Who's A "Conservative Leader" And A Stalwart? Fringe Freaks Like Paul Broun, Steve King And Erick Erickson?

The video's from Wednesday's Morning Joe. That "stalwart conservatives" and "conservative leaders" would "rather lose than elect Mitt Romney" is from Scarborough's imagination. Unless he's talking about the fascist menagerie Romney would be better off without anyway-- from Ann Coulter, Dick Armey and Bryan Fischer to Rand Paul, Tom DeLay and Virginia Foxx. He's right, of course, that "the conservative base does not trust Mitt Romney." Nor should they. And the weather vane ad that Huntsman indicates exactly why. But the Republican Party, like all right-wing parties, is a top/down party, not a bottom/up party. They actually brag about the aphorism that Republicans don't have to love their party's candidate; they just have to get behind him. And they know. The elders of the party have long ago chosen Romney as the one who can attract right-leaning, low-info independents and the rest is all for entertainment's sake. Those debates are not only big ratings winners, they're like a cross between a sit-com and a reality show. But they script for the last show was written long ago by Rove and the big money folks. And There's no Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump, Mitch Daniels/Tim Pawlenty (remember them?), Ron Paul, Chris Christie, Rick Perry or any other bozo who's going to change that. Santorum, the guy from Google? Don't think so. Newt, the guy from Tiffany's with more wives than a Mormon? Uh... no. And Wall Street has told Paul Ryan to wait his turn... it will come.

I'm afraid that the Republican circus is really just about how far into right-wing never-neverland Romney will be forced to sink in a search for a running mate. Surely not as low as McCain did.

And this? This is just insane:

I'm hearing conservatives, stalwart conservatives, starting to say: you know what?  I would rather lose to Barack Obama. I would rather give him four more years than elect Mitt Romney and have him spend money like George Bush and have another Republican who promises to be conservative go liberal.

Or is it the young lady sitting on the truck-bed on the right that he's referring to? Obama should be so lucky!