I wrote a story on Sarah Palin for Advanced Reporting on Friday and it got me thinking about the two very different views people have of her. In reading comments following transcripts of her speech and stories about her, I discovered that people either really hate her, or think she is the greatest thing to happen to the republican party ever. period.
Her deep social conservatism immediately sends the feminists (many Hillary supporters included) running for the hills. She is deeply pro-life and is for abstinence only education (which in this day in age, the latter sounds a bit ridiculous) and many individuals take issue with that. A very big issue indeed. A short interview with Cybil Shepherd caught my eye tonight when she questioned whether Bristol had a choice in keeping her baby and/or marrying her now fiance. It shocked me that this was the first time I had seen someone ask that question in an interview (then again, I have been very disconnected from the world this week). I realize the vetting process has been very difficult for Palin and her family, but these questions are definately something to consider.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, I have found that many women feel that they can relate very well to Palin as a wife and mother. She seems to have found her niche in the households of many conservative stay-at-home moms who believe she will bring a new perspective to the White House, which she has been promising to do from the start.
It will really be interesting over the next few weeks to see who Palin draws over to the republican party, and the Vice Presidential debate promises to be one of the most heated in years... Hopefully Biden can hold his own against the Republican "Barracuda."