Right, I totally agree with your main point. Is it going to happen again? Is Mitt running? Seems like it. Is Christie? Seems like it. Is Jeb? Probably not. Paul Ryan? Wobbler. (Ryan should got for a Senate seat or Governorship next IMHO if he is really serious about being POTUS someday).
Meanwhile I only see Cruz and Rand Paul so far on the Conservative side.
One subtle thing the media do is bloat the GOP field by having low thresholds, while doing the opposite for the Donks. When was the last time you saw a back-bencher from the House on stage with the major candidates? Yet being in the House will get you invited to all the GOP debates.
It seems like Cruz is setting himself up to be the standard bearer of the Conservative wing of the GOP this time.
Let us hope it will be Mitt, Christy & Cruz as the only 3 candidates. Or Mitt, Christy & Rand. Then all this complaining on this forum of GOPe having the power to foist their RINO on us might stop.
Like I said many times, we can’t split the votes and hope to win.