Do you think she'll get the Spears' family vote?

So. Sarah Palin.

I saw a quick, funny bit...I think it was on Headline News...done by Jeannie Most (sp) from CNN. She hit the streets with a sheet of paper that just had Palin's name on it and began asking people who she was. It wasn't surprising to see, at that time, not many people knew about her. In fact, one passerby was asked who McCain's running mate was and they answered "Obama?" to which Jeannie responded with a chuckle and a comment along the lines of "that'd be interesting."

Driving home yesterday, NPR did a good piece on what Palin has been doing in Alaska. There was praise for being willing to work with Democrats to charge oil companies more money for drilling in order to fill up the state's coffers. There was also general praise for her efforts in regards to getting rid of a lot of fluff created by the prior Gov.

But, the prior Gov. was one of the least popular in Alaska's history. Palin based most of her campaign on the fact that she wasn't that guy. She spent most of her efforts on the oil and gas issues that she hasn't really done much else. I believe she is in favor of drilling in the National Parks in Alaska. Seems pretty pro-oil to me. In a move that makes her more of a recognized politician than a "maverick," she has apparently given the go ahead for plans/money for her hometown, but has rejected similar plans for other towns. She hasn't done much in the way of budget reform because she hasn't had to...they have a surplus. Not much pressure on you when you have cash to cover expenses and more. She's anti-choice even in cases of incest, rape, etc. She's against gay marriage (though, I understand she did sign a bill that favored same sex couples getting the same sort of benefits, etc. as married couples...somehow I doubt she actually initiated that plan). Traditional Republican anyone?

It sounds like Palin has enough political savvy to make the decisions she needs to make to keep her at the top. Which pretty much sounds like every other politician. So far, she doesn't sound like much of a renegade. She's just someone not many people have heard of so she appears to be an outsider.

I didn't hear her speech last night (too busy watching Bones), but I did print out a transcript to look over and it seems like half her speech was about McCain and half about her. I guess you can learn a lot about someone over the course of a couple of phone calls and meetings.

In the end, I'm concerned that Palin is going to appeal to every "hockey Mom" who is a little feisty (is it just me, or does she have the potential to come across as a less Satanic, brunette Ann Coulter? not enough crazy going at this point I suppose...) , doesn't have time to keep up on current events, has an underage pregnant kid (or knows someone who does) and will vote for her rather than voting for the President . She made several references to being from a small town and "knowing" these people. Well, I'm from a small town and I "know" her. She's not getting my vote.