In January 2011, we at TWS had the notion that it would be good to defeat President Obama in 2012. And so in a blog post we asked the sensible question: ” Wouldn’t it be easier just to agree now on a Ryan-Rubio ticket, and save everyone an awful lot of time, effort, and money over the next year and a half?” We reiterated that thought in the spring  and summer.

Ryan-Rubio 2012 was not to be. And so an awful lot of time, effort and money was expended, and the presidency was lost for four more years. It’s true that Paul Ryan ended up as Mitt Romney’s running mate,  but the vice presidential candidate can’t shape the message or define the ticket. It was Mitt Romney’s election to win or lose. He–and we–lost.