I'm a research junky. I've been digging for information since this nomination. These are my thoughts:
Palin's a good looking woman and she is a mother. (Being a mother and being a good mother are not necessarily inclusive.) She reads great teleprompter and has superior timing for delivering zingers and comedic asides.
Palin's experience as the mayor of Wasilla, a city that, at the time, had 5,460 people, included taking a city with a zero debt to making it a city with a debt of over $22 million. As mayor she tried to have a long list of books (including authors from William Faulkner to Chaucer and books including The Living Bible and Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary) banned from the local library. (There's a long, long list which, of course, includes the Harry Potter series.) When the librarian wouldn't cooperate Palin threated her job. Fortunately, people fought the attempt to oust the librarian and she remained. Taxes increased in the city by 38% and spending by 33%. She told the press she fired Wasilla's police chief because he intimidated her. The tax cuts she promoted helped large corporate property owners more than residents. Under her tenure Wasilla had the greatest expansion of city government in its history.
As governor she was in favor of the pork that would build the "bridge to nowhere." I believe Alaska got the money and never returned it even though plans for the bridge were scrapped. She was then against the bridge. She vetoed projects and gained the reputation as "anti-pork" but as with many of her decisions, public outcry and legislative action restored most of the projects. From what I've read, as governor she proposed distributing Alaska's budget surplus (created by oil surplus and the high price of oil) to individuals BUT wanted the state to borrow or sell bonds to finance state projects. She vetoed a bill that would help teenage mothers find good, affordable housing. (Thank heaven she can provide for her daughter's housing.)
Being, as many Republican men said this week, "a babe", being a soccer mom for a few years is great. Being a hunter doesn't bother me or impress me. Believing the war in Iraq is "the work of God" isn't great. Just because her husband is in a union doesn't make her pro-labor any more than having a doctor in your family makes you a nurse.
I don't want Sarah Palin to be a heart-beat away from the Oval Office. I don't care if she's a mom or not. There are other Republican women who are more qualified. They may not be as attractive, but really, does that matter?