When John McCain introduced Sarah Palin as his running mate, she stepped out in some mavericky footwear: red, Naughty Monkey peep-toe pumps. The $89 heels inspired a feature in the Wall Street Journal that went on to describe the governor as a frequent purchaser of secondhand Escada at an Anchorage store. Together, these and other early details – the gubernatorial plane put on eBay, the moose-hunting, her family’s stories — helped create a sense of authenticity around Sarah Palin. Love her or hate her, she was who she was: just a regular hockey mom.