A boring, uninspiring batch of flawed candidates — this is the consensus about the projected crop of GOP White House hopefuls for 2012. And though there may be some truth to this general outlook, it won’t stop these Republicans from eventually providing a formidable challenge to a politically damaged Barack Obama.

The question right now is, which Republican will get the nod?

Over the weekend, at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., the sorting-out process began in earnest. Many big-name Republicans were on display, some with all their faults.

There was Mitt Romney, positioned as the establishment frontrunner, desperately trying to avoid mention of the Democrats’ health care bill. As governor of Massachusetts, he implemented a health care plan markedly similar to Obamacare — something that will play a major role in Republican primaries.

There was Mitch Daniels, competent governor of Indiana, standing all of 5 feet 7 inches tall with his trademark comb-over. His passion for cutting budgets could be offset by his disregard for socially conservative issues that are important to much of the GOP base.

The list goes on. Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour and even Donald Trump gave speeches at CPAC. Maybe Newt Gingrich will jump into the race. Conservatives across the country are clamoring for Chris Christie to make a run. And then there’s the former governor of Alaska who skipped out on the event all together.

Perhaps the muddled field will allow a relatively unknown conservative to rise to the top late in the game. Right now, however, it doesn’t really matter. Not at this point. There will not be a perfect candidate in 2012. Fortunately for the GOP, they will not be running against the perfect president.

The 2012 campaign, now beginning to fully ramp up, will be entirely a referendum on Obama’s first term. As of now, the electorate is giving mixed reviews at best.

The most recent Gallup poll has troubling numbers for the president on several important issues. Americans disapprove of the way Obama is handling the federal budget deficit (68-27 percent), the economy (60-37 percent) and health care (56-40 percent) by huge margins.

It seems like decades ago that Obama was viewed as a rock star, especially among the youth demographic. His celebrity status has unquestionably worn off.

Even though there will be no Republican challenger capable of attracting such mass popularity (although Christie might come close), this type of support is only critical when there is no incumbent in the race — not the case in 2012.

The president’s incumbent status will bring significant baggage. Americans generally did not know Obama when he was elected in 2008. His skimpy resume included some time as a community organizer, a stint in the Illinois Senate and an abbreviated term in the U.S. Senate.

Now Americans are familiar with him. And for all the handwringing about weak Republican candidates, the president’s flaws are even more prominently on display.

Over the next two years, the GOP field may be mired in uncertainty — and yes, some flawed candidates. In fact, the only sure thing about the 2012 primaries is Obama will be waiting at the end. For Republicans, this may be their biggest advantage of all.

Jimmy Paul is a senior political science major. His column appears every Tuesday, and he can be reached at jdpaul01@syr.edu. 

Published on February 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm