Conservatism was not on the ballot, these are Rush's words, yes, we know, Rush will be bashed, Romney is bashed by many who then, turn around and complain about Putin, when Mitt saw the threat clearly back in the day.
But Conservatism per say, was not on the ballot, so one could vote for the Constitutional party or Libertarians or perhaps, one felt their vote could still be of importance in deciding who would be elected.