Curiosity calls Palin to spotlight
McCain's VP running mate object of interest for both Republicans, Democrats
Steven Thomma
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Nation & World News
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The Alaska governor is scheduled to take the stage at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night - or on Thursday if the schedule changes again - in her first extended chance to tell a national audience who she is and why she should be vice president.
It will be a critical moment for a newcomer to national politics who is unknown to most of the country. She faces a barrage of revelations about her and questions about how carefully Republican presidential candidate John McCain screened her before he stunned the political world - and many of his own supporters - last Friday by naming her as his running mate.
"Palin's speech may be the most important moment at the entire convention," said independent pollster Scott Rasmussen. "Important not just for her, but for the entire McCain campaign."
Voters so far appear split in their first impressions.
Rasmussen found that about half of all voters have a favorable opinion of her and that the country is about evenly divided on whether she's a good choice. Republicans like her a lot, Democrats dislike her a lot and independents are divided, Rasmussen said.
"But Democrats and unaffiliated voters are clearly more skeptical of Palin's candidacy now than they were in an earlier poll," he said.
Most people want to know more.
In one sign of the curiosity about the 44-year-old Palin, Rasmussen said he found voters signaling that they rank her second after Barack Obama among the top candidates they'd like to meet personally. Republicans would rather meet her than McCain, and Democrats would rather meet her than Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
What will they be looking for when she speaks?
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