Following a bruising primary fight which is drawing to a fractured yet certain close, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has all but captured the Republican nomination. He has already trained his attacks on the frustrated incumbent, a progressive who is progressively running out of anything to run on besides the fumes of empty attacks against his wealth-creating challenger, barbs which have lost their sting following the relentless volley of his conservative challengers over the past four months.
In general election polling, Romney has amassed a 45% following, compared to President Obama's anemic 47%, a dismal result for a president who has "done so much" over the past three years, and much of nonsensical, dysfunctional, or delusional.
One commentator argued that 2012 will resemble 2004, with Romney switching back the states that folded for Obama in 2008: Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, along with Ohio, Iowa, and perhaps New Mexico.
Of course, Romney must create lasting links with the Latino community in the South is he wants to ensure that the Republican brand remains competitive in the near future.