Most of those 9,000,000 voters were still around come 2012. Mitt failed to draw the vast majority of them in, they just didn't vote. I agree there was more than usual Dem cheating, but that doesn't explain the failure of Mitt to even reach the level that McCain reached in a bad year for Republicans. And after the banner year for the GOP in 2010.
The answer is clear as day. The GOP-e would rather lose than embrace that answer (hint - hot beverage popular over in Britain). As they showed in losing a very winnable election.
Mitt was correct when he spoke of the 47% on entitlement programs who wouldn’t vote for him. Add in the remainder of blacks (not on welfare) and die-hard liberals who will always vote for the democrat, and there’s no way any republican will get elected again. Wonder how the # of people in entitlement programs has changed since Bush was elected in 2004.