This election was way worse than I could have anticipated. The pessimist in me was prepared for an Obama win, but I did not see such a disaster as was this election. Obama won every swing state.
That's pretty shocking considering the economy is still a mess although I haven't looked into whether the marked improvement in individual swing states, like Ohio, was a factor.
That means if the economy doesn't fail further, 2016 will be even harder for the GOP. The Dems will have two popular living ex-presidents to campaign for their candidate and the Republicans will have only failed candidates and the Bush family.
The candidate slate is probably clean for 2016 on the GOP side. Santorum may think he's "next in line" but he's a certain loser. Perry could run but I suspect that's unlikely. The other candidates in the field this year were not substantial or ready for retirement.
Successful GOP governors should start thinking about their runs. I do NOT expect Biden to follow Obama unless Obama's removed from office during his term.