WASHINGTON — And so it begins with a video on Obama for America. The question at the top left corner asks Are you In? One thing is certain is that 2012 won’t be like 2008 on the Democratic side. People simply don’t feel the same about the candidate, which sets the Republicans up if they can catch a break.
The president pledges to focus on his job, but will pick up the tempo of campaigning this month with several fundraisers. The campaign is hoping to raise a record $1 billion. – LA Times
The bookend to Barack Obama’s launch is considering the choices on the Republican side.
An article about Jon Huntsman, someone who has the attention of a lot of people looking for the un-Obama, reveals the obvious, which is he may wait it out until 2016 when the bulk of the Republican talent jumps in once the field is clear of Pres. Obama, who is a formidable candidate by any standard.
We’ll see how this all develops on the Republican side, but with the cast of crazy characters it’s sure to have some surprises in store.
Many are waiting to see if a woman will show up and if it will be Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin, maybe both. I doubt they’ll go up against one another, but who knows? But it’s the year for them to give it a go, because in 2016 they’ll be outclassed as candidates by Chris, Jeb and Jon, but also Marco.
Pres. Obama is beatable in ’12, but he won’t make it easy. The odds remain that it is his election to lose. And Republicans better up their game though because they won’t be Obama by betting on birtherism.
Taylor Marsh is a political analyst, writer and commentator on national politics. A veteran national politics writer, Taylor’s been writing on the web since 1996. She has reported from the White House, been profiled in the Washington Post, The New Republic, and has been seen on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Arabic, as well as on radio across the dial and on satellite, including the BBC. Marsh lives in the Washington, D.C. area. This column is cross posted from her blog.