LOL, what a hope.
2008 was after two terms of Bush and national exhaustion, and during a recession, as an old guy with no money ran against history, and a deity, and the first black president, in one of those throwaway elections.
2012 was the man with all the money and the chips, running against Carter the 2nd, during almost a depression, and the hope is that Romney 'equaled' McCain?
That is pathetic.
In 2012, the GOP had incredible advantages. The terrible economy, high unemployment, high gas prices, Benghazi-gate, Petraeus-gate. Their campaign coffers were loaded.
If they could not win in that kind of environment, they really need to get out of the political arena, and find something else to do.
Pathetic is right. They latched their fortunes to a candidate who they felt would win with independents and even liberals. They could not even get as many votes as McCain/Palin in a really bad year for the GOP, with nothing going for them.