Honestly, I'm beginning to think you haven't a clue how America's electoral process works.
Aspiring candidates collect two things - money, and signatures for ballot access. You get enough signatures, and you have the nominal fee (between $5K-$15K) to pay in each state, then you get on the ballot. There are no "Republican Socialists" who magically control who is or is not on the ballot.
Once your on the ballot, you're on the ballot. No one can take that away from you.
Like I said earlier. This is not about "the establishment", it's only about voters - primary voters. McCain was as far from the Republican establishment as you could get. In fact, he was HATED by the establishment, and yet he won the nomination EASILY. How about that?
"Or a Demint that could never win.."
If you think Jim DeMint can't win the Republican nomination (if he chooses to run), then you are smoking crack. Please, put the pipe down, and get yourself some help.
DeMint could win walking away. And he EASILY wins wins two of the first three primaries - going away in Iowa and South Carolina, leaving NH to Romney.
As far as how the elections work you must be the most navie person I have ever met if you think that is how things work in politcs. Talk to nader about how easy it is to get on the ballot, if one or both party machines don't want you on it.
DeMint could win walking away. And he EASILY wins wins two of the first three primaries - going away in Iowa and South Carolina, leaving NH to Romney.
That is SO true - in 2012, the nomination could be DeMint's for the taking. And THAT'S what scares the Palinstinians so much - knowing that they could invest so much emotional capital into her, only to see DeMint walk in and grab the ring without even having to stand on tippytoes.
Which would present an interesting - and potentially dangerous - situation.
What would the Palin people do if DeMint were to step in and win the nomination? They can't very well jibberjabber about him being a "RINO" (well, they could try, since they seem to specialise in that sort of thing, but it would have zero credibility), so what options do they have left? Would the Palin People refuse to vote for DeMint all because he's not Sarah, and risk shooting down the candidacy of someone even more conservative that Palin, and reelecting 0bama?