Obama launches re-election campaign

From Fazle Rashid | Published: April 06, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

From Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, Apr 5: The US President Barak Hossain Obama yesterday launched his re-election campaign for 2012 race for the White House roughly 20 months ahead of the poll. Obama's re-election team hopes to build up a campaign fund of $1.0 billion surpassing $750 million it raised in 2008 election. The money will not be used for television ads but for hiring workers to woo independent voters. "I am going to need you more this time than last time," President Obama was quoted as saying. President Obama heads toward re-election in a far more different situation than he did four years ago. A sluggish economic growth complicates his path to a second term. "We need to begin mobilising for 2012, long before the times comes for me to begin campaigning in right earnest," Obama said. Like all sitting presidents Obama will have to have balance the daily demands of the Oval office with campaigning over the next 19 months. He has filed papers with the Election Commission that will allow him to raise funds. The 2012 presidential race is going to be most expensive in the US history There are more hispanic voters than the whites. Democrats have a significant lead over minority voters. The political analysts feel that Obama's re-election bid will be easier in 2012 because there is no Republican candidate who could pose a serious threat. Meanwhile, the US is facing an embarrassing situation of a possible government shutdown. Tim Geithner, the US treasury secretary in a letter to Congressional leaders warned that if Congress does not agree to increase debt ceiling, the US could default on debt payment. He said a default could lead to a financial crisis more severe than the one in 2008. President Obama has invited The House of Representative Speaker John Boehner and Harry Read, Senate Democratic leader to a White House meeting today in an effort to prevent a government shutdown.