What I come back is the question: can Romney be any weaker than McCain was in 2008 — in other words, are there people who voted for McCain in 2008 who see something in Obama’s job performance that merits a change of vote?
In November 2008, many folks without strong policy preferences bought Obama’s whole black-kid-of-a-single-mother-made-good thing as an opportunity to cast a (self?)-validating history-making vote; other people of good will could seriously conclude that Obama was more competent to navigate the global financial crisis than old and out of touch McCain and unsophisticated Palin. Nobody’s going to cast a toss-up vote Obama’s way in order to re-”make history.” There’s no global financial crisis (yet!) for 2012, and Romney will cede no ground on financial and economic competence to Obama to anyone who regards government’s role in the economy to go beyond taxing the mean rich guys for the benefit of the less fortunate.
He wasn't supposed to win, just like Romney isn't supposed to win either. But Sarah Palin's popularity threw a huge wrench in everything. That is why they sabotaged her.