Things may finally be picking up for the 2012 GOP lineup…

By Micah Hanks

We’ve now had our first debate among GOP hopefuls, as well as a number of opinion polls indicating people’s general feelings toward the potential front-runners, yet things still seem fairly bleak so far in the lead up to the next presidential election. And with polls indicating a spike in approval for President Obama in the days following the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (though polls for today, according to Rasmussen, showed only 25% of voters expressing strong satisfaction with Obama’s performance) the playing field still could become even more challenging for… well, challengers.

There are some interesting points of interest that have transpired recently though, and perhaps a few things to keep our eyes on. Once prospective GOP frontman Mitt Romney has drawn criticism for his statements about repealing Obamacare, despite his enacting a similar plan in his home state while serving as governor. Romney, whose editorial in the Wall Street Journal cited that repealing Obamacare would be chief among his actions upon taking the office of president, incited criticism from the likes of Steve Scheffler, chairman of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition (who also serves as a member of the Republican National Committee). “I can tell you right now, that’s not going to satisfy the average caucus-goer here in Iowa,” Scheffler told MSNBC. “A speech defending any kind of mandate is not what caucus-goers want to hear. I don’t know how he can condemn ObamaCare if he’s still defending his plan.”

Elsewhere, the fiery libertarian-leaning Texas Congressman Ron Paul has announced his official intentions to run for the GOP nomination, during an appearance this morning on Good Morning America.

“People are agreeing with much of what I’ve been saying for 30 years,” Paul said, “So I think the time is right.” Famous for his money-bombs during the race leading up to the ’08 election, Ron Paul came onto the mainstream political scene as a relative unknown, but now after amassing tremendous grassroots support from organizations like the Tea Party, as well as having published a number of books dealing primarily with the country’s fiscal concerns, Paul is far more “on the map” than he was four years ago… but is it enough to garner GOP support for an official run against Barack Obama? Or will other GOP “superstars” like Mike Huckabee decide to toss in their hats, having gained notoriety and support in the years since Obama took office? The field is still wide open, and only time will tell…