[Notary Sojac]

The "GOP elites" meme is getting a little tiresome.

At the tail end of the 2008 primaries, I had only RINOs left to vote for. Why? Because lots more people voted in the primaries for those RINOs than voted for conservatives.

Likewise, if Romney is the nominee it will be because a whole lot of registered Republicans voted for him.

So going on and on and on about how mad we'll all be if "the elites force Romney on us" is not very productive.

Talking to your moderate and undecided Republican friends about why Romney would make a dismal President is a far better strategy.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The nomination situation is poisoned by open primaries. How badly poisoned, I don’t know. But if it becomes a notable conservative meme that voting for Romney won’t be entertained, then that has just sent a big loud signal to the primary poisoners: PUT ROMNEY ON THE TICKET! While if the conservative meme would be to put a vise on one’s nose and vote Romney, barfing all the way... that’s still bad news for Obama, and poisoning the ticket with Romney would be less likely to happen.

[trubolotta]

It was the GOP moneyed elites that tried to persuade Christie to run. I don't believe for a moment he was being pushed as the antidote to Romney as much as he was to make it a Romney vs. Christie primary, squeezing out everyone else as irrelevant. Establishment Republicans would be happy with either one.

The GOP elites also include the media types (excluding Rush, Sean and Mark) telling us who can and can't be elected.

The GOP elites were equally successful in Delaware and Nevada by NOT supporting the Republican candidates.

You are right that the numbers count in the end, but who has the bigger bullhorn and influence with the lame stream media? They want to hold their power and will trash any threat. We have to do our part, and that may be telling them to go to hell at some point.