Republicans are in full disarray now, as it becomes less and less likely that McCain can salvage the shambles of his botched campaign. This Huffington Post article reports that Charles Fried, a Harvard Law School Professor who "has long been one of the most important conservative thinkers in the United States", has voted for the Obama/Biden ticket by absentee ballot. He has cited Sarah Palin as his chief reason for the shift, and he has asked that the McCain campaign remove his name from association with them. The Palin effect only seems to be getting worse.

In the past few days, we have seen a steady stream of defections from the Republican side in this election.  Colin Powell was the most high profile example, but he did not cite Palin as his only concern.  Fried was a direct defection from the McCain campaign organization, and he listed Palin as his main reason.

When the election is over and the dust settles, Republicans will still be squabbling over the Palin effect.  Some, such as Pat Buchanan, have latched onto her as the wave of the future of the Republican party.  But Buchanan himself is hardly an example of the core of the party.  He tends to represent one of the splinters as the Bush/Rove coalition of interest groups continues to come apart.  I suspect that she will remain a powerful figure among evangelicals, but she will not be the model for a rebirth of the Republican party.  Too many will hold her in contempt for the role she played in the political collapse.