Q: "At what point would it be considered acceptable to remove a player from a game, based purely on how badly they're doing?"
A: When he stales a turn.
There's quite a bit of emphasis lately on "fight to the bitter end" loyalty oaths - that's fine, and arguably necessary for a fun game. But the rationale is that folks want to play regardless of your personal success, and if you find yourself in a doomed position you're obligated to press on for the sake of those still interested.
Similarly, as long as the "bad player" is still submitting turns, he's still interested, and entitled to enjoy the game. So you can't kick him out until he demonstrates he's no longer interested (though if he just disappears w/out requesting a sub, **** him, he's never in another game with me).
And frankly, crappy strategies are usually TONS more fun than viable ones.
