Conversely I was not fazed at all over DeMint (or anyone) endorsing Romney. Hell in 2008 I went with Romney over Duckapee and McCain. And given the same 3 choices I would again. Barf.
As you know I differ heavily with you on that “better they lose” stuff, subtract all the Republicans you named and Shoemer is pushing 60 seats, Gorsuch is not on the court, the Cabinet is half empty.
For me the threshold to back an “I” is high, for example I endorsed Joe Miller (running as the Libertarian) against Murkowski last year specifically because the rat was so weak that Miller was polling in 2nd place. And he did place 2nd, the rat 4th behind an Independent, Miller did better than their combined vote. 44-29, might have been able to win that with more effort.
My threshold to support a rat is rat/rat runoff or rat/worse runoff like Gavin Newsom for Mayor of SF against a Green who’s platform was “let’s let homeless people keep crapping the streets”. I would never at this point support any rat over any Republican. Conley creeped me out, Buchanaite/Paulbot who joined the democrats over Iraq? Pass. I’d sooner worship Satan than give a democrat a single seat for any amount of time.
An aside since I mentioned him, Newsom’s ex-wife Kimberly Guilfoyle, now on Fox and ostensibly no longer on the dark side, I was surprised to read she was a Young Republican in college, I wonder why she married that twerp.
2008 and 2012 remains the nadir of Republican Presidential candidates, where nearly all were Deep State Democrat agents.
Remember that when we defeat one of the traitors, that doesn’t mean the seat stays Democrap.
I’m not a do-or-die Republican, I’m a Conservative. If the Republican candidate has a proven record of working against Conservatism, I will endorse their defeat, period.
Sometimes having the worst of the worst elected will bring the electorate back to their senses.
As for Kimberly Guilfoyle, who knows ? Maybe she thought Twosome was going places. Of course, establishment Dems and R’s get along famously, anyhow.