At 44, Palin is young and balances out concerns about McCain’s age. She is not perceived as a Washington insider and is known for successfully challenging Alaska’s Republican establishment. And she is considered a down-to-earth politician who knows how to connect with blue collar Americans.
Her nomination—she is the first woman to be on a GOP ticket—puts youth, change, and history on both of the tickets, as one conservative publication put it.
What is not clear is where Palin stands on immigration. Americans on every side of that issue want to know. This includes Latinos in swing states.
So far, it appears that Palin has managed to avoid defining a position. Undoubtedly, she will probably toe McCain’s new line about securing borders and enforcement only and not discuss any other aspect of fixing a broken system.
But that would undermine how Republicans are trying to pitch her as a family-friendly candidate. You can’t pitch family and then not speak to how parents and children are being ripped apart through immigration raids and flawed detention policies.
While Palin has incorporated the feminist language of cracking the grass ceiling and paid tribute to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, you also can’t talk about breaking ground for women and then advocate for restricting their reproductive rights. Palin is ardently anti choice.
There are socially conservative Latinos, both Democratic and Republican, who will be drawn to her anti-choice stance. But as several polls have shown, Hispanics across political lines are not standing for unfair policies. We now wait for Palin to echo McCain’s backstep on immigration or prove her family face.






