“The positive polling Mondale received when she joined him did not last until November, and they were defeated in an electoral landslide by incumbent President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush.”
And that had to do with picking Ferraro and had nothing to do with Reagan? Your analysis is what is nutty.
No, it isn't.
Mondale picked someone who could not help at all, and that contributed to the greatest electoral defeat ever.
Despite your superficial glossing over of the subject, this is exactly what will happen in November unless McCain can do many things between now and then perfectly, and a solid VP who can deliver a state that is in the balance or up for grabs is what is absolutely necessary, not some dreamy “this will appeal to a broad spectrum of females” etc, nonsense.
She adds nothing of the sort, and would be a terrible choice that achieves absolutely nothing. - Just like Ferraro.