By Pat Rogers
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – Underscoring New Mexico’s place as a critical swing state, the convention ends and the election begins with the news of the Saturday visit to New Mexico by the “maverick” candidates. For John McCain’s speech last night, the New Mexico delegation was again very close to the stage. John McCain aimed at the heartland and the heart.
“Country First” was the theme, and for Americans who are not employed by the Democratic National Committee or living in exclusive urban addresses, the “straight talk express” delivered. If competence, sacrifice, independence and experience count in the McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden race, it may be a walk-over for the unconventional ticket.
John McCain volunteered that Sens. Obama and Biden have his “respect and admiration.” Mostly by personal example and actual accomplishments, rather than promises and polemics, McCain talked about his career, his experience, his service to America and his vision for America, the free world and the not-so-free world.
The New Mexico crowd was treated to several brief, anti-McCain outbursts, and the former POW responded kindly, but not in kind: “Ignore that ground clutter and noise,” he said. He was clearly pleased and proud of his VP pick and announced he “can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington.”
The protests were not nearly as dramatic or evident in Minnesota as I expected. With the exception of the KUNM call-in show yesterday morning, where two obviously regular listeners expressed their opinion that the First Amendment rights of the anarchists in Minneapolis were abused, I had no real encounter with any crazies. I am happy to say that the closest I got to the anarchists’ “message” — tossing bags of urine at the delegates — was the KUNM regular listeners complaining about the foiling of the anarchists’ plot to disrupt the convention.
Mitt Romney spoke at the RNC meeting this morning and he hosted a breakfast for Steve Pearce earlier in the week. He promised to visit New Mexico again. I am quite certain we will get lots of visits in the next 60 days.
A number of New Mexicans commented on the Western-versus-Eastern nature of the presidential contest and the “insider-outsider” aspect as well. It is probably not a representative sample I am hanging with, but the New Mexicans are wondering what two liberal insiders with little pre-election connection to New Mexico can offer a rural, Western and diverse state like ours.
Sightings? Oddly, except for the debut of The American Carol, Hollywood stars were not to be spotted. The political junkies had to be content chatting with people like Bill O’Reilly, John Fund, Carly Fiorina, Morton Blackwell, Bob Dole and the new Olympic decathlon champion. There was someone who looked like the pictures of Henry Kissinger, but when I got close enough to meet him, I realized it couldn’t be him, with that fake German accent.
I had the chance to talk to John Fund, the Wall Street Journal columnist and author. He has visited New Mexico recently for a Rio Grande Foundation lecture and said he hopes to visit again. He said New Mexico was very special to him because without the state, all of his recent books would be much shorter. His new book, “Stealing Elections,” goes on sale shortly.
Minneapolis was nice, but no green chile to be had. And no Palin buttons either. Looking forward to home.
Rogers is the RNC’s national committeeman from New Mexico. He is blogging from this week’s convention.
By Pat Rogers 
John McCain volunteered that Sens. Obama and Biden have his “respect and admiration.” Mostly by personal example and actual accomplishments, rather than promises and polemics, McCain talked about his career, his experience, his service to