I am no fan of Romney’s, but it’s baffling that some hereon would rather keep Obama, who is absolutely, relentlessly dedicated to the destruction of the country. I totally disagree with some of Romney’s policies but I have never thought of him as actually wanting to tear down the U.S. - and like it or not, that’s the choice we may be confronted with. I just can’t relate to the “let’s die quickly and teach them a lesson” concept.
Many people just don't want to send a message during the primaries that Romney is any way tolerable. If those folks say "I hate Romney, but yeah I will hold my nose and vote for him against Obama" it is basically a concession that, in the end, he actually is at least somewhat acceptable. To try to hold the line against Mitt and get a better candidate that is more representative of the conservative/Tea Party grassroots, it is arguably better to not concede that in the end folks would vote for him anyway.
If Romney becomes the nominee things will change. Most conservatives will vote for him in order to get rid of Hussein. People like Sarah Palin will end up aggressively campaigning for him to lock up the base, the media will slant against Mitt to such an extent that the grass roots will rally, Romney will end up on the right side of enough issues, etc, etc.
The real problem with Romney as the nominee (aside from the fact he is not a conservative) is not that he won't get most right of center votes, it's that he generates virtually no enthusiasm from the very people the party needs to mobilize GOTV efforts. It is the grass roots conservatives that go door to do, man phone banks, send out mailers, etc. Mushy moderates, Mitt's real constituency, aren't the kind of people that generate real excitement. If Romney were nominated, I am guessing we will see a Romney/Rubio ticket, so perhaps the combination of Rubio and high profile supporters like Palin might generate the needed level of enthusiasm. I have my doubts though.