Obama Re-Election Strategy Announced

Jim Messina, Barack Obama's re-election campaign manager, released a six minute strategy video explaining Team Obama's playbook. Vaguely, anyway.

Messina laid out five steps to winning in 2012, "Expand the electorate;" "Build something new;" "Grow the grassroots in the states;" "Measure our progress;" and "Work for every vote."

Messina is the campaign manager, so it's not surprising he focused on campaign management--that is, on the process as opposed to the substance of the campaign. He doesn't explain how 2012 will be different from 2008, except to complain that the free-speech rights of Obama's critics are better protected now, thanks to the Citizens United v. FEC ruling. But Obama's supporters enjoy the same First Amendment protection as his opponents.

So, in other words, if you think President Obama has a tendency to bully and mock his opposition in the GOP now, you ain't seen nothing yet. This will be one nasty re-election campaign. Obama never came out of campaign mode to govern the country - I think he has no leadership or governing skills on which to lean - and he will not change now. He is a politician in a perpetual campaign.

Poll results are not good for Barack Obama.

At 73.2, the Consumer Index is down six points from a week ago, down eight points from a month ago, and down sixteen points from three months ago.

Sixty-six percent (66%) of adult consumers believe the U.S. economy is still in a recession.

A majority of the American public appears to have lost confidence in Obama in his ability to govern. The numbers reported to declare that they will not vote for his re-election must be alarming to Team Obama, a group of people who truly buy into a certain specialness of Barack Obama. He is their golden boy, a man capable to win election to the highest office in the land on a slogan - hope and change. No executive experience, very little experience in national politics, it simply didn't matter. The 2008 campaign was built on the Obama brand concocted by an expert group of advertising and public relations from Chicago.

This time around we already know the man. We know he has not governed according to his own hype. He campaigned on change that has not materialized. Not only is he a hyper-partisan but he is experiencing difficulty keeping his Democratic base on board. This is where the nasty comes in. He will allow himself to be petty and mean in public events to sell what is left of his ideas on economic recovery,leaning heavily on the liberal mantra, that the GOP wants Mamaw to eat cat food as she cowers homeless and sick under a bridge without her medicine.

The arrogance of the Obama administration has not served him well. It is difficult to not reflect back on the governing of George W. Bush. Former President Bush was unable to push through some of his key agenda items such as Social Security reform and immigration reform but he didn't stoop to demonizing this opponents, either in the Democratic party or within his own party. He led with respect for the opinions of others.