I appreciate the post and much of what you say. However, your "as I remember it" may be slightly off. The ABC News poll just before the economic crisis broke the week of the first debate showed that Obama had ALREADY surged to a 9% lead. Palin had been exposed in the previous two weeks and -- main cause or not -- Obama had already taken a lead he would never relinquish. As I have said twice, the economic collapse meant McCain had little or no chance to catch up -- but by then Palin had already done her damage....
No one argues that she firmed up the base. But she ended up turning off the independents and "moderate" GOPers, spelling doom for McCain -- since he could never win with just the base. And didn't.
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