AND WE'RE OFF – AT 8:42 A.M. ET:  The 2012 race has begun.  As the unsainted Richard Nixon liked to say, "Make no mistake about that."  Traditionally, and boringly, the Republican Party nominates "the next guy in line," even if that person is moribund.

However, the times they are a-changin'.  Gallup finds that there is no Republican frontrunner, as of now, according to National Journal:

The race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination is wide open, according to a just-released Gallup poll.

Of the GOP's most talked-about potential presidential contenders, none was able to break the 20 percent threshold. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney led the pack with the backing of 19 percent of those surveyed, followed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 16 percent apiece.

All three candidates benefit from high name recognition, as all ran for either president or vice president two years ago. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was the only other candidate in double figures, at 13 percent.

No candidates have yet formally announced that they are running for president, but Romney has been very active in key states including Iowa and New Hampshire.

COMMENT:  It's good that there's no frontrunner.  I hope there isn't one for a long time.  Let this all shake out, with new people added to the mix. 

If the economy improves, toppling Obama, like toppling any incumbent president, will be very difficult.  If the economy continues in recession, the job will be far easier...but only with the right candidate.  Many Americans seem to feel they were burned by Obama, which they were, and they don't want to be burned by another unknown.

November 17, 2010