That’s because “us” is conservatives. We cannot expect the GOP to field a conservative candidate. The blame lies not just with party leadership but also with the rank and file. Too many of them are just not conservatives. The majority of the GOP was quite content to run Romney. As long as Conservatives remain in the Republican Party they will continue to be disappointed. It is way past time for a Conservative Party. Voting for a Conservative and losing would be preferable to losing with a Republican or just staying home.
The thing about that is 3rd parties can’t win-—look at the Libertarian, Constitution, and Green parties. They have millions of members. but not one seat in CONgress and obviously, have no way to win the presidency.
As much as we don’t like it, the Republican party is the only way to go. We the Conservatives must take over the party, and do so quickly. We have 2 years before the 2014 midterms to do so.