As this is my last political column of the year, I would like to offer you, the readers, my top five reasons as to why President Obama is a shoe-in for the 2012 election.
The first, and possibly most obvious reason, is that the spectrum of viable GOP presidential contenders is slim. A survey by Public Policy Polling suggests that before the “birther” blow-up, Donald Trump led the Republican field with 26 percent of the vote, while Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee trailed behind with only 17 percent. If ‘The Donald’ was truly the Republican’s front-running candidate just a few weeks ago, then I take it as a strong indicator that the GOP, put simply, doesn’t stand a chance.
Second, Obama has governed with a relatively moderate record. He agreed to a temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts and made significant compromises in the budget debate (although I must concede that he would not agree to bar federal funding for Planned Parenthood, much to the Tea Party’s dismay).
Third, Obama’s got the money. As a general rule of thumb, the candidate with the most in campaign funds typically wins the election. Obama raised a record-breaking $760 million in his first campaign, and it is predicted that he will reach nearly $1 billion for 2012. My guess is that even Donald Trump isn’t willing to throw down anything close to that figure of his own wealth.
Fourth, the unemployment rate has been steadily declining and analysts predict that if it continues at this rate it will be just above or at 8 percent by the time of the election. This is a critical component to Obama’s re-election, as Americans want to see true indicators that the economy is recovering; the unemployment rate being one of the most comprehensive measures of the economic state.
Last, but certainly not least, Obama got Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and face of the U.S.’s War on Terror. This makes Obama look especially strong on national security heading into the election and gives him a boost he desperately needed.
In closing, I would like to thank you, the readers, for taking the time throughout the year to read not only my column but Colin’s as well. It was my goal in writing each piece to not only address issues from a liberal perspective but encourage you to shape your own opinions by investigating these issues in greater depth on your own time. I hope I was able to do just that for some of you.
Laura,
Love the articles, keep it going. I think Obama will be reelected. I wish he didn’t have to spend a billion on his campaign though. Some of that money could go to good use elsewhere.