President Obama Announces Re-Election Bid

President Barack Obama announced today that he will be running for re-election, and has filed the necessary papers to form a campaign committee and begin assembling a fundraising apparatus. The newly redesigned barackobama.com has taken on a more spartan appearance, and prominently displays a video  featuring Obama supporters discussing the upcoming election.

The video presents a stark contrast in tone  from the sweeping rhetorical flourishes that characterized President Obama’s first campaign, particularly during the primaries. It is also quite different from the grandiose launch video prepared by the campaign of Tim Pawlenty, who remains the only Republican candidate to have formally launched a bid. In fact, the President does not appear in the video at all, nor does he appear anywhere on his entire campaign website.

Obama’s launch video also quotes a white male supporter named “Ed” from North Carolina stating that “I don’t agree with Obama on everything, but I respect him and I trust him,” not exactly the ringing endorsement you might expect to see featured in a campaign launch. However, as President Obama’s personal characteristics poll much more favorably than his job performance, this is the type of voter the President will need in order to win swing states like North Carolina, which incidentally has been selected as the site of the Democratic National Convention.

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