Re-election, 2012 Presidential Election | featured news

The mood in camp Obama is picking up these days, with the president’s poll numbers inching northward and Republicans mired in what could turn out to be a prolonged, expensive battle for the GOP nomination.

President Barack Obama's campaign set a goal of raising $60 million in the fourth quarter of the year to benefit the Democratic incumbent's re-election and the Democratic National Committee, a campaign official said on Saturday.

With an eye on recruiting volunteers, President Barack Obama is launching the first TV ads of his re-election campaign. Campaign officials said Tuesday the ad buy is "tiny" on national satellite TV stations but aimed at learning whether television is a good way to find volunteers. In the two 30-second ads, Obama urges viewers to call a number on the screen or visit the website , which invites people to enter their email address and zip code to become involved with the campaign. www.JoinObama.com

The 2008 election was a reminder of the demographic forces that are changing America and potentially the political balance in the country. The most diverse electorate in the nation’s history added to the favorable winds that pushed President Obama to victory. He will need the assistance of those shifts even more in 2012 if he is to avoid defeat.

He shouldn't have to concede any states for lack of money – and he already has raised more than his Republican rivals combined. His approval ratings are down and the economic recovery is sputtering. But President Obama brings to the 2012 campaign one strategic advantage that previous Democratic presidential candidates would have envied: the money to compete everywhere.

President Obama faces the voters a year from today, and right now he has reasons to be both concerned and confident. On the downside, there's an unemployment rate of 9% and approval ratings stuck in the 40s; on the other hand, Obama leads all the Republican challengers in most polling. Approval ratings in the 40s are a problem for any president seeking re-election.

President Barack Obama's fortunes are improving slightly, although he would face a tough struggle for re-election next year if Mitt Romney were the Republican nominee, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said on Friday.

Vice President Joe Biden left open the possibility on Sunday that he might run for the White House in 2016. Biden told CNN that his focus is on helping President Barack Obama get re-elected in 2012 but when pressed on the possibility of his own future run, he replied, "I'm not closing anything."

Barack Obama's approval ratings are down, Republican challengers are beating him in polls and the U.S. economy is in a slump, yet the Democratic president's re-election campaign headquarters is buzzing.

Americans have yet to find a Republican they'd clearly prefer over President Barack Obama, although half say the president does not deserve re-election....