Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was indeed impressive during her coming-out party yesterday, with her pleasant and slightly chirpy voice suggesting hints of middle America, a background further solidified by her now-famous record of PTA involvement, being a hockey mom, having a propensity for mooseburgers, and fighting for reform.

He might be here in Rhode Island, not Denver, but Scott MacKay comes up with a good yarn, offering another reminder of why he and his mental treasure trove of poltical nuggets will be missed when he leaves the ProJo next month:

Joe Biden's speech at the Democratic National Convention tonight will undoubtedly show his passionate side; vice-presidential candidates traditionally are a presidential ticket's designated attack dogs.

[N4N will be away from the blog for a few days]

Unlike his Republican opponent, Barack Obama faces very high expectations for his much-anticipated DNC address tomorrow night. The stakes are high, as it will help to set the tone for the rest of his campaign -- and perhaps more.

Tomorrow night, there will be a DNC Nominating Party at Local 121 in Providence.

I've heard Hillary Clinton speak in person three times, including during an appearance in Rhode Island earlier this year, and none of those occasions prepared me for the impassioned address she delivered last night at the DNC. Dan Kennedy sums it up well:

Well, that was quite a performance by Hillary Clinton, was it not? Unlike the Mark Warners of the world, she managed to talk about herself and use that in a compelling way to transfer her personal message to Barack Obama.

It's going down Wednesday evening at the Wild Colonial. Come and admire the newest WC softball trophy, talk politics, have a tasty Dogfish Head on tap, or do all of the above.

From Chris:

DL Providence: Toasting DL at the DNC
Wednesday, August 27th 8-10pm
The Wild Colonial
250 South Water Street
Providence, RI
Hosts: Chris Blazejewski, Kim Ahern, Matt Jerzyk, Julian Dash, Ami Gada

RI's senior senator, who may or may not wind up in an Obama administration, is slated to get his DNC spotlight tomorrow night, shortly before 9 pm, talking up the theme of "securing America's future."

Meanwhile, a Washingtonian magazine profile (by the ProJo's John Mulligan) calls him a key to what the Democrats will do to end the war.

Speaking of the blogosphere and the MSM . . .

I don't bear any animus against ProJo op-ed writer Froma Harrop, although I do agree with those who say that it would have made a hell of a lot more sense for the ProJo to send any number of people (paticularly the soon-to-be departing Scott MacKay, Charlie Bakst, Mark Arsenault, or even a young go-getter like Dan Barbarisi) to Denver instead of her.

The crumbling ad base for journalism is a big concern among reporters and press advocates alike.

Previously, we'd heard about how ProPublica offers one different model for funding investigative reporting.

My friend Matt is kicking the butt of the local MSM in covering the DNC, so that's another way to go.

Michelle Obama, IMHO, seemed a tad edgy at the outset of her address, but she rallied and brought it home, coming across as quite likeable. And it was hard not to be impressed by the force of will propelling Ted Kennedy. The media commentary on both speech appears generally positive.

Meanwhile, a Quinnipiac poll (h/t Halperin) shows that voters in the battleground states of Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio want to elect a Democrat, but that the leader of the race varies among those states.

Paraphrase: "This is the first time at a Democratic Convention that Dan Yorke got a better seat than I did."

So commented Bill Lynch, chairman of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, referring to Yorke's place among the media on the convention floor, compared with the nosebleed seats for the state's Democratic delegation.

State Senator Juan Pichardo, who faces a Democratic primary challenge from Maryelyn Alba-Acevedo, has received an endorsement from US Senator Jack Reed.

Providence, RI: U.S. Sen. Jack Reed formally endorsed state Sen. Juan Pichardo (D-2) today citing a distinguished record of public service and community activism.

Maybe this is why Sheldon Whitehouse told me last Thursday that he didn't yet know how he was going to cast his superdelegate vote (h/t Halperin):

Getty

AP: The two are hammering out a plan to give Clinton some votes in the roll call, but to cut it off after a few states– possibly with New York.

"Jed Lowrie could be today's hero," yours truly said to Mrs. N4N, seconds before the rookie infielder hit what proved to be the game-winner in yesterday's 6-5 Sox victory.

In response to my crowing about my stunningly accurate prophecy, she said, "You said, 'could be' "

Whatev. It happens only now and then, but my Sox ESP gets very dialed in at times.

Kerouac fans will remember that Denver, the site of the Democratic National Convention, played a significant role in On the Road, in part as the home of Dean Moriarty.

Yesterday, Michael Powell had a tasty essay in the Times' Week in Review, musing on the American Wanderer and what role this will play in the November election.

Speaking of Carcieri, our governor has been an energetic supporter of what proponents call medical malpractice reform. Yet those who believe the medical system is plagued by unwarranted lawsuits might want to watch a segment aired last night on 60 Minutes, featuring actor Dennis Quaid.

Chances are you probably know someone who has died, or nearly died, because of medical mistakes in a hospital.