WASHINGTON — With the 2010 elections in the rearview mirror, the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign is now under way and would-be candidates are asking themselves: Is President Barack Obama beatable?
Obama's job approval rating is at a mediocre 45 percent, his handling of the U.S. economy gets a thumbs-down from voters so far and he faces the challenge of seeking compromise with Republicans who seized control of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Over the next few months more than a dozen Republican leaders will decide whether they think they can raise enough money and gain sufficient media attention and voter support to seek their party's nomination for president.
Republicans have no natural candidate to turn to in 2012 like they have had in past elections, meaning a free-for-all is likely between the likes of Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty and others.
At the same time, Obama is laying the groundwork for his own re-election bid, hoping the U.S. economy will heal sufficiently over the next two years that Americans can be persuaded to give him four more years.
Obama, as the incumbent with all the trappings of power, has the luxury of waiting several months before beginning in earnest his battle to remain in power.
