Close Encounters of the Palin Kind
Sarah Palin is one of the most polarizing characters in modern history. (Just ask the polar bears.) Folks seem to either love her or loathe her. Honestly, I have tried to avoid discussing her with conservative friends because I realized about 24 hours into her candidacy that Palin—someone I admit I had scarcely heard of just days before—somehow had the power to injure valued friendships. In three very brief encounters in the last few weeks, three female friends who aren’t voting for Obama responded in three different ways when the subject of Palin arose. The first is a college educated, NRA supporting wife and mother who lives in a rural area outside Kansas City. “I love her attitude,” my friend said of Palin. The second, a suburban working mom working on her second Master’s degree, angered quickly and attacked Obama when a third friend snickered over the Katie Couric interview. The third friend has a Master’s, two grown children, a recently retired husband, and is the kind of “do goo...