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Post-convention, Palin a popular draw at rallies

BY TOM BRUNE | tom.brune@newsday.com

September 6, 2008

CEDARBURG, Wis. - If there was any doubt that John McCain's surprise pick of Sarah Palin has grabbed the attention of many Republicans, Barbara Falk, a retiree born and raised in this quaint small town, put it to rest yesterday: "I came out to see her."

So did Falk's friend Pat Mantel, who said, "I do enjoy that vice president that McCain picked." And so did Mantel's sister Carol Eberhardt, a retired lab worker and single mother of three, who said, "She speaks my language."

A day after McCain gave what many critics panned as a flat acceptance speech, Palin proved to be a popular draw.

She energized a once-sparkless campaign in the McCain-Palin ticket's first two campaign stops after the Republican National Convention.

Crowds of people jammed streets for blocks around the downtown stage set up here for the GOP ticket - the campaign put out a crowd estimate, drawn from the area, of 12,000 (matching Cedarburg's population).

It would be a scene repeated yesterday afternoon in Sterling Heights, Mich., a Reagan Democrat stronghold.

Many at the first rally said they wanted to see the mother of five and first female Alaska governor, whom they referred to simply as "Sarah." Most always vote Republican and likely would vote for McCain anyway.

But Kathi Czarnecki, an investor, said, "I think Sarah has re-energized the party."

Palin has become a new weapon for the strategists running the McCain campaign, plugging into its retooled anti-Washington message of reform. She also serves as an entrée into small-town America.

Friday marked the trial run. To the chants of "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah," Palin spoke for about a dozen minutes, debuting her stump speech derived from her well-watched acceptance address at the convention and launching the attack against Democrat Barack Obama.

When McCain took his turn, he praised Palin before calling for reform and describing his fight against corruption among Democrats and Republicans.

But on the bad economic news of the day - another 84,000 jobs lost nationwide last month - McCain offered no rosy picture, though he promised to create millions of jobs, mostly by cutting taxes. "A little straight talk. These are tough times," he said. "You're worried about keeping your job, and struggling to put food on your table."

His solution: Have government not stand in their way, but stand by their side.

Obama criticized the proposal as inadequate, saying it's not that McCain doesn't care, but that "He just doesn't get it."

Meanwhile, the Alaska Legislature is speeding its probe into whether Palin abused her power as governor by firing the state public safety commissioner, who had refused to fire a state trooper who had gone through a messy divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister. But the results might be incomplete: Seven witnesses won't give depositions, said the senator overseeing the probe.

The trooper at the center of the controversy, Palin's former brother-in-law Mike Wooten, told CNN that he has "made mistakes, and I've learned from those mistakes." But Wooten, 36, also denied some of the biggest allegations against him, including drinking while driving.