Well, so much for conservatives keeping Romney's feet to the fire.
There will never be an appropriate time to criticize Romney with the Republican-Party-first crowd. After the election, the battle cry will be "we can't have a failed Republican President." As the mid-term elections approach, criticism will construed as helping the Democrats gain in Congress. Then as the 2016 election approaches, any criticism will be construed as support for whoever the 2016 bogeyman is.
I hope psychoanalysis is your hobby and not your profession. Those of us opposed to Romney are far more opposed to a nanny state than those who will support a Republican progressive to remove a Democrat progressive. We won't pull the lever for a progressive even if he has an R behind his name. In many ways supporting a nanny-state Republican is worse than supporting a nanny-state Democrat since the Republican will put the Republican seal of approval on the nanny-state proposals and institutionalize them so that the liberal gains will be permanent.
Brilliant!
I feel sorry for those standing there holding back the tide. Obviously Romney is not the ideal looked for but he is the one running.