2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BETTING PREDICTIONS AND NOMINATION MATCH UP ODDS

Now that UK bookmaker Victor Chandler is offering up accumulator betting on most political wagers, we've got the tantalizing prospect of handicapping the American Presidential showdown in 2012. It may seem a long way off, but remember that as soon as the 2010 midterms finish up- we're going full tilt into 2012 mode. 
Sarah Palin is already posturing for a presidential run in two years and you can see it from a lot of the moves that she seems to be making. Speaking in Iowa and meeting with diplomatic and economic experts definitely means that Palin is looking to stay visible and, more importantly, look as presidential as possible. 
Prediction; Sarah Palin to formally launch an exploratory committee if the Tea Party dominates the headlines post-midterms. 
Regarding the outright betting for the 2012 Presidential Election- it looks close. Real close. According to Victor Chandler we've got the Democrats getting the slight edge at a 5/6 price, making them the odds-on favourites. The Republicans are just a shade behind, trading at an even-money price. 
Interestingly enough, Victor Chandler has just added an option for "Indepdent" and they're pricing that at 33/1. There are a number of theories about a potentially massive third party candidate amidst all the usual Lyndon Larouche or Ralph Nader foolishness. 
Names like Donald Trump have been bandied about for a presidential run, but a possible third party bid from the likes of, say, Al Gore or even Michael Bloomberg wouldn't be completely out of the question- especially if things get worse for Barack Obama over the next two years. 
Prediction: If Obama's polls stay below 47%- we'll have a high-profile third party candidate for 2012. 
Getting down to the business of presidential match-ups, we'll be delving into the nominee odds for each party and then playing our respective Democratic and Republican selections on a two-bet one line parlay wager. 
For the Democrats, Victor Chandler has only laid out five different selections with current president Barack Obama trading at an ultra-slim 1/10 price. That means a $100 wager would pay out a mere $110 all-told should Obama get the nod for the Dems. Hillary Clinton is trading at 10/1 to be the Democratic nominee in 2012 while Joe Biden is priced at 11/1- let me assure you that isn't happening anytime soon. Mark Warner is trading at 28/1 while Al Gore is sitting as the 40/1 long-shot. 
Prediction: Al Gore, should he somehow be involved in the 2012 Presidential race, will not be on a Democratic ticket. 
The Republican list of candidates is significantly longer and you'll find Mitt Romney as the solid betting favourite with a 5/2 price tag at the moment. Sarah Palin's odds to run for President under the Republican ticket are sitting at 5/1. 
John Thune, a junior senator from South Dakota, is the third favourite to be the Republican nominee and he trades at a 7/1 price. Mick Huckabee is listed at 8/1, just a step behind, while an interesting outside bet is Jon Huntsman, the former governor of Utah and current ambassador to China, who can be backed at an 8/1 price as well. 
Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty can be backed at 9/1 while Newt Gingrich is priced at 12/1 alongside John Boehner. You reckon that the Democrats are genuinely afraid of Newt Gingrich at this point. 
Michael Bloomberg's odds to run on the Republican ticket are trading at 14/1 and that puts him alongside Mitt Daniels. Haley Barbour and Bill Frist both trade at 16/1. 
David Petraeus is an interesting outside bet and he's listed at 20/1, alongside Scott Brown, while Bobby Jindal is priced at 22/1. Rudy Giuliani is available at 20/1 but he ran such a ridiculous campaign last time that he will genuinely struggle to accumulate donations. Ron Paul is listed at 33/1 while John McCain is the 40/1 longshot. 
The actual presidential match-ups are paying out as such:
Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney  - 3.85
Barack Obama vs Sarah Palin  - 6.6
Barack Obama vs John Thune   - 8.8
Barack Obama vs Jon Huntsman - 9.9
Barack Obama vs Newt Gingrich- 14.3
Barack Obama vs M. Bloomberg - 16.5
Barack Obama vs D. Petraeus  - 23.1
Barack Obama vs Ron Paul     - 37.4
Hillary Clinton vs Mitt Romney  - 38.5
Hillary Clinton vs Sarah Palin  - 66.0
Hillary Clinton vs John Thune   - 88.0
Hillary Clinton vs Jon Huntsman - 99.0
Hillary Clinton vs Newt Gingrich- 143.0
Hillary Clinton vs M. Bloomberg - 165.0
Hillary Clinton vs D. Petreaus  - 231.0
Hillary Clinton vs Ron Paul     - 374.0
Biden probably won't even be on the 2012 ticket as it is, so we'll skip him. 
Mark Warner vs Mitt Romney   - 101.5
Mark Warner vs Sarah Palin   - 174.0
Mark Warner vs John Thune    - 232.0
Mark Warner vs Jon Huntsman  - 261.0
Mark Warner vs Newt Gingrich - 377.0
Mark Warner vs M. Bloomberg  - 435.0
Mark Warner vs D. Petreaus   - 609.0
Mark Warner vs Ron Paul      - 986.0
If the odds are to be believed, we're cruising towards an Obama/Romney showdown in 2012 but the Obama/Palin contest definitely isn't out of the question.