“Any truly conservative Republican candidate would already have this thing in the bag.”
There were too many “truly conservative Republicans” entered in the primaries, and in hindsight that wasn’t smart, or effective.
But those candidates individually decided to enter, not some mysterious “gop-e” power in the sky.
If conservatives expect to do better next time, they must do better at the basics of politics; namely strategy, tactics, fundraising, policy positions, persuading voters.
But meanwhile, this game is underway, with the two teams and players now on the field.
No, the GOP-e decided early on which GOP-e puppet to push (Romney) and which to torpedo (all the others). And FOX News was only too happy to help push the big lie.