Obama to launch bid for re-election – and embark on quest for big-money donors

[n2doc]

By Stephen Foley in New York


Taking out insurance in case he is unable to generate the same grassroots enthusiasm among young voters and small political donors as he did in 2008, President Barack Obama is set to launch his re-election bid with a coast-to-coast tour of big money Democratic fundraisers.

The Obama campaign is expected to fire the starting gun of the presidential race this week – filing papers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as early as today – and then hit the circuit for what is expected to be the most expensive election in history.

The White House is playing down the time Mr Obama will have to take off from his presidential duties to prepare for the showdown in November next year, saying it expects the campaign to be relatively subdued until spring 2012, but his campaign staff hope to stuff his war chest with money from rich supporters long before a Republican challenger is nominated.

In 2008, Mr Obama brought in almost $750m (£465m) from donors large and small, as his insurgent campaign bested first Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton and then Republican nominee John McCain on the promise of hope, change and a new kind of post-partisan politics.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-to-launch-bid-for-reelection-ndash-and-embark-on-quest-for-bigmoney-donors-2261399.html

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Unfortunately, thanks to that abomination of "Citizen's United"...

...there is little choice but to court big money donors.

[Better Believe It]

4. And what will the big money corporate/Wall Street donors expect in return?

[Donnachaidh]

2. "stuff his war chest with money from rich supporters"

bet they'll love the *change you can believe in* bumpersticker....

[inna]

3. change you can believe in

[Better Believe It]

7. Change? I think we're talking about something bigger than mere change.

[Brickbat]

5. I know a lot of small-money voters who don't feel like they got their money's worth, anyway.

[undeterred]

The average Joe's change don't buy much "change" from Obama.

[undeterred]

6. Only Corporate "change" buys "change" from Obama.

[LiberalAndProud]

8. Nostalgic for 2008 when I really felt like my few dollars combined with

a whole lot of other people's few dollars would really make a difference. Now I'm pining for my money back. Oh well, lesson learned, I guess.

[bluestate10]

9. The meetings are with supporters than can raise at least $350,000.

Those people are not necessarily rich.

[Better Believe It]

10. Guess you'll have to count me out! Those aren't working class folks you're writing about!

I don't have any group of friends or associates who can raise anywhere near that kind of money!

Guess I must be a poor working class slob who doesn't count for much.

[Obamanaut]

11. Well, now that elections are around the corner, interest in the job will

be secondary (at best).

Ooh. Business as usual.

[Snotcicles]

12. President Obama, deeds will buy you more votes than contributions can. nt

[Raine]

13. Go ahead get it from your big corporate buddies

cause you won't get anymore from me. x( The money I gave to Obama in 2008 and was bad bad investment. I got nothing in return but more of the same as I had gotten for the past 8 years. :mad:

[Karmadillo]

14. Embarking on a quest for $$$? That ship sailed ages ago.

nt

[DemocratAholic]

15. there are things more important than raising money

money can buy you staff, it can buy commercials...but it can't walk into a voting booth, and it can't have a conversation with a neighbor or a grandmother.

money doesn't feel inspiration, nor does it feel disappointment or ambivalence.

there is nothing more important than having volunteers who really believe in a candidate.

there is going to be plenty of money on both sides of the presidential race. i believe what will ultimately be the deciding factor is which side feels more inspired.