WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama formally launched his re-election campaign Monday, urging grass-roots supporters central to his first White House run to mobilize again to protect the change he's brought over the past two years.
The official start of his second White House bid comes 20 months before the November 2012 election.
We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does, the Democrat said in an e-mail to supporters announcing his candidacy. But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-VZLvVF1FQ&feature=player_embedded[/media]
He told them he was filing the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, and directed them to his new campaign website where a launch video featured clips from supporters talking about their continued backing of the Democrat.
I don't agree with Obama on everything but I respect him and I trust him, Ed from North Carolina says, delivering what's certain to become a key part of the president's pitch as he tries to re-energize liberals who have criticized some of his policies and independents who have fled from him in his first term.
Obama's announcement comes just weeks after the commander in chief directed U.S. military operations to a third major warfront, Libya, and days after the post-recession economy showed more signs of a rebound with a report that the still high unemployment rate had fallen to 8.8 percent.
Widely expected, the procedural step of launching a campaign was planned to coincide with the second fundraising quarter of the year. Filing paperwork will allow the president to begin raising money in earnest for what advisers hope will be a record-breaking haul of more than $1 billion for his campaign, which is based in Chicago. That begins this month; he's slated to visit major money venues of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
Obama faces no primary challenger.
Rest of article: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/04/obama-announces-2012-re-election-bid-in-web-video/
The official start of his second White House bid comes 20 months before the November 2012 election.
We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does, the Democrat said in an e-mail to supporters announcing his candidacy. But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-VZLvVF1FQ&feature=player_embedded[/media]
He told them he was filing the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, and directed them to his new campaign website where a launch video featured clips from supporters talking about their continued backing of the Democrat.
I don't agree with Obama on everything but I respect him and I trust him, Ed from North Carolina says, delivering what's certain to become a key part of the president's pitch as he tries to re-energize liberals who have criticized some of his policies and independents who have fled from him in his first term.
Obama's announcement comes just weeks after the commander in chief directed U.S. military operations to a third major warfront, Libya, and days after the post-recession economy showed more signs of a rebound with a report that the still high unemployment rate had fallen to 8.8 percent.
Widely expected, the procedural step of launching a campaign was planned to coincide with the second fundraising quarter of the year. Filing paperwork will allow the president to begin raising money in earnest for what advisers hope will be a record-breaking haul of more than $1 billion for his campaign, which is based in Chicago. That begins this month; he's slated to visit major money venues of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
Obama faces no primary challenger.
Rest of article: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/04/obama-announces-2012-re-election-bid-in-web-video/
