LAKE JACKSON, Texas (PNN) - November 10, 2012 - A full three days after the GOP took a shellacking in the general election, as many as 19 reasons have been put for the by both parties, pundits and the corporate media as they grope for explanations. The woman’s vote, the Hispanic vote, media bias, a poor campaign message, Tea Party extremism, Romney too moderate, hurricane Sandy, New Jersey governor Christie, even voter suppression - the list goes on and on.

While all of these factors did come into play, the truth may be that the single most significant factor is what the Republican establishment did to one of its own candidates, Dr. Ron Paul, and his many ardent supporters. By disenfranchising Ron Paul supporters, Romney won the primary, but because of that he may have lost the election. For that the GOP has no one to blame but itself and very few in either party or the media seem to want to mention the Ron Paul factor.