GOP Reps Don't Like 2012 Field

Politico reports:

A presidential primary favorite is emerging among the ranks of congressional Republicans: none of the above.

The dissatisfaction with the likely GOP field — long whispered among party activists, operatives and elected officials — is growing more audible in the House and Senate.

Interviews on both sides of the Capitol have revealed widespread concern about the lackluster quality of the current crop of candidates and little consensus on who Republican senators and House members would like to see in the race.

While the days when congressional insiders could determine a party nominee are long gone, their open grumbling lays bare a broadly held sentiment within the GOP.

“I don’t see anyone in the current field right now, and people say that to me, as well. I’m reflecting what I hear,” said California Rep. David Dreier, chairman of the House Rules Committee.

Dreier, who was first elected in 1980, said: “Everybody’s looking for a Ronald Reagan, and they don’t see one.”

The we-need-somebody-else chatter is reminiscent of fretting among Republicans four years ago that ultimately resulted in former Sen. Fred Thompson’s much-hyped but ill-fated candidacy and the unease Democrats felt eight years ago when their worries about Howard Dean’s general election prospects prompted much pining for then-New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The problem for Republicans now, though, is compounded by the lack of an agreed-upon figure to draft into the race — a fact illustrated by the varied answers members offered when asked who they’d like to see in the field.

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