Palin choice appeases conservatives, Romney supporters

As Maine Goes, the conservative message board for Maine politics, was buzzing with news about the VP pick today, said editor Scott Fish. At 4 p.m., the thread about the pick had 119 replies and 2,447 page views, Fish said.

About 90 percent of the posters were excited about the pick, including some who had been weary about McCain.

Chris Potholm, a political science professor at Bowdoin College, said this will help those to the far right who said McCain was too moderate.

"First of all, it will shut up Rush Limbaugh and those who say John McCain is not a real conservative," Potholm said.

Another advantage for Palin, Potholm said, is that her husband "is an Eskimo," and a member of a labor union. She has young kids.

"She'll steal the soccer mom vote," Potholm said.

Several Mitt Romney supporters reached Friday said that they weren't upset that he wasn't picked.

Potholm said he doesn't think Romney ever expected a VP nod.

"He has to be a good boy if he wants to be the Secretary of the Treasury," he said.

Rick Bennett, Republican National Committeeman-elect, noted that Maine's presidential caucus system is just an unbinding straw poll.

"You're really dealing with insiders, and people paying close attention," Bennett said. "Mitt Romney had support in Maine, but there will be no lasting negative impact."

Fish said he originally supported Romney.

"It was a surprise and a brilliant choice," he said of Palin. "She hit a homerun, she couldn't do any better."

Fish said he was impressed by several stances Palin has taken. When the federal government placed the polar bear on the endangered species list, she fought and eventually sued to remove them.

Alaska gets a cut of the oil companies' profits for using the states' resources. When gas prices went up, so did profits, and Palin found a way to return the extra money to Alaskans.