Earlier this week, President Obama officially announced his plans to run for re-election in 2012 and formally launched his campaign efforts.
This announcement came as a video, “It Begins With Us,” urging those who were behind him in 2008 to mobilize again.
Interestingly enough, this campaign launch took place in the midst of an extremely heated time for negotiations in Congress, thanks to the budget bill. This move has aggravated both Democrats and Republicans alike, sparking questions about whether President Obama has already been planning a strategy with 2012 in mind. The Republican National Convention even released a counter message to the President’s campaign called “Hope Isn’t Hiring,” highlighting the country’s 8.8% unemployment rate and $14.2 trillion in national debt. Mitt Romney, a predicted candidate for the Republican nomination, tweeted this week: “@barackobama I look forward to hearing details on your jobs plan, as are 14m unemployed Americans.” Obviously, this tweet purposely mocks Obama’s decision to launch during such a crucial time.
Regardless of the government shutdown looming over our shoulders, a new military operation in Libya, and Tax Day just days away, Obama chose to kick off his billion dollar campaign.
Although there is still time until more candidates are announced and many more events down the road to 2012, I find this decision to be particularly alarming. Is our President balancing his own campaign plans and the needs of our country? In my opinion, no. And because of this and several other policy preferences, I’m out.