U.S. President Barack Obama is poised to file papers with the Federal Election Commission, officially launching his bid for a second term.
He starts his re-election campaign in one of the stronger positions of sitting presidents over the past four decades. His job-approval rating at this point in his tenure is higher than that of Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan, presidents who won second terms, and the nation's jobless rate, now 8.8%, has been slowly declining.
As he turns 50 this year, Obama must traverse some perilous landscape. The economic recovery is fragile, and the U.S. military now is involved in three controversial military campaigns – in Afghanistan, Iraq and now Libya – that draw significant opposition from war-weary Americans. What's more, the big legislative achievement of his presidency, an overhaul of the health care system, fails to win majority support in national public opinion polls more than a year after he signed it, USA Today reports.
According to Capitol Hill Blue, Obama intends to announce his candidacy to supporters by email and text messages. The fundraising already has begun. Obama netted $1.5 million at a Democratic fundraiser in New York’s Harlem this past week. He’s also scheduled to travel in the week ahead to headline events in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
