That has to be one of the most intelligent posts I've read on the subject.
The real problem in this election wasn't Romney, and it wasn't even the people or the GOP-E who supported him. It was the fact that we just did not have a really good conservative candidate out there who chose to run. So we ended up with some pretty crummy choices, a bunch of people who couldn't stomach Obama panicked, and decided to support the guy they perceived as being the most electable.
I know some folks, some of whom are pretty reliable conservatives, who voted for Romney. None of them were happy about it, and all considered it more of an "anti-Obama" vote than a "pro-Romney" vote. I sympathized with that, but disagree regarding electability and supported Newt. But I understand why they did it -- most of them so detested Obama that just getting him out became the first, second, and third priority.
At some point, we need to tone down the drama a bit and realize we just got stuck in a crummy election cycle with a pretty crummy slate of candidates. That was going to leave some folks pretty ticked off no matter what. That's the real story of this primary season. Personally, I'm more ticked at those good conservatives who chose not to run and left us with Wink Martindale for a nominee. Mitch Daniels, that means you.
But, I'm a Marine. I don't give up, and I don't whine. I'll conserve my ammo, hunker down, and fight the best holding action I can. And when a strong conservative candidate emerges for 2016 GOP nomination, I'll still be in the party, and will join the counter-offensive. The REMFS who abandoned ship when times got tough can just sit back and swap their war stories.