2008 Republicans included McCain, Huckabee, Romney, Paul an Guiliani. Romney and Paul are leading the 2012 field and there are no other candidates as good as McCain, Huckabee or Rudy G
This field of Republicans lacks star power. Outside of Ron Paul, there is nobody who can generate enthusiasm and draw crowds
In 2008, Obama was a superstar. Probably the biggest personal attraction since JFK. Obama drew up to 75,000 people to hear him speak. there are no current Republicans near that. The only Republican who is close is Sarah Palin and she is unelectable
Hillary is another political superstar who ran in 2008. If Obama didn't smash McCain, Hillary would have.
I wanted to respond to something you said earlier....
You said the public is smarter than the GOP thinks they are and that the public does not get swayed by the media....or something like that..
Hear me out on this...dont get caught up in the fact that I chose Palin as an example. Put in her place any governor of any state....but it was Palin that this happened to...
She entered the media "vetting" process as a highly regarded governor of her state. She had a grass roots personae, a very high approval rating, many successes for her state and its population...some failuers (Bridge to nowhere)...but overall, her constituants saw her as an outstanding choice....I believe north of 80% at its peak.
Then the media hit...and anyone who says the media was NOT looking for dirt is disingenuous.....and that is expected....as they did with Obama...and McCain...
But...
All of a sudden, it was all about the Palin dirt...the bridge...her educational background, her daughter's preganancy...
Sure, they would mention her tax rebate to the people....but explain it as "going to bed with big oil"
Sure, you heard about her high approval rating....but only when the media would say "her high approval rating as governor has been dropping steadily"
And that is the point...
A woman with a very high approval rating saw her numbers drop as the media vetted her negatively...the people were quite happy with her......until the media started to tell them they shouldnt be.
Sure...you can say "well, the media made them realize what a bozo she was, so the media did the right thing"
Well, if she was doing nothing illegal...and she was not compromising the constitution of the state....and the people were happy with the lifestyle she is overseeing......why would the people care?
But they did anyway...becuase the media told them they should.