Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, at the end of his acceptance speech to the Party’s convention last night. (AP Photo)

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All week long, once the hurricane cleared, Republicans in St. Paul pounded on Barack Obama.

Last night, the GOP’s nominee for the presidency, John McCain, dialed it back, kicked his own party a little, and promised “change is coming” to Washington. A change called McCain-Palin.

Now, it’s two change themes on the campaign trail, and voters get to choose. Four more years of a Republican White House, with John McCain and Sarah Palin, or a green light for Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

This hour, On Point: Our Friday news roundtable looks at the GOP’s big week and the national choice ahead.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Eleanor Clift, contributing editor at Newsweek magazine, where she writes the Capitol Letter column. Her latest, “Nagging Doubts,” looked at Democrats’ fears about November.

Bill McKenzie, editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News. You can read his recent columns here, including his latest, “What Happened to Bush?”

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.

John McCain joins Sarah Palin at the end of her speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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Live from St. Paul, Minnesota, where it is finale time at the Republican National Convention.

It will be hard to top VP nominee Sarah Palin’s big show last night. More than 37 million viewers tuned in — almost as many as watched Barack Obama’s stadium speech in Denver.

But John McCain has a bigger challenge than besting his running mate and Obama at the podium. Tonight, he needs to nail the Republican base — and pull in the millions of independent voters he needs to put him over the top. To be rebel and Republican.

This hour, On Point: John McCain’s big night, and John McCain’s big challenge.

You can join the conversation. What do you expect to hear from John McCain tonight? What do you want to hear? Does he have to knock it out of the park tonight in order to win in November? Tell us what you think.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Joining us here in St. Paul are:

Sen. Orrin Hatch, Republican senator from Utah. He has represented the state in the United State Senate since 1977.

Rep. Heather Wilson, Republican Congresswoman from New Mexico. Since 1988, she has represented New Mexico’s first district, which includes Albuquerque. She is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the only woman veteran in Congress.

Fred Thys, political reporter at WBUR-Boston covering the convention in St. Paul.

Jonathan Kaufman, political editor of The Wall Street Journal. His latest piece, “Palin Candidacy Exposes Divisions Among Women,” looks at how partisan and class lines have been burred in the response to her selection.

David Mark, senior editor at Politico.com.

Stephen Hayes, senior writer at The Weekly Standard. His cover story in the current issue is “How Palin Got Picked.”

And joining us from San Jose, California, is Rep. Mike Honda, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and U.S. Congressman from the California’s 15th District.

Sen. John McCain speaks in Leesville, S.C., on Sept. 28, 1999, in front of a portrait of himself during his days as a fighter pilot in Vietnam.

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Live from St. Paul, Minnesota, and John McCain’s big day at the Republican National Convention.

Last night was Sarah Palin’s — and the young Alaska governor showed no fear on the national stage. She took the week’s Republican message of “America first” and no thanks to Obama, and ran with it — hard.

But it’s the man who joined her family on that stage who would be president. The man whose POW torture history is plain in every wave to the crowd. Whose record is long — and not the usual.

This hour, On Point: Sarah Palin last night, the Republican message this week, and the life story John McCain is putting into play for the presidency.

You can join the conversation. How did you like them apples, Sarah Palin-style? Whatever your politics, did you see the appeal that rocked this house last night? What’s the Republican message you’re hearing? And are you moved—moved to vote—by the life story of John McCain? Should it put him in the White House?

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Robert Timberg, McCain biographer and former reporter and editor-at-large at the Baltimore Sun, where he was White House correspondent during the Reagan administration. He’s the author of “The Nightingale’s Song” (1995), about the Vietnam experiences of five Annapolis graduates: John McCain, Bud McFarlane, Oliver North, John Poindexter, and James Webb. His 1999 book “John McCain: An American Odyssey,” drew upon the previous book.

You can read Timberg’s prologue to “John McCain: An American Odyssey.”

Howard Fineman, senior Washington correspondent and columnist at Newsweek and author of “The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country.” (Read an excerpt.)

Michael Crowley, senior editor at The New Republic. His article “Salter Ego,” on John McCain’s adviser and chief speechwriter Mark Salter, appeared in the July 30 issue.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin shakes hands with supporters at the conclusion of a campaign unity rally in O'Fallon, Mo., Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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Live from St. Paul, Minnesota, and Day Three of the Republican National Convention.

Who would’ve thunk it. John McCain’s big week has been nearly overwhelmed by a 44-year-old mother of five, moose-guttin’ governor of Alaska.

Alaska Magazine calls Sarah Palin “America’s Hottest Governor.” John McCain calls her ready to be a heartbeat from the presidency.

Here in St. Paul this week she’s been called Evita, Joan of Arc, heroic reformer, inspired choice, reckless choice, insult to the electorate, and salvation of the GOP ticket. Tonight she speaks.

This hour, On Point: John McCain’s high stakes gamble — Governor Sarah Palin.

You can join the conversation. What do you make of the Alaska governor? Her politics, her record, her family values, her readiness to step in if John McCain checks out? Is this your choice to break the glass ceiling?

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Peter Wallsten, reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering the conventions. He’s been raising tough questions about how Governor Palin was vetted by the McCain team.

Sen. Lyda Green, Alaska State Senate President. A Republican from Sarah Palin’s hometown district, she and the governor have not seen eye-to-eye on many issues.

Kellyanne Conway, Republican pollster and co-author of “What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class, and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live.”

Ruth Marcus, columnist for The Washington Post. You can read her recent columns here, including Sunday’s, “A Heartbeat Away From Cynicism,” in which she argues that McCain’s pick of Palin undermines his maverick credentials.

Beverly Gage, professor of 20th-century political history at Yale University.

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., participates in the Compassion Forum with pastor Rick Warren, not in photo, at the Saddleback Church, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008 in Lake Forest, Calif. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

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Live from St. Paul on Day Three of the Republican National Convention.

It’s a big tent, the Republican Party likes to say. But for years now the religious right has worked hard to put a pulpit in the middle, and has often been the face of Republicanism.

Enter John McCain, who never could sit still during those sermons. He famously called Christian right leaders Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson “agents of intolerance.” And until even last week, the religious right was notably, markedly, cool to McCain’s campaign.

Now Sarah Palin, Alaska governor and conservative values campaigner, has changed that in an instant. The Christian right is fired up for her.

What can we learn from this story? And what does it mean for the November election and a potential McCain-Palin administration?

This hour, On Point: Live from St. Paul, we’ll look at the religious right, the GOP, the McCain campaign, and the homestretch to November.

You can join the conversation. Evangelicals, are you fired up now for McCain plus Palin? What does it mean for the country, if the religious right is on or off the ticket? How will faith and values play in the McCain-Obama contest? Tell us what you think.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Karen Tumulty, national political reporter for Time magazine, where she contributes to Time.com’s Swampland blog.

Steven Waldman, co-founder and editor in chief of Beliefnet.com, where he writes a blog, and author of “The Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America.”

Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the country.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and co-author of “Personal Faith, Public Policy” (2008).

Kevin Hiebert, co-pastor at The Church in Vancouver, and a member of Restoring Eden, a Christian environmental organization. He and his wife have a business called Urban Farm School, which helps people set up sustainable farming in cities, suburban settings, and urban backyards.

More links:

Listen back to On Point’s show yesterday morning, “The Soul of the GOP,” with guests Phyllis Schlafly, Republican pollster Whit Ayres, conservative journalist Ross Douthat, and On Point news analyst Jack Beatty.

In today’s New York Times, David Kirkpatrick reports that McCain’s efforts to woo religious conservatives are paying off.

At Politico.com, Jim Vandehei and David Paul Kuhn write that McCain’s choice of Palin has reignited the culture wars.

A worker carries the state standard for Ohio on the floor of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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Live from St. Paul and the Republican National Convention.

Across the country and here in St. Paul, big sighs of relief that Hurricane Gustav did not turn out to be Katrina II. Today the GOP conversation began to get back in gear.

We caught up with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Here’s the message he said needs to come out of this convention to rally the Republican base: “We got fired in 2006. We need to get back into the good graces of the American people we failed when it comes to managing your money. We’ve gone native in Washington. We’re going to change things, we’re going to shake things up. We’re going to be the party of a strong national defense, but we’re going to be the reform party.”

Tonight, President Bush will speak by satellite link from Washington. In primetime, former Tennessee senator and presidential candidate Fred Thompson will speak. So will former Democrat now independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. We’ll check in on them.

But first, we turn to Republican delegates from battleground states across the country — including right here in Minnesota — where John McCain needs to win. This hour, On Point: We’re live from St. Paul with delegates from the front lines of the McCain-Obama battle.

Are you on the front lines? From a battleground state? A state on the fence that John McCain needs to take? What’s the word? Whose message is resonating where you live? Join the conversation.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Riding along with us tonight is Ken Walsh, chief White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report. He’s logged his share of miles out on the campaign trail.

Also with us here in St. Paul are four GOP delegates:

Minnesota delegate Tony Sutton is 40 years old, married with three kids, and CEO of Baja Sol, a regional chain of Mexican restaurants. He is secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota Republican Party, and was state co-chair for Mitt Romney. He’s now on board with McCain.

Alci Maldonado is a delegate from Lakeland, Florida. She’s a divorced mother of four and is chairman of Florida’s Republican National Hispanic Assembly. Born in Colombia, she came to the U.S. at age 2. Early on in this campaign she was a big Rudy Giuliani supporter and served on his state advisory committee. She’s with McCain now.

Thomas Moe is a first-time delegate from Lancaster, Ohio. He’s 64 years old, married with three children, and is chairman of Ohio Veterans for McCain. He served 30 years in the Air Force andwas a fighter pilot in Vietnam. He was shot down in January 1968 and spent five years as a prisoner of war, including time in the same prison camp where John McCain was held—the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.”

Michigan delegate Judy Todd Johnson is from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She’s 62, a mother of three, grandmother of five, and vice-chair of the Kalamazoo GOP.

Later this hour, looking ahead to Senator Joe Lieberman’s speech tonight, we’ll be joined by Gerald Seib, assistant managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. He’s co-author, with John Harwood, of “Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power.”

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, and his vice-presidential running mate Alaska Gov Sarah Palin on Friday, Aug. 29, 2008 in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The levees held. Good news for the people of New Orleans.

And it’s Day Two of the Republican National Convention here in St Paul, September 2nd.

It was on this day in 1901, at the Minnesota State Fair, that Teddy Roosevelt spoke his famous phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick.”

John McCain loves Teddy Roosevelt. But Republicans didn’t always. And they haven’t always loved John McCain. Now, he’s out front. But the party’s still wrestling over what it means to be a good Republican now.

This hour, On Point: From St. Paul and the GOP convention, we’re asking what it means to be Republican in the age of John McCain.

You can join the conversation. Republicans, are you happy with your party’s direction in the years of George Bush? What would you hope for the party in an era of President McCain? What does, what should, the GOP stand for now? Tell us what you think.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Joining us from Philadelphia, where she’s traveling with the McCain campaign, is Jill Zuckman, national political correspondent for the Chicago Tribune.

And joining us here at the Xcel Center in St. Paul are:

Whit Ayres, Republican pollster and president of Ayres, McHenry & Associates.

Phyllis Schlafly, conservative Republican pioneer and leader in the pro-life movement since 1972, when she started a national volunteer organization now called Eagle Forum. She’s the author of some 20 books, including “The Supremacists: The Tyranny of Judges and How to Stop It” (2004).

Ross Douthat, a senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly, where he writes a widely read blog, and co-author of “Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream.” (You can read an excerpt here.)

And with us from Hanover, New Hampshire, is our own On Point news analyst, Jack Beatty.

UPDATE 9/2/08, 12:55 P.M. EDT

We’ve received many comments — both online (see below) and offline — about Phyllis Schlafly’s remarks this morning regarding Governor Sarah Palin, her youngest child, and the topic of abortion. The following is a transcript of the portion of the broadcast in which Ms. Schlafly made the controversial remarks:

CALLER CAROLINE: …I would like to ask her: If Sarah Palin were a Democratic candidate with a tiny special needs child at home and a 17-year-old daughter that’s expecting a baby that’s unwed, how the Republican Party of family values would view the fact that the mother went to work just a few days after the special needs baby was born. So that’s what’s happening with the Republican Party, and I would like her to comment…

TOM ASHBROOK: …We’ll put it to her. Are you a Republican, Democrat, independent, what?

CAROLINE: Former Republican, due to this, exactly what we’re describing.

ASHBROOK: Phyllis Schafly, what do you say…?

PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY: If Sarah Palin were a Democrat, she would have aborted the baby. That’s the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. And Sarah Palin demonstrated that she is pro-life in contra to all of the Democrats. And we think it’s absolutely wonderful that she is so different. She is obviously a woman who has it all together. And she doesn’t have this idea that women are victims, and crying around about sexism like Hillary Clinton does…

A number of listeners have complained that Tom did not immediately challenge Schlafly about this remark. Tom did bring a caller into the conversation later in the hour who specifically challenged Schlafly on the abortion comments. Here’s the transcript:

ASHBROOK: Mark, we hear your anger. What’s it about, exactly? …

CALLER MARK: To say that a Democrat would have aborted a child because she had Down Syndrome, is about as mean a thing as I think someone could say. And that, that is so –

SCHLAFLY: Well, the figures are 91 percent, of Down Syndrome babies being aborted.

ASHBROOK: Across the entire population. Of course it could be Republicans, it could be Democrats… [CROSSTALK]

SCHLAFLY: Could be.

ASHBROOK: It would suggest a lot of Republicans. Mark, what party are you in?

MARK: You know what, I’ve been an Independent all my life, but I have been strongly Democratic for the last seven years….

ASHBROOK: Phyllis, brickbats there. Not the first you’ve seen come your way…

SCHLAFLY: Well, I don’t know what his real problem is…

ASHBROOK: Well, he doesn’t like your comment about abortion.

SCHLAFLY: …The Democratic Party is absolutely for abortion.

ASHBROOK: Abortion rights.

SCHLAFLY: Barack Obama…

ASHBROOK: Abortion rights.

SCHLAFLY: Well, I don’t know…

ASHBROOK: They said they want to make abortion “safe, legal, and rare” for many years…

SCHLAFLY: They dropped that from their platform. Barack Obama is even against the ban on partial-birth abortion. He was even against the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. He’s the most pro-abortion candidate we’ve ever had. And the Democratic Party is wholly in hock to the pro-abortion movement in this country.

UPDATE 9/3/08 2:03 P.M. EDT

In this morning’s show on McCain and the religious right, Tom addressed the comments by Phyllis Schlafly — calling them “broad, brutal, and wrong” — and brought on two guests, parents of a Down syndrome child who are Democrats and members of First Baptist Church in Newton, Mass. The audio is available on this page (the segment begins about 20 minutes into the show).

President Bush with John McCain

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Live from St. Paul, Minnesota, and a bare-bones Day One of the Republican National Convention.

No George Bush at the convention tonight. No Dick Cheney. Hurricane Gustav has thrown them, and a whole lot of conventioneers, right off the program tonight.

But the incumbent Republican president still looms large over the campaign of John McCain. In policy, on taxes and war. In photos, like the famous hug.

John McCain has fought George Bush and hugged George Bush, and now he must run both with and against George Bush.

This hour, On Point: Live from St. Paul, the Bush legacy and John McCain.

You can join the conversation. How will you remember George W. Bush? And if you plan to vote for John McCain, is it because you want more of the same, or something different? Tell us what you think.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Joining us from New Orleans is Mark Schleifstein, environmental reporter for The Times-Picayune. He’s been following Hurricane Gustav’s progress.

With us here in St. Paul is Michael Carey, columnist and former editorial page editor of the Anchorage Daily News. See the paper’s coverage of Gov. Sarah Palin.

Also with us in St. Paul is Byron York, White House correspondent for National Review and commentator for Fox News.

We’re joined here as well by Juliette Eilperin, national political correspondent for The Washington Post. Her piece in today’s paper, co-reported with Michael Shear, looks at how McCain’s choice of Palin as running mate has energized Republican evangelicals.

And from Washington, we’re joined by Michael Gerson, former speechwriter and policy advisor to President George W. Bush, now a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a columnist for The Washington Post.

Hurricane Gustav

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Live from St. Paul, Minnesota, and a stripped-down Day One of the Republican National Convention.

This was to be the day of George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Arnold Scwharzenegger. Instead, it’s a day of bare-bones party business and Hurricane Gustav.

John McCain has turned to Mississippi and the Gulf Coast — brand new VP pick, Alaska governor Sarah Palin, at his side. Nearly two million have fled the storm. Politics are on hold, sort of. Storms make politics, too.

This hour: Republicans, riding the wind, with voices from New Orleans, Alaska, and right here in St. Paul.

You can join the conversation. Could you have imagined a wilder start to a GOP convention? In the anniversary week of Katrina, does Gustav work for or against John McCain? Does Sarah Palin sink or swim? Let us know what you think.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Joining us from New Orleans is David Hammer, reporter for The Times-Picayune. Read the latest hurricane news from New Orleans here.

Joining us from Fairbanks, Alaska, is Dermot Cole. He’s a columnist for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. You can read his recent columns at newsminer.com.

With us at the Xcel Center in St. Paul is Matthew Continetti, associate editor at The Weekly Standard and author of “The K Street Gang: The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine.” His op-ed “Two-Front Republicans,” about Sarah Palin and the Republican Party, appeared in The New York Times on Saturday.

Also here in St. Paul, we’re joined by Nina Easton, Washington editor for Fortune magazine, where she writes the Power Play blog, political analyst for Fox News, and author of “Gang of Five: Leaders at the Center of the Conservative Ascendancy.”

And we’re joined here by Mark Halperin, editor-at-large and senior political analyst at Time magazine. He writes The Page, Time.com’s up-to-the-minute campaign news update. You can read his analysis of McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin here.

Watch Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech in Dayton, Ohio, on Friday, accepting John McCain’s invitation to be his running mate:

Watch part two of the speech here:

Never count a determined man out. John McCain was down for the count last summer. Broke and written off and flying coach. Now he’s taken Florida, and the Republican race to Super Tuesday has a whole new complexion.

Giuliani is headed for the sidelines. Mike Huckabee hanging in, maybe for a VP seat with Florida’s winner. Mitt Romney and his millions girding for what could be a last stand. And the GOP base contemplating the never-surrender maverick, McCain, as their standard bearer.

This hour, On Point: The Republican field narrows on the way to Super Tuesday.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

S.V. Date, a contributor to the Tallahassee Democrat, he has covered Florida politics for a dozen years and is the author of “Jeb: America’s Next Bush.”

Tony Fabrizio, chief pollster and strategist for Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign. He has advised dozens of GOP candidates and the Republican National Committee.

Frank Luntz, CEO and Chairman of Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research and author of “Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear” (2007).

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.

So, Michigan has spoken — to Republicans at least — and the word is Romney.

Mitt Romney needed it bad. And he got it. Michiganders went for the man who promised their jobs back, and not John McCain, who said some were gone for good.

But this Republican race is still a free-for-all. Next stop South Carolina, where just about anything could happen.

And the Democrats? In Vegas last night, playing for high stakes in Nevada, where Latino voters get their first big say on Saturday.

This hour, On Point: on from Michigan, with all the chips on the table.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Jonathan Martin, senior writer for the Politico.

Blease Graham, professor of political science at the University of South Carolina.

Jamal Simmons, Democratic strategist working with the Nevada Democratic Party.

Ron Brownstein, political director for Atlantic Media and author of “The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America.”

Hey, stop the presses. New Hampshire has written its own headline. Upset! Comeback! It’s Clinton over Obama — never mind Iowa and the polls and the magic. It’s McCain over Romney — never mind, again, the money of the man who was governor right next door.

Hillary Clinton never quit and nearly cried and pulled it out in New Hampshire. John McCain came back from the political dead zone to smack Mitt Romney.

But the way ahead is still a mystery in both parties — you might say now more than ever.

This hour, On Point: What happened in New Hampshire. And what now?

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Gerald Seib, assistant managing editor at The Wall Street Journal, he writes the “Capital Journal” column and is author of the forthcoming book “Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power.”

Eleanor Clift, contributing editor at Newsweek, where she writes the “Capitol Letter” column.

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.

James Pinkerton, columnist for Newsday and contributor to the Fox News Channel.

It’s a funny week for Fred Thompson to be odd man out in the scrum of GOP ‘08 presidential contenders. Rudy Giuliani’s got evangelical Christian Pat Robertson blessing his candidacy. Mormon Mitt Romney has the religious right’s Paul Weyrich. Even John McCain has an endorsement from evangelical hero Sam Brownback.

But Fred Thompson — conservative former senator and TV actor who was to be this campaign’s Reagan — is sort of on his own, not conservative or galvanizing in quite the way expected. But could he still be the GOP sleeper?

This hour, On Point: getting Fred Thompson.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Christine Byun, reporter for ABC News covering the Thompson campaign.

Joe Mathews, political reporter for the Los Angeles Times, he wrote a series of articles on Fred Thompson’s early life and career.

John Geer, professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University, editor of The Journal of Politics, and author of “In Defense of Negativity: Attack Advertising in Presidential Campaigns” (2006).

Dick Polman, national political columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of the blog “Dick Polman’s American Debate.”