Exactly. Akin can cost us a Senate race (not even a seat, just a pickup), Romney is going to cost us the Presidency, and any coattail effects to boot.
Let's face it - if the GOP was fielding a decent conservative candidate, we'd be crushing Obama right now. I'm not even asking for some kind of hard-right Constitution Party-style candidate, just a reasonable mainstream movement conservative who understands the need to balance and stand on all three legs of fusion conservatism. Such a candidate wouldn't have the base troubles Romney has, and wouldn't have to try to run on the now-fervent-but-inevitably-will-play-itself-out "Anybody but Obama" energy. People naturally are much more interested in being in it for the long haul when they have someone that they can genuinely vote FOR, rather than just supporting to vote AGAINST the other guy. That's all Romney has. He is fracturing the GOP and the conservative movement in general, because people know he's a phony. A lot of people support him only tepidly because he's not Obama, but this doesn't translate into massive grassroots action of the sort traditionally needed to really make the ground game effective. Sure, Romney is a great organiser, but he's going to need more than just a cadre of loyal supporters to win the ground game nationwide. He needs the base. And a lot of them, while perhaps voting for him, aren't really inclined to put a lot of effort into his campaign.
End result - Obama is probably going to get re-elected, and the fault lies with Romney and his supporters.
If Akin loses the Senate seat and or if Romney loses Missouri and the general election, it will be the fault of Akin. We will no longer be able to blame the RINOs by saying "see we told you so". Thanks to Akin, blaming the GOP Establishment went out the window.
But now the table has turned. Akin is hurting the conservative movement.
No, the fault lies with those who refuse to back their own team, those who think there is some worth in dying on the Hill of Principles, those who refuse to make the moves that can be made when they can be made.
In other words,
You.