Says John Ibbitson:
They see in her a working mom and good Christian, who believes in the sanctity of life, but whose family is far from perfect, what with that teenage daughter getting pregnant and all; a hockey mom, whose son has gone off to war, whose husband works in the oil fields, whose hair and clothing match no magazine's description of what's in this year; a hard-headed reformer who busted up Alaska's old-boys network, but who believes that finding new oil sources matters more than cosseting polar bears.
And the more that the people who have it easy mock and fear her, the more her own folk love her.
(...)
Back in 1980, a pollster discovered that most Americans disagreed with Ronald Reagan's stand on major issues, but they planned to vote for him anyway, because they liked him and identified with his core values.
And in a way, Ms. Palin's appeal is even greater than was Reagan's. She doesn't just identify with the average voter, she is the average voter.
As for her lack of experience, those average voters are not going to hold it against her. After all, people from her walk of life usually only get into the citadels of power on bus tours.
