Almanac: At the Capitol

Sen. Norm Coleman addressed the convention for a second time today.  That equals Sen. Amy Klobuchar's appearances before the DNC and is twice as many appearances before a national audience as his opponent Al Franken.  The Dem turned down his short opportunity before the mic in Denver.  The Republican former St. Paul Mayor woke up the crowd in his five minutes at the RNC.  He hit on the topic on everyone's mind:  Sarah Palin.   Coleman said "Minnesotans are always thrilled to welcome another hockey mom."   He got some good cheers, even a standing ovation at the end from the delegates on the floor.

It seems people off the floor but in the hall may be having a harder time connecting with the speakers because you can't see their faces.  There are not the big easily viewable screens like in Denver.  People really have to strain up past speakers and rafters to see a jumbotron.  And it is more difficult to relate to strangers hundreds of feet across a room when all the "real people" are talking.  What the X does better than the Pepsi Center is allow people in the hallways to see into the hall, but you need to see faces full of emotion to really get the impact.