However, Romney is FAR better than Obama, on many fronts.
I want a better nominee, but I will vote AGAINST Obama no matter what.
Romney v. Obama is definitely a rock v. a hard spot decision. As bad as McCain's politics were, Romney's are worse across-the-board.
Since I believe that only conservative principles will ultimately save this country and Obama's re-election won't destroy conservatism, his re-election is probably better for the country than Romney's election. With a Romney win, we'll still get 75-90% of Obama's agenda but as a viable political force, conservatism will die. While conservatism might try to resurrect itself in a third-party, the current political arrangement makes third-party runs difficult, if not impossible. If Romney succeeds in defeating conservatism in the Republican Party, it is for all practical purposes, dead. That is why I can't hold my nose and vote for Romney - not this time - Romney is a bridge too far. I could vote without enthusiasm for McCain and Dubya in 2004 but not this time.
I assume you are a Kansas resident. So am I. Therefore, withholding my vote from Romney will have no effect. There are enough Republicans like you who will vote for him that he should carry the state. If Romney really needs my vote in Kansas, he would be getting slaughtered in the rest of the country. Unfortunately, for Romney, I think that there are enough conservatives like me in NC, VA, FL, and a couple of others that I doubt he could turn those states back into R states and therefore, he is probably doomed in the general election. The GOP-E should have thought about this before they shoved this dud down our throats.