The direction of the Republican Party if Romney loses

[Yelnoc]

I think the Libertarian and Conservative factions will continue to snipe at each other while the more "moderate" types continue to flee the party.  2016 will likely see a very contentious primary season and then horrific loss in the general election.

Why?

Because demographics are against the Republican Party.  They seem to be actively attempting to purge everyone from the party that isn't a white christian, and with demographic trends being what they are, that is a recipe for disaster.  "Small town America" has been paved over by suburban housing developers and populated with emigrants from around the country.  The Atlantic coast is trending D, potentially leaving the Republicans with only the sparse electoral votes of Appalachia and the Plains states.

If the Republicans want to avoid decades of "Wilderness Years" where they can hold onto Congress by mobilizing "the base" but can never come close to winning the White House when the rest of America turns out to vote, they will need to reinvent themselves.  As annoying as the Paulites, they are a young voter base, unlike the Social Conservatives, most of whom will be in their graves by the 2020s.  They need liberalize on social issues so much that they wrap around the political spectrum to steal the votes of "Safe D" college kids.

More likely though, they will nominate a "true conservative" like Santorum.  Hell, Santorum is the "next in line", isn't he?  He'll go down in flames against whoever the Democrats put up.  If they run a guy like Schweitzer, that will cut directly into Santorum's base of support.  Perhaps that would send the message that going Conservative is a loosing strategy and the libertarians take over in 2020.  Of course I can't see them being much more successful unless they win back the "RINO vote" (read: original republicans).