'Sweat Is My Sanity'

September 30, 2008— -- As the political world braces for Wednesday's Wall Street bailout vote in the U.S. Senate, Sarah Palin is stepping up her "Joe-Six Pack" pitch.

"It's time that normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that's kind of taken some people off guard, and they're out of sorts, and they're ticked off about it," Palin said Tuesday on the Hugh Hewitt show. "But it's motivation for John McCain and I to work that much harder to make sure that our ticket is victorious, and we put government back on the side of the people of Joe Six-Pack like me."

Palin told Hewitt that her family is feeling the economic pinch and pointed to her husband's defined contribution retirement plan.

"Todd and I are looking at what's going on in the stock market, the relatively low number of investments that we have, looking at the hit that we're taking, probably $20,000 last week in his 401K plan that was hit," said Palin.

"I'm thinking geez," she continued, "the rest of America, they're facing the exact same thing that we are."

In Tuesday's installment of Palin's interview with CBS' Katie Couric, the Alaska governor was asked about a handful of hot-button social issues.

--On abortion, she reconfirmed that she favors a legal prohibition on abortion for 15-year old victims of rape and incest while saying that she does not favor jail time as a penalty for the abortion recipient.

--On the morning after pill, she said that she would not personally use that form of contraception while maintaining that her views were not a statement of McCain-Palin administration policy.

--On homosexuality, she said that she is "not going to judge Americans and the decisions that they make in their adult relationships" while describing her gay friend of 30 years as someone who "happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I have made."

Watch it: LINK

Couric will have more with Palin starting on Wednesday when the McCain running mate joins her Democratic counterpart in answering questions about a "key Supreme Court decision" as well as her views on the separation of church and state.

Per a Monday story by Politico's Jonathan Martin, "after noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases."

"There was no verbal fumbling as in last week's Couric interview . . . but rather silence," according to the Palin aide who spoke to Politico.

The Kicker:
"That little stinker, I guess he's called his girlfriend a couple of times, but can you believe he hasn't called his momma yet?"
--Sarah Palin to Hugh Hewitt on whether she or Todd has heard from deployed son Track Palin

On the campaign front. . .

JOHN McCAIN
-- 11:00 am ET: Delivers economic speech in Independence, MO.
-- Returns for Senate vote on Wall Street bailout bill, Washington, DC.

SARAH PALIN
-- No Public Events: Prepares for debate Thursday.

BARACK OBAMA
-- 11:00 am ET: Holds Rally in La Crosse, WI.
-- Returns for Senate vote on Wall Street bailout bill, Washington, DC.

JOE BIDEN
-- No Public Events: Prepares for debate Thursday.

MICHELLE OBAMA
-- 12:00 am ET (Doors): Holds Rally in Boulder, CO.

At the White House. . .

PRESIDENT BUSH
-- 7:25 pm ET: Speaks at the United Service Organizations World Gala.

POLITICAL NEWS STORIES ON ABCNEWS.COM

ABC News' Gary Langer: Vote in Congress Raises Concern About a Deeper Economic Decline LINK

ABC News' John Berman, Sunlen Miller, and Ursula Fahy: Obama Pushes Rescue Plan ... Lays Off McCain LINK

ABC News' Ron Claiborne: McCain Takes Conciliatory Tone LINK

ABC News' Jennifer Duck: Bush Warns Economic Damage Could Be 'Painful and Lasting' LINK

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos: Officials Meet Behind-the-Scenes on Failed Bailout Bill LINK

ABC News' Matthew Dowd: Obama's Race to Lose; Pressure Points on Palin LINK

ABC News' Matthew Jaffe, Imtiyaz Delawala, and Nitya Venkataraman: Game On! Biden, Palin Ready for VP Debate LINK

ABC News' Teddy Davis, Arnab Datta, and Rigel Anderson: Gingrich Denies Whipping Against Bailout LINK

ABC News' Matt Jaffe: Biden Preps for Debate As Son's Deployment Looms LINK

ABC News' Bret Hovell: McCain: Americans Are Suffering from a 'Crisis Of Confidence' LINK

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf: Senate Decides to Stay in Session; Congress Can 'Act Like Grown-Ups' LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper, Z. Byron Wolf, and Lisa Chinn: That House Vote -- By the Numbers LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: RNC Misrepresents Obama Quote LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: And What About Those 95 Democrats? LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper: Conservatives Embarrassed About Palin (No. 4 in a Series) LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper and Z. Byron Wolf: Blunt Steps Away from Claim that Pelosi Speech Cost a Dozen GOP Votes LINK

McCain refuses to play "blame game," focuses on promoting Congressional action. LINK

Senate Leaders Urge Congress to Act
McConnell: "This is not the time to fix the blame...time to fix the problem." LINK

Obama: Now's Not the Time to Blame
Obama: This is the "moment for us to come together and put the fire out." LINK

Biden and Family Stop at Burger Joint
Sen. Biden breaks from debate prep to dine with his son Beau and family. LINK

Whose Fault Is It Anyway?
'08 candidates urge Congress to act now and blame later. LINK

'View' Breaks Down the Bailout
The ladies offer their take on the economy and what Washington should do. LINK

Bill Maher's 'View' of Sarah Palin
The comedian doesn't mince words in calling McCain's running mate a "bimbo." LINK

Bush: 'Congress Must Act'
The president pleads for "decisive action from the government." LINK

Kimmel: McCain's Eye Contact
Jimmy wonders why the GOP presidential pick can't look at black people. LINK

Congress Rejects Rescue Plan
Failure to pass emergency economic bill devastates stock markets. LINK

Polinomics
The financial crisis has taken center stage on the campaign trail. LINK

Back to the Blame Game
McCain and Obama advisers discuss the economic crisis. LINK

Why Say Nay?
Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Marilyn Musgrave voted against the bill. LINK

The Bottom Line on the Bailout Failure
George Stephanopoulos discusses the failure of the bailout bill. LINK

Jake Tapper Looks at Why the Bill Failed
A closer look at the vote on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. LINK