Is it just me or this cycle starting off very fast?

[Mister Mets]

Well, you do have a lot of political figures with incentives to build a reputation quickly.

Most of the top Republicans (Jeb, Rubio, Jindal, Ryan, Rand Paul) don't have to worry about winning statewide office before the primary, so they can maneuver themselves any way they want.

The Democratic primary will be defined by whether or not Hillary runs, so anything that helps make up her mind now would be a big deal.

Four years ago, Republicans were uncertain of how to publicly respond to a popular incumbent.

Eight years ago, top Republicans (George Allen, Bill Frist, John McCain, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney) were concerned about the 2006 midterms, where a few of them would be wiped out.

Hillary also had to win reelection convincingly in 2006, and the race was to a great extent defined by her decisions. Obama hadn't started his book tour.