RNC 08.

"If John McCain wins this election, it will be because of Hollywood," argues Marty Kaplan in the Jewish Journal. It's not that he's got Hollywood money and star wattage backing him up - he doesn't - instead: "It's that the gradual appropriation by Hollywood of politics, journalism and practically ever other domain of modern life is reaching its apotheosis in McCain's campaign. His persona, and the story he is telling, and the media narrative that frames and delivers it to us, all come straight from the movies. Unfortunately, this movie may end really, really badly."

Via Ted Johnson, who's in the Twin Cities, covering the Republican National Convention for Variety at Wilshire & Washington.

Updated through 9/5.

In the City Pages, Bradley Campbell and Matt Snyders present a "field guide to the Republican National Convention."

Steven Shaviro argues that "the 'liberal' portion of the blogosphere" has got Sarah Palin all wrong.

Rex Sorgatz is there.

Matt Maul is sending dispatches into the House Next Door.

James Urbaniak and friends are having some fun.

Earlier: "DNC 08."

Updates, 9/3: Andrew Sullivan rounds up reactions to the first full night.

In the New York Times, Janet Maslin finds that Marc Eliot's Reagan: The Hollywood Years "is predicated on the idea that Ronald Reagan is best understood as 'a serial populist' and that his career in government had its roots in his long acting career.... He winds up with an intriguing but uneven book, representing a largely squandered opportunity."

The cinetrix has "seen this movie already! The patriotic, pro-life, pro-gun, pageant vet Alaskan governor shares DNA with the Leeman ladies from 1999 mockumentary Drop Dead Gorgeous."

Jay Rosen:

John McCain's convention gambit is now a culture war strategy. It depends for its execution on conflict with journalists, and with bloggers (the "angry left," Bush called them last night) along with confusion between and among the press, the blogosphere, and the Democratic party. It revives cultural memory: the resentment narrative after Chicago '68 but with the angry left more distributed. It dispenses with issues and seeks a trial of personalities. It bets big time on backlash.

Also at the Huffington Post, Jamie Lee Curtis on Palin's "relatability."

At the SpoutBlog, Christopher Campbell casts the key players of the moment.

Impressions from James Wolcott: "The McCainiacs apparently have decided to go full metal soap opera. So now the theme of the Republican convention isn't Defeating Obama or Drill, Drill, Drill, it's 'Let's Rally 'Round These Two Love-Crazed Kids and Show Them We Care.' I'm not sure that's a winning formula for the fall, but the exotic, tribal ways of the Republican base are alien to us ballet-goers, so maybe Bristol's baby bump will translate into a bump in the polls for the Republicans, the path to victory strewn with baby diapers."

Updates, 9/4: Speeches: Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani.

Matt Maul has more notes at the House Next Door.

The Daily Show tracks the right's about-face on, oh, just a whole lot of issues.

At the SpoutBlog, Christopher Campbell lists "10 Movies for Republicans."

Updates, 9/5: John McCain's speech.

Derek Thompson introduces "The Sarah Palin FAQ" at Slate: "We will update the page as new questions (or new answers) come to light."

The Big Picture collects some of the best shots from both conventions.

Posted by dwhudson at September 2, 2008 3:36 PM