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ST. LOUIS — A few odds and ends from St. Louis, site of the vice-presidential debate between Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden

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A large contingent in the media filing center watching the debate thought Palin’s impromptu howdy to third-grade students — who, she said, should get extra credit for watching — was not especially presidential. A minority found it touching, in a way, and definitely a mark of a Washington outsider.

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People on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis shared their campaign thoughts through the day.

A group called Rednecks for Obama was drawing a steady flow of students wanting a snapshot before a bold banner.

It was an indication that Palin might not have the Joe Six-pack vote entirely wrapped up. Tony Viessman and Carol Birdsong, both of Ralla, Mo., displayed the banner.

Viessman said there’s no explanation needed for why he’ll vote Obama this year. He said it’s obvious. The Democrat stands for the things that matter, he said.

Mary Maschmeier runs a group that counsels women in crisis pregnancies. She and a Christian coalition were planning prayer vigils on campus the day of the debate.

In an earlier interview, she said Christian conservatives are solidly behind Palin, a candidate who walks the walk.

“We’re enthused. We’re energized for Sarah Palin,” she said. “She’s one of us. She’s a housewife, she’s a hockey mom, she has done what she has said, what she proclaims to be.”

In particular, Maschmeier said she identifies with the way Palin has handled personal family matters, opting to keep a baby she knew would be born with Down syndrome and encouraging her teenage daughter to marry the father of their unborn child.

“She has a vision of what’s right and wrong,” Maschmeier said. “She knows what our country was founded on. It’s refreshing. All candidates are politicians, and they all talk. But to take what you say and implement it in your daily life, it’s very important.”

She has no qualms about Palin’s limited experience in foreign policy.

“If she knows what’s right and wrong, she’ll implement that in the other areas of the vice president position,” she said.

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Students and teachers clustered around an MSNBC stage on a campus green about noon Thursday, lifting signs supporting their candidates and cheering for news cameras broadcasting live.

Huge, yellow McCain-Palin signs stood tallest, but smaller signs supporting Obama-Biden outnumbered the larger Republican posters.

Anticipation built steadily through the day at Washington University as students meshed with media and everyone talked about the upcoming debate.

Many students said they’re really excited to see their school, a sprawling green campus with stately old buildings, the focus of so much attention. A freshman said her mother has called several times in the past few days to say she saw the campus on TV during advance coverage for tonight’s debate.

Only a few will actually get to attend the debate. A limited number of tickets were issued in a lottery.

At the newscast stage, Obama-Biden signs outnumbered those for McCain-Palin, and an informal and unscientific cookie poll at the Danforth Student Center showed a to-date tally. Blue-frosted donkeys with a “B” were selling substantially better than red-frosted elephants bearing a “P.”

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With about 30 minutes to go before the debate between Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden, the athletic center — site of the debate — was humming.

A crowd milled outside, containing both those with tickets for the debate and university volunteers. The media filing room, where most journalists were granted work space, was packed as analysts and politicians offered pre-debate insight on “Spin Alley,” a long row of small stalls segmented by black curtains where crews collected sound bites and quick interviews.

People — media, students, organizers — were full of questions about Alaska and Palin. They wanted to know about her tremendous popularity in the state, about Permanent Fund Dividends, whether Todd Palin would have to race snowmachines with Secret Service protection — and why those things are called snowmachines instead of snowmobiles. They wanted to know, too, how she comes across at public appearances in Alaska, and whether she’s more well-spoken than she seemed in recent TV interviews with Katie Couric.

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Rachel Ralph, a junior majoring in anthropology at Washington University, said she wouldn’t miss watching the vice-presidential debate.

She was having lunch in the Danforth Student Center with Erin Zerhusen, a junior studying history, and Alex Morosco-Gursky, a sophomore economics major.

All three already know how they’ll vote in the November election. Zerhusen said the selection of vice-presidential running mates didn’t change her vote, which will be cast for Sen. Barack Obama.

And while Ralph planned to vote for Sen. John McCain, the addition of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket solidified her support and upped her enthusiasm for this year’s election.

“It was a big factor for me,” she said. “Some of her stances seem to mesh well with a conservative viewpoint.”

Morosco-Gursky said he’s a Democrat.

“I feel like I was predecided,” he said. “I doubt the vice president pick would have swayed me either way.”

They were hoping Thursday’s debate will provide some insight into the candidates’ positions on real issues and will avoid attack jabs from either side.

“I’d like to see some of the issues at hand talked about, instead of the cattiness of politics,” Zerhusen said. “I always prefer to see people dealing with the issues. It convinces me more.”

Morosco-Gursky wants to hear about the economy and, in particular, about the 700-point plummet the market suffered recently.