How did they set it up? Anyone could have entered the race. Some did and were eliminated during the voting process and others chose not to even get in the race.
How did they set it up?
From the outset, Romney was touted as "the frontrunner" and "likely nominee". In the very first debates it was all Romney all the time with his hour-long rebuttals every time his name was mentioned. The media was all about his money and organization that the others lacked. It was from all sides and continues to be.
Pair that with Romney's negative brutal attacks on the other candidates and you come up with a "frontrunner" eventually. And what a shame! I'd kill for Perry, Bachman, or Cain to still be in the race.
Because we need to have someone to blame, when the reality is that the Republican base is not necessarily Free Republic. If its true that the base is who votes in the primaries, then it is probably true that at least 40% of the base are Romney types.