‘Kindred Spirit’ Palin Wowed McCain Right From Start

Rumor says Alaska gov. Palin is the one

(NEWSER) - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been told he won’t be John McCain’s running mate, MSNBC reports. The governor told listeners to his radio show that “I'm not going to be” at the nominating rally planned for today in Ohio. “I plan to be at the state fair. You can draw your conclusion from that.” Meanwhile, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has moved to the top of the rumor list after a secretive charter plane landed near Dayton from her state. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, has no plans to be in Ohio, NBC notes. More»

42-year-old first-termer is first woman to serve on top GOP ticket

(NEWSER) - John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his VP choice, NBC reports; McCain is expected to make the announcement at a rally in Ohio at noon today. Palin is a socially conservative mother of five who is both the state’s first woman governor and, at 42, its youngest. More»

(NEWSER) - John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin continues to hurt his chances of winning Tuesday's election, a poll from the New York Times and CBS shows. In the survey, 59% of voters said Palin is not qualified to be vice president, up 9 points in a month. About a third of voters said the VP choice would be a major factor in how they vote, and most of those people are picking Barack Obama. More»

Picking Palin locked in base, but others might've drawn voters McCain really needs

(NEWSER) - Given the damage Sarah Palin has done to John McCain’s chances, Steve Kornacki, in the New York Observer, joins Republicans in wondering about the also-rans. Tom Ridge, Joe Lieberman, and Mitt Romney were unpalatable, either personally to the candidate or politically to the party. The first two would have drawn “middle-of-the road voters whose support he has steadily lost this fall— thanks in no small part to Palin.” More»

High-end duds totally at odds with GOP target (or Target) audience

(NEWSER) - That the GOP dressed up “a no-frills hockey mom” for her star turn is fine, but that they dressed her up in Neiman's, Saks, and Barneys is “mind-boggling evidence of a tin ear for the symbolism of popular culture,” style maven Robin Givhan wails in the Washington Post. It doesn’t take much fashion knowledge to know a $10,000 handbag represents “exclusivity, success, and classiness”—not Jane Six-Pack. More»