by Zach F

Created on: June 05, 2009   Last Updated: September 23, 2011

Sarah Palin's appeal to young voters will be based less on her stance on traditional values, and more on the perception of her actual adherence to them. This can both benefit and hurt her.

On the negative side, there are those who look at Palin and see a hypocrite. She is a "traditional family values" politician, whose teenage daughter got pregnant. She has several children, including a young, special needs child, and her husband is a union member, working a blue collar job. In the meantime, Sarah is off prancing around the State and for a brief time, the nation; in fancy clothes, fancy cars, and fancy planes.

They look at Palin and wonder; does she really put the family first? Perhaps, had she spent more time at home, instead of on the campaign trail, her daughter wouldn't be pregnant. Not to mention, had she landed as Vice President, who would be there to take care of Trig? In fact, who was taking care of him while she was on the campaign trail? If family comes first, why would her husband take time off of work, and her children leave friends and school to campaign with her?

So the analytical side of younger voters says no to Sarah Palin.

On the other hand, we admire her in many ways for what she has done, despite being a family values politician. She has shown America that it is possible to hold traditional, family and faith-based values and still be a successful woman. It is possible to support our traditional American values, be the mother of a large family, be a governor, or even a candidate for Vice President.

More importantly, Palin showed that her family comes before her beliefs, and that it is possible for a parent to disapprove of her child's actions, but still support and love the child. She also showed us, in both the exposure she gave Trig and the lack of attempts to hide her daughter's pregnancy, or distance herself from us, that politicians are people. We rarely hear about politicians' personal lives, much less their family problems, especially from so-called traditional value conservatives. Sarah Palin seemed more human, because she was facing two situations which are hard for any parent. One of them, her daughter's teen pregnancy, is even harder for a parent who is a public figure whose "platform" rests largely on traditional values.

So in many ways, Sarah Palin does appeal to younger generations. In the end, her stance on family values, and the reality of her own life, could serve to paint her as a hypocrite, or as a "woman of the people," who understands and lives with the same realities we all face. Given that many young voters view traditional values politicians as out of touch with reality, and with our generation in general, this could be a huge asset.

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