Oh quit groaning.

We may've just gotten over the mid-terms and the next Presidential election is only 653 days away, but let's face reality. '12 started the day after Obama got elected, and with how the modern presidential campaign is now conducted, a candidate basicaly campaigns for two straight years from announcement to inauguration.

So very soon around this spring, we'll see all the contenders for the Republican presidential nomination throw their hats into the ring, grab gloves and start duking it out. With the survivor becoming the #1 contender for the title against Barry "The Barbarian" Obama. See, politics is just like pro wrestling.

I'll post relevant news, thoughts, analysis on this thread, whether my own two cents or from the pundits. I'll try to stay away from needless "Obama whoring" since we have a topic just for that but I'll try to stay relevant to this thread topic. Anyway let's start with real substance.

The New Hampshire GOP today issued their first '12 "Straw Poll," a good year before the real important (open) primary in the Granite State. Not a scientific poll, but none the less a clue in seeing how NH party members think of the potential presidential field. The Top 10:

Mitt Romney 35.14%
Ron Paul 10.51%
Tim Pawlenty 7.61%
Sarah Palin 6.88%
Michele Bachmann 5.07%
Jim DeMint 5.07%
Herman Cain 3.99%
Chris Christie 3.26%
Rick Santorum 3.26%
Mitch Daniels 2.90%

Thoughts:

(1) Mitt Romney winning is new surprise. He was governor of bordering-Massachusetts and owns a house in New Hampshire. TPM revealed recently that Romney' strategy to win the nomination in spite of potential allergies the base has with him (RomneyCare, Mormonism) is to cruise centrist, don't pander directly to the Tea Party base, and let those Teabagger candidates cancel each other out while Romney wins by default.

(2) Notice anything wrong with that list? Mike Huckabee is missing. He went 12th with only 2%. He should have done better. Interesting.

(3) Maybe its because the NH GOP leadership just got taken over by the Tea Party, so that might explain their heavy eagerness for people like Bachman. Or consider if you combine Bachman and Palin, that would have ranked a strong second.

(4) Again no serious GOP candidate has officially announced a run yet. There are rumors that Ron Paul wants instead to take a shot at the Texas Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Kay Hutchinson. Bachman allegedly said that she won't run if Palin runs, and Rudy Giuliani says he would run if Palin does. More elaborated thoughts on that later.

(5) How the hell did Pawlenty do that well?

(6) In the end this poll means nothing. And everything. But nothing really.