What role did the "Sara Palin supporters" play in McCain's loss?

[arcadian]

I'm using the term "Sarah Palin supporters" to describe the extremist "pro-lifers" and racists who showed up to her and McCain's events. The whack job woman from the one video, "What about Oh-bama? What about Oh-bama?" from the Ohio event. The racist man with the Obama stuffed monkey "little Hussein". Not to mention the people in the audience yelling "He's a traitor!", "Kill him!" and "He's a ni**er!" You know, all the people that starred in so many youtube videos that we all enjoyed pointing at and laughing and in most instances, recoiling in disgust. I'm asking this because I'm wondering how effective that was, shining a light on these idiots, using youtube and writing articles about them and allowing their own words to destroy themselves. Did that play a role in McCain's defeat?

[billyoc]

1. Too drunk to vote.

[AlCzervik]

2. i think many people saw her rallies and heard what the crowd was saying and i think

it turned many independent and swing voters off, who the hell would want to be associated with that party?

Sarah Palin imo is no different than Sean Hannity.

[MaryEllen9399]

8. It turned off my mom

my mom is independent and after the last debate she made up her mind and voted for Obama. She thought McCain was too negative.

[AlCzervik]

9. My Dad who finally saw some of them said that was going to be a big factor in McCain losing

Pops is not very political but he's a good person to go to for opinions because he's objective. The Powell endorsement and repudiation of Palin during the MTP interview went a long way with my Dad.

[...of J.Temperance]

3. I think that the fact that Palin's rallies were

Increasingly resembling Ku Klux Klan rallies from the 1950s, did turn MANY peoples' stomachs.

The McCain/Palin campaign has to go down as the most bizarre and worst run Presidental campaign ever I would say.

[LeftinOH]

4. Quite a lot; if McCain had chosen a 'normal' running mate, Obama may still

have won, but perhaps by a narrower margin.

[mainer]

5. If he'd chosen Susan Collins, it'd be President McCain

I feel pretty sure of it. Palin was a blessing for us.

[Mike Daniels]

7. Hell, he could have chosen Huckabee and it would have been an all-nighter

Huckabee may be a little religious-crazy but he's articulate, seems to at least have a brain, and would have definitely been a hit on the talk show/SNL circuit.

If McCain had been intelligent he would have used Huck to go for the religious crowd and forgotten the "alienated Hillary voter" which in the end didn't vote for him even with Palin on the ticket.

[Orsino]

6. Embarrassing the entire country.

Even run-of-the-mill McCain supporters must have felt some shame.