Are Republicans throwing the election or are they really this stupid?

[SheilaT]

33. I got a little confused.

I think he's the only Presidential candidate to lose in that slot and then go back, get nominated again, and win.

Essentially, losing the election, no matter which place holder you are, is pretty much a guarantee you'll never be either president or vice-president.

That is an important thing to keep in mind as everyone here starts trying to handicap the 2016 campaign, which they've been doing for four years now.

If Romney/Ryan lose, as I sincerely hope they do, Romney will be essentially too old to run again, and Ryan will go on to other things, even if he remains in politics. Most of the Republicans who were originally running this year will be unlikely to run again for various reasons. Plus, no matter who wins in two months, none of us have any idea how the next four years will unfold, so at this point trying to guess who'll be running in four years is a fool's game.