"It doesn’t feel like these candidates have campaigned all that hard"

Leading candidates are holding far fewer events than their counterparts did last time around. They seldom take questions from the press. They’re just starting to take aim at each other (though few are landing punches). TV ads are just now beginning to trickle out; in fact, most of the campaigns haven’t started an advertising push yet — nor have their “super PACs.” Ten weeks from the start of voting, it just feels different than it did before. There’s less camaraderie, less pushing from the press and less day-to-day maneuvering…

To be sure, the tone and tenor of this election cycle are worlds apart from what enveloped the 2008 election. Indeed, only one party is holding a primary. And the candidates are not offering themselves as the next best hope for an open White House; rather, all are bashing the current occupant and trying to explain why they’re the most able to knock him off.

In light of that, it isn’t surprising that the campaign is more depressed; what is alarming is that it’s so lackluster. Given all the urgency bubbling up about how President Obama must be replaced, and fast — combined with the candidates’ deep-seated belief that he is beatable — one wonders: What gives?

It may be a combination of factors, according to a handful of leading Republican strategists contacted by RealClearPolitics. The race started late, and debates have been on an accelerated schedule. As the perpetual front-runner, Romney has set the pace.