Republicans search for the Higgs-Boson of electoral success in 2012

I was reading this interview with nuclear scientist Rolf-Dieter Heuer at The European web site, and, while it is interesting in its own right – among other things, Heuer’s reflections on the intersection of science and faith are more thoughtful than Stephen Hawking’s recent flippant vaporings – what excited me was finding a neat metaphor to describe the Republicans’ search for the optimal candidate in a crowded and diverse field of contenders. First, here’s Heuer:

In the area of particle physics, we need many years to run our experiments and analyze the data. In the past fifty years, we have developed the Standard Model of particle physics. It describes the microcosm as we know it: the matter particles and the forces between them. But we are still missing one cornerstone to explain how elementary particles get their mass. We think that the Higgs mechanism could provide the answer to that question. The manifestation of that mechanism is something called the Higgs Boson – a particle that is thought to exist but hasn’t been found in experiments yet. Our goal is to find the Higgs Boson. If we succeed, then we will conclude the theory of the Standard Model [emphasis mine].

Republicans have most components of their “model” in place: opposition to irresponsible government spending and the unchecked growth of government power, an acknowledgment of the need to reform entitlements, the necessity of restoring the idea of American exceptionalism, reverence for the constitution and individual freedom. The missing piece – the Higgs-Boson – is the standard-bearer – or rather, the optimal standard bearer, since there will be one in any event (optimal or not).

So, who do you think our Higgs-Boson is? Or is there one at all?