Also, although Republicans at first predicted that Palin would draw many former backers of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other female voters who are up for grabs in November, initial polling has not borne that out, perhaps indicating that Palin's rocky rollout came with a price.
A New National Journal poll released Tuesday showed that 37% of women were satisfied with Palin's selection, whereas 27% would have preferred someone else.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, September 04, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 81 words Type of Material: Correction
Sarah Palin: The On the Media column in Wednesday's Section A mentioned a controversy about vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's actions in the firing of an Alaska state trooper who was once her brother-in-law. The state trooper, Mike Wooten, was not fired but suspended. Also, an article in Wednesday's Section A about the vetting of Palin said the Alaska governor had stayed in Middleton, Ohio, the night before she was announced as Sen. John McCain's running mate. She stayed in Middletown.
Still, one of McCain's closest advisors, Mark Salter, on Tuesday waved off the suggestion by a reporter that Palin might have to leave the ticket.
A policy team is giving Palin a crash course -- prepping her not only for the speech, being written by McCain speechwriter Matthew Scully, but for her debate with Democratic vice presidential nominee Biden and for yet-unannounced media interviews.
The policy team includes McCain's chief economic advisor, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, and Steve Biegun, a foreign policy advisor to former Sens. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).
Besides the sexism argument, a central theme of the McCain campaign's defense was that Palin's experiences with her children were yet another connection she has to working-class Americans.
Salter noted that some have wondered whether Palin, mother of an infant with Down syndrome, has the wherewithal to serve in high office.
"Barack Obama has young children; is he somehow incapable of performing his duties as president of the United States?" Salter asked. "She has children. One of her daughters, like millions of American families, is having experience shared with millions of American families."
One of the campaign's leading female spokespeople, former business executive Carly Fiorina, pointed to a number of statements from Obama and Biden, noting that "American women are more highly tuned than ever to recognize and decry sexism in all its forms."
Some have compared the Palin introduction to the 1988 surprise announcement by George H.W. Bush that the little-known Sen. Dan Quayle would be his running mate.
Quayle made several quick missteps, and some thought he should have been dropped from the ticket. But aides such as Stuart K. Spencer were assigned to work with him, and had him campaign only in small towns and cities where the spotlight shined dimmer.
Although the Quayle introduction seemed "catastrophic" at the time, Spencer said, the firestorm dies down. Asked what Palin needs to accomplish in her speech, he said: "Just stay out of trouble."
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peter.wallsten@latimes.com
Times staff writers Ole Jann, Maeve Reston and P.J. Huffstutter contributed to this report.
