GOP Convention: Shades of Yay

IT ALL STARTED last night while I was watching Laura Bush speak.

As with any political convention — Republican or Democrat — the crowd went wild at all the appropriate times. Mentioning President Bush? Check. Talking up John and Cindy McCain? Check.

But unlike the Democratic convention, which featured a cacophonous cascade of whoops and hollers, at this convention, one voice cut through the crowd like a tuba in a room full of piccolos.

Its source: Some guy. Its message: "Yay!"

The voice became so omnipresent at times that I muted the TV to be sure that a neighbor wasn't pleading to be released from a locked closet or that my cat wasn't gagging on a magic marker.

But no. It was some dude in St. Paul. And his shouts of affirmation were everywhere.

They began right away for Mrs. Bush, at 00:00 on the video above. Then at :10. Then at :20. When she piped up in support of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, so did Captain Yay — he even elongated one "yay" at 1:51 into a "rah rah rah" kind of sound.

He yayed when she mentioned President Bush at 3:31. He's a fan of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, too — he yayed for them at 4:54.

Mrs. Bush's speech ended. But the shouts of approval didn't.

He yayed when former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson stood up for Palin, and when he talked about rebuilding the military. He even yayed across party lines: Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman got about four yays in the first 40 seconds of his speech.

I began to rate speeches and points within speeches by how many yays they received.

During President Bush's speech (the video's above), a reference to "the next President of the United States, John McCain" (1:02) got no yay, but a nod to George H.W. and Barbara Bush did (1:27). Did this signal disapproval? Or just a lack of overwhelming, gushing excitement?

Captain Yay gave no analysis. Only approbation or a stinging silence.

In the end, is it fair for there to be a Captain Yay — for one man to have a voice that soars so much higher than that of his fellow convention-goers? Who elected Captain Yay, anyway? Who gave him the power to channel his thoughts directly into my skull?

I think we need to fight the power on this, my friends. We need to stand up and say that no one man should lift himself (or his voice) so much higher than the others. Or we should at least ask the networks to move their microphones.

All in favor, say "yay."

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images