2016 Republican Primary Tag

It's happening again. Just when you think he's gone into the sunset -- the 'Romney in 2016' wave of hysteria sweeps across pundit land. So here we are again this weekend asking ourselves -- Will Mitt be the GOP nominee in 2016? From the FRONT PAGE of The Washington Post today:

“Democrats don’t want to be associated with Barack Obama right now, but Republicans are dying to be associated with Mitt Romney,” said Spencer Zwick, a longtime Romney confidant who chaired his national finance council. He added: “Candidates, campaigns and donors in competitive races are calling saying, ‘Can we get Mitt here?’ They say, ‘We’ve looked at the polling, and Mitt Romney moves the needle for us.’ That’s somewhat unexpected for someone who lost the election.” For a party without a consensus leader — nor a popular elder statesman like Democratic former president Bill Clinton — Romney is stepping forward in both red and blue states to fill that role for the GOP. “There’s a pretty big void in the party right now for national leaders, and Romney’s in a unique position, having been around the track, to help fill that void,” said Scott Reed, a veteran GOP strategist who oversees the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s political operation.

There is nothing wrong -- factually -- with any of the comments made about Romney's current positive profile. But should that (and would it) translate into a successful 2016 run for the two-time loser for President? (McCain beat him in 2008, Obama in 2012) I've been arguing for many months that the total Democratic fixation on Hillary Clinton bodes ill for the bench strength of that party. Yet this constant reanimation of Mitt seems to be set in an opposite environment -- the GOP bench is very strong, especially for 2016 prospects. U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) fueled this current round of Mitt in 2016 talk in July.