With regard to Mitt and electability: It’s really stupid politics to nominate a (ahem) moderate like Romney rather someone like Rick or Newt. Here’s why:
Typically, a party’s nominee is chosen from their base. During the general election they move toward the center to win more of the centrist vote. The problem with nominating someone like Romney is the same problem that we have with nominating someone like McCain. They have to move to the right in the general election to shore up an untrusting and dispirited base. This keeps them from courting the center.
If someone like Rick were nominated, he could move toward the center in the general without concerning his base so much, because they would understand what was going on. If Romney (or McCain) moves toward the right, however, conservatives still don’t trust him, and the center becomes even more alienated than ever against him.
I don’t see this strategy working any better in 2012 than it did in 2008.
Even if RINOmney would win, America loses. We would get Obama lite instead of a conservative leader.
That’s assuming that FR conservatives are the base. Im not sure that is the case.