I agree, although she did not end up pulling in some independents they had hoped. Like most every elections, the VP doesn’t really impact the election in the end, it is the two top tickets candidates that decide. The VP selection can impact the overall evaluation of the president.
I am certain neither Cheney nor Gore directly won votes for their tickets, but in both cases, the Presidential candidate helped their brand in the selection. With Gore, they had the younger southern things going to combat the old GHWB. With Cheney, Bush was seen to have wisely chosen a veteran politico and defense expert that helped bolster his image. Of course, with Biden, who the hell knows. Other than the debate, we didn’t hardly ever of him during the campaign.
I don’t know about others but if Palin wasn’t on the ticket I would have stayed home. McCain was a loser and so was Obama.