behavior.

Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez told journalists at the Foreign Press Center’s briefing area that McCain believes it is better to focus on the hurricane than on the convention right now. “It is a time to focus on the nation, it is a time to focus on America” rather than party politics, Gutierrez said.

McCain’s decision could come at a cost. The convention and the speeches – heavily covered on prime-time television – provide an opportunity for Americans to get to know the candidates, their parties and their positions. Conventions often provide a small bounce (increased approval) in polls for a candidate. Following the Democratic convention, Obama’s favorability in many polls jumped. His acceptance speech was viewed on television by about 38 million people – the most in convention history.

Whether McCain will get the opportunity to attract viewers and enjoy his own post-convention bounce remains to be seen; party leaders are setting the agenda “day by day” based on events in the Gulf Coast.