You're confusing me. You complain about some conservatives being "pure" yet you excuse moderates for not voting because of Palin.
IMO there was no excuse to stay home and not vote just because either McCain or Palin wasn't one's ideal version of a Republican. It's childish, foolish, and in the end dangerous to hand victory to a Marxist.
Moderates don't get a pass any more than single-issue conservatives for being babies and letting the country rot because they don't get their way on everything.
First off, what I said was not mutually exclusive.
Palin’s rollout was horrendous and in the end, she did end up having higher unfavorables than favorables in the general. The base loved her but she did herself no favors with the Couric and Gibson interviews. I am not saying she hurt McCain in general. She certainly enthused the base and helped fundraising, but it did turn off independents and democrats.