My mother has been a Republican forever. I don't really understand why: she's very pro-choice, she's pro-education, pro-working people, etc. It seems like it's mostly inertia... my dad is rabidly Republican (they divorced many years ago, though), and while I love, love, love my mom, I think she naively bought into the "fiscal conservatism" BS (even though it doesn't serve her at all).
She voted for W in 2000, a lot of it in disgust at the Clintons. (And while I think policy-wise Bill was a good prez, I didn't like his philandering, either.) She voted for him again in 2004, because she bought the whole terrorism thing hook, line, and sinker. She came to her senses sometime in 2005 and speaks of him with ridicule and a great deal of snark now (and I always remind her that she voted for him--twice).
However, she is the kind of person who sees it as something of a civic duty to watch both conventions (and she's done so for years). She discovered Barack Obama before I did--*she* was the one who was practically breathless after his keynote at the DNC in 2004. So it's pretty much a no-brainer that with her extreme disappoint in the Republicans (she said "they're going down the tubes"), she has been a Barack Obama supporter in this campaign.
I found it interesting to hear my mom tell me months ago that if Hillary had won the nomination, she would not vote for her (because she's a Clinton, because the connection to Bill). Even though Hillary's policy's would have benefited her, she would not have voted for her. She's in this for Obama; she's not completely abandoning the Republicans just yet. (Personally, I don't get this; I supported Obama, but if Clinton had won the nomination, hell yes I'd vote for her.)
And then came the announcement this morning of Sarah Palin as John McCain's choice for VP. I pretty much watched the announcement with my mom, 35 miles away: she had her TV on, I had mine on, and we had the phone on. I could not believe the vitriol and derision that came out of my mother's mouth. Oh, how she slammed McCain, his desperation, his lack of judgment, etc. And then my mother said: "I'd vote for Hillary over McCain/Palin."
Wow.
I know that there will be some who will think Palin is a great choice, but honestly, I have to think that there are a lot of women out there like my mom. Cynical about politics, maybe Republican against their best interests, but now looking at the war in Iraq, our health insurance crisis, the economy, the Supreme Court, etc., etc., etc.
P.S. She cried during Obama's speech (and Michelle's, and Kennedy's). So did my hubby, and so did I.