We haven't had an actual conservative nominee since Reagan, yet conservatives are politically savvy enough to know the Republican RINO is better than the Democrat Socialist. The vast majority will rally to the nominee. You may not this time around, but many people I know who refused to vote for McCain regret it now and will hold their nose and vote for Willard. There is always a few that go back and forth like this every cycle.
One of the only ways to prevent another Republican hug-the-center squish from being nominated next time around is for conservatives to actually find a candidate and agree to support him or her early on. Unfortunately, conservatives are far too divided to even accomplish that. All it takes is one social conservative, scripture quoting candidate to enter the race and play spoiler like Huckabee or Santorum and the remaining conservative vote splinters to pieces. Unless this changes, I don't have a lot of hope 2016 or 2020 will be any better. Any conservative 3rd party someone tries to start (again) will be torn asunder by the same conflicts.
None of my conservative aquaintances will vote for Romney.
He has the same chance as Dole and McCain.
/johnny
Amen, I agree.. Go Newt!
All it takes is one social conservative, scripture quoting candidate to enter the race and play spoiler like Huckabee or Santorum and the remaining conservative vote splinters to pieces..
...but that same dynamic holds true for the lefty’s as well...we don’t see it this year because Obama is unopposed...next time around, I’m looking forward to the Dem’s and their internecine warfare to riddle their chances at the WH in 2016, at which time I believe if Jesus Himself were to run for them, they would be soundly defeated, because of their dissension...and they’ll be the ones making ridiculous comments on their blogs about ‘purity’ and ‘remaining true to liberal principle’ when their ideological soulmates are making quixotic clowns out of themselves by running up debt and finishing primaries with single digit numbers...
...it’s probably true that Obama wins a second term, and that Romney’s political career will be over after November, though of course anything is possible...but looking at the electoral college map, and the swing state’s polling data, Romney’s got a real mountain to climb...but if he does win, and the country doesn’t implode, it will be interesting to see what the posters on this forum have to say about him...