Others at the rink in Livonia, a Detroit commuter town, agree that Palin seems more approachable than an earlier generation of female politician including Clinton or even Nancy Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the house and, like Palin, a mother of five.
Clinton, with her suits and her pride in her profession as a lawyer and senator, was off-putting to those women who still place importance in traditional roles. "[Palin] just seems like someone you can relate to. Hillary Clinton doesn't seem like you could sit down and have a cup of coffee with her," says Vicky Rokas, a solid Republican voter who counts herself a Palin fan.
For Rokas, who has spent years shuttling three hockey-playing children to practice and out-of-state tournaments, Palin's hockey mom experience is just as valid as her professional credentials.
But the positive image is far from universal. Many women admit a visceral dislike of McCain's running mate.
"She scares the hell out of me. Every time I see her I go home and open my wallet, and write another cheque for Obama," says Pilar Herrera-Fierro, looking up from her copy of the New York Times to watch her daughter's practice.
The immediate burst of enthusiasm about Palin's candidacy has faded. The comedian Tina Fey has turned Palin's gaffes on foreign policy - such as the line about seeing Russia from Alaska - into a spoof on the TV show Saturday Night Live.
Women voters have also become more conscious of Palin's retrograde views on global warming and others issues.
Read the article @ The Guardian
