Speculation regarding WWRNS — What Would RN Say? — is generally a mug’s game. (With, of course, notable exceptions.)
That said, I can guarantee you that he would have said the following three things:
(1) Whoever slipped Rudy whatever it was that resulted in that painfully slowly and badly read grossly self-indulgent speech should be fired. And Rudy should be taken to the woodshed for all the good that will do. If he knew what he was doing it was unconscionable; if he didn’t know what he was doing it was unprofessional.
As a result of his performance they had to can the Palin introductory video — which was probably not that great a loss but it did mean that she was just suddenly introduced out of a void by an offstage voice.
But —and this is unforgivable— because he ran over she ran over. She ran about 8 minutes over prime time. That means that on the entire east coast the end of her speech and McCain’s surprise appearance probably weren’t seen. In speeches like this you plan for the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts. So however well she did —and she did very well indeed— her impact was undermined by the man who was supposed to be her warm up act.
(2) Whoever is responsible for the convention hall seating arrangements should be fired. Every long shot of the podium produces a screen whose upper left hand looks like the Empty Quarter — and even a few camels and a Bedouin encampment would be an improvement over that vast vacant space. And several shots of Cindy McCain and Roberta McCain showed vacant chairs behind them. Anyone who doesn’t understand that you go small to look large went to Clown College not Advance School.
(3) She’s a fighter. She’s a winner. She was was very, very good.