Palin has energized the republican base or so the media tells us. McCain and Palin are bringing in (exaggerated) crowds. Governor Palin is a huge hit with the evangelicals.
John McCain...not so much.

Let's be honest here. There is a large segment of the Republican party that just doesn't like John McCain. He's nearly the GOP version of Lieberman. Maybe that's why moderates liked McCain - anyone that pisses off the wing nut crowd can't be that bad right?
The only reason McCain won the nomination was because his party was so fractured; the corporate crowd wanted Romney, the evangelicals wanted Huckabee, the media wanted Rudy and a sizable chunk of the grassroots wanted Ron Paul.
Like Kerry in 2004, McCain wasn't many people's first choice but when the rest crashed and burned he seemed acceptable. He was the backup date for the prom.
There was always an excitement deficit for the republicans. It showed in the polls and the rallies and the fund raising. It wasn't unreasonable to speculate how big of a landslide Obama was going to win.
Picking Palin brought the crowds out though. Donation started pouring in and McCain/Palin looked like they had a real chance to actually win the election. Team McCain took a gamble going with a Washington outsider and it paid off in spades with excitement.
Except that excitement isn't transferring over to McCain. When he does appear without Palin, he isn't attracting the same crowds. The chatter in coffee shops isn't about McCain, it's about her. He simply is still less popular with his base than his running mate.

Before McCain transformed (this week) into the populous reformer, Leadership was suppose to be his mantra. How sad is it that he's having trouble leading his own ticket?