Filed under: News, Politics, President Obama, Race and Civil Rights
It's been a busy two and a half years for President Barack Obama. There was this country's near financial collapse, wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and now the conflict in Libya. And who can forget the ugly battle over health care reform. There has also been political turmoil as the nation's first non-white president navigated the terrain of a country in transition.
But for all the drama, President Obama wants four more years. That's why he filed paperwork today to seek another term with the Federal Election Commission. The certification allows Obama to begin raising money in what some think could be the first billion dollar presidential campaign.
Obama also sent a video to his supporters and launched a new website that's already has 19 million Facebook followers and 7.3 million Twitter supporters.
"I just saw the energy and hope that he had for this country," says man named Mike from New York who is shown in the video. "Even though I couldn't exactly vote at the time, I knew that someday I'd be able to help re-elect him. And that's what I plan on doing."
With the country's economic position improving, Obama can say his policies are working. He can point to health care reform, efforts to reform this country's financial regulation, his international efforts, and the fact that foreign leaders have more confidence in this country's leadership as proof that he deserves a second term.
Obama's election wasn't easy last time and it won't be easy this time. He's no longer the upstart Senator. He is the President of the United States with a long record of decisions that his opponents can shift and pick through
"President Obama is one person. Plus he got a job. We are paying him to do a job so we can't say hey can you take some time off and come and get us all energized. So we better figure it out," said a woman in the video named Alice who lives in Michigan.
On the flip side, he is the president. He has the power of incumbency on his side. He can announce new efforts and take credit for his current policies all on national television. He also has the small fact that he's the first black president. Despite the criticism coming from some black leaders, Obama still remains enormously popular in the black community.
I saw that firsthand last week in Obama came to Harlem for a fundraiser and black folks stood out in the chilly weather for hours to catch a glimpse of his the president in his limousine. You know black folks don't like cold weather but the crowd gathered on 125th Street and Lenox Avenue screamed when Obama's limo passed.
And given that the Republican/Tea Party candidates seem to be popular at raising money and getting attention in the blogosphere as opposed to formulating policies that a majority of Americans agree with, Obama actually finds himself in a decent position going into 2012.
"What he needs to say is that he came in to office facing unprecedented challenges - two wars and an economy that was on the cusp of the next Great Depression - and has gotten the country back on track but that there is still enormous work ahead of us," Chris Lehane, a Democratic political consultant who worked for President Bill Clinton told the New York Times.