I didn’t decide, because of Palin not announcing.
I'm still undecided, and I haven't seen anything in the last month or so that would change that. I see no other candidate with the qualities that Palin has. Rick Perry doesn't do it for me and the more I see of Herman Cain the less I like him as a candidate. I think he's a great guy and an intelligent guy, but I think he's going to be a disaster if he wins the nomination. Just because someone's bright and a like-able person, doesn't mean they'll make a good candidate.
Anyway, I just don't see any significant difference if Palin had announced earlier. You'd probably see some difference in numbers, but that's about it. I doubt you would have seen a difference in the pool of candidates, and that's really the only "harm" that can be affected here.