I do not consider it a mistake to hope we could fix the problem from within. This was a necessary step. In my opinion, those that want to return the party to its principles are those that realize that the next step is to allow the party to fail under the weight of its rot by no longer propping it up as a somewhat conservative less progressive alternative to progressives like we did with McCain.
It is time to call a spade a spade, a progressive a progressive, a commie a commie, a RINO a RINO.
Let them fail for supporting failure. Let them fail like they should fail by no longer allowing them to succeed. Only then can the party be restored.
The current Republican establishment is completely incorrigible. If they didn't learn from Dole, McCain, and soon, Romney, they never will.