Palin returns to basics on image, economy

On her final day on the campaign trail, GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin presented a dressed-down image with her bare-bones economic message as she raced through traditional red states that are in danger of turning blue.

“The time for choosing is near . . . and the choice could not be clearer,” Palin told thousands of boisterous supporters gathered on the lawn of the statehouse here Monday. “Our country is facing tough times. Now more than ever we need someone tough as president. Only John McCain has the wisdom, the experience, the courage to get our economy back on the right track.”

Missouri was Palin’s second stop of the day, after Ohio and before Iowa, Colorado and Nevada -- all states that supported President Bush in 2004 but are up for grabs. After flying overnight to Alaska to cast her vote in her hometown of Wasilla, Palin is scheduled to be in Phoenix for election night.

It will be the last stop on the whirlwind Palin has ridden since McCain selected her as his running mate in late August and her social conservatism made her an instant darling of the party’s right wing.

“Since she first took the stage at the national convention in Minneapolis, she has set this party, this state, this country on fire,” said Sen. Kit Bond, introducing Palin at the rally.

Palin slipped naturally into the role of a vice presidential nominee, leveling some of the campaign’s harshest attacks on Barack Obama.

But pundits and, later, voters raised questions about her readiness to be president. News that the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 on a wardrobe and accessories for her and her family didn’t help.

In earlier appearances on the trail, Palin wore smart fitted suits, tailored pants and patent-leather stiletto boots. But the fashionable outfits were gone Monday.

Palin wore dark-wash jeans and a red jacket and her voice grew hoarse delivering a back-to-the-basics speech focusing primarily on pocketbook issues.

“We’re going to spread opportunity so you can create new wealth and Joe the Plumber can hire more people and get this economy rolling,” she said. The crowd, many wearing “Joe” stickers, roared.

No one -- the politicians introducing Palin, the nominee, her staff -- addressed the national and state polls that show the GOP ticket trailing Obama. And the crowds were boisterous, lining up for hours to glimpse Palin, chanting her name and screaming, “We’re going to win!”

“John McCain and I, we want to work for you,” she said. “Will you please hire us, Missouri?”

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seema.mehta@latimes.com