I don't think steroids is the whole issue. It's the era. Yes, the era was obviously influenced a lot by steroids, but also by watered-down pitching staffs and small ballparks. Even before the accusations of steroid usage came upon Palmeiro, there was plenty of talk of whether or not he belonged in the Hall. Yeah, he has a ton of numbers, but did anyone ever look at him as a dominant player of the era? Was he a legendary player?
I don't mind if steroid users get into the Hall, but those that probably wouldn't have got there without usage should definitely be looked upon differently.
Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, for example, would have been Hall of Fame players, no matter what. Both have worlds of talent, and in the case of Bonds, he was a Hall of Famer before he allegedly took steroids. He already had multiple MVP awards and great numbers. I do hope that such guys don't go first ballot, though. Being a first ballot HoF is the highest honor in baseball, and they should not receive it.
McGwire, on the other hand, was probably not going to be a Hall of Famer caliber player. Maybe, he would have been a fringe guy, like a Dave Kingman. And that's only if he would have gotten healthy, which he might not have done without steroids. The voters have definitely taken that into consideration, seeing as his vote totals actually continue to decrease. If this was all about steroids, you would probably see his numbers slowly increase. I really don't think he will ever again, and that's the right thing, at least not via the writers. He might get some sympathy down the road.