Sarah Palin: Hockey Mom (just don't call her a beauty queen)

by Tim O'Connor Like most Canadians, the news that Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is, of all things, a hockey mom caught me off guard. At first blush it seems a little odd that Palin is being branded by her own party as a "hockey mom" when the Republicans are trying to create a broad appeal for her with the electorate. I mean, in the US, being branded a "hockey mom" has about as much broad appeal as being branded "muslim preacher." So, why have the Republicans chosen to do it? Well, I surmise, it's because of the general attitude toward hockey south of the border.....tough, fighting, take no prisoners. All this to say, there's a different view toward the term "hockey mom" here in Canada (ass-warming cushion, Tim Horton's in hand, buttons with photos of hockey playing kids proudly pinned to an overstuffed winter coat) and in the U.S. where the term "hockey mom" is being used to brand Palin as a...