I’ve voted for some real clunkers over the years.
In hindsight it might have turned out better that “our side” didn’t win against Obama.
Romney and McCain both have turned out to be the worst kind of swamp creatures.
Swamp creatures of the right have never conserved anything and are really leftists for all practical purposes.
Because Gerald Ford was hated (as a connection to Nixon) we got Jimmy Carter.
Because Jimmy Carter was a disaster, we got Ronald Reagan.
Because Reagan was so well loved, we got George H.W. Bush. He was supposed to be a good president, following on a great president.
Because George H.W. Bush was awful and duplicitous (and Ross Perot! who was a symptom of how fed up people were) we got Bill Clinton.
Because Clinton was embarrassing and a worse liar, we got George W. Bush.
Because George W. Bush was maligned (
mostly wrongly, but he never defended himself on that front) and because we didn't have the will for what needed to be done in Iraq and Afghanistan, we got Obama.
Because Obama was so disastrous (although people loved him!) AND because the Democrats nominated Hillary, we got Trump. Who is turning out to be a good President so far. (Although people seem to hate him.)
For all of my life+ a decade or more, we have gotten Presidents (except for one!) because people were sick of the last one. Not because they were impressed by the quality of the candidate they voted for, but because they didn't want to continue down the path of the previous president.
What I'm trying to say is that IF we had gotten Romney or McCain, we'd have just delayed Obama or someone like him for a few years. We seem to be perpetually disgusted by our leaders. (There are times I can remember everyone being united, but they are few are far between.)