Inside PBS Blog

It's been a strange week at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. When I got here on Sunday, it looked like there might not be a convention at all, as Hurricane Gustav barreled toward the Gulf Coast with a Katrina-like threat. But once the hurricane died down, another storm blew in.

The nomination of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as Sen. John McCain's running mate was the only story to tell, and while McCain's official nomination speech is sure to be the final day's highlight, the energy of Palin's moment on stage is unlikely to be topped.

While in Denver, much of the energy around Sen. Barack Obama's nomination came from young people; many I spoke with were first-time voters and first-time delegates. But in St. Paul, while Palin is also young, there's more of a feeling of tradition and excitement from an older generation about what she brings to the ticket.

When I spoke with nine-time convention-goer Carl Teppel of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, he told me about how he first got involved in politics --- in the 1950s.

So how are younger voters being represented in St. Paul? Just a quick glance around the Xcel Energy Center shows they are certainly fewer in number than in Denver, but the College Republicans have been holding events, including a "Financial Football Training Camp" with Minnesota Vikings player Cris Carter, as Tamika Thompson from Tavis Smiley's Young Voices blog reported.

College Republicans chair Charlie Smith stopped by the NewsHour's Insider Forum on Wednesday, and made his views about Senator McCain clear.

"And I think, in our generation, especially, we find some very appealing things in Senator McCain, in his policies, in his personal story. And I think that he would be a great president.

What are your feelings about the convention? Was it too much to have them back-to-back? Did watching the coverage shift your opinions about the race?