Yep, I think Palin was selected to appease the far right, but she drove away the center leaning voters. Had McCain gone with a more center leaning VP like Lieberman he might have fared better.

My hope for the republicans is that they can move away from religious zealotry and sabre rattling and field a candidate who is actually a fiscal conservative and a defender of personal freedom. More of a Barry Goldwater than a George W. Bush. Ron Paul would be a good choice, especially combined with a democratic congress.