A One-Term President?
Barack Obama’s chances of re-election aren’t looking as assured as they were several months ago. His Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, raised $35 million more than President Obama in the month of June, President Obama’s new plan to extend tax cuts solely for those who earn $250,000 or less until 2013 faces large, bipartisan opposition, and the general population is less sure of how good of a job he has been doing than they were several years ago.
In the 2008 election, President Obama was able to draw from many donors, rich and poor, for support. However, in 2012, many of those donors are unwilling to give to his campaign. In 2008, “many Republican donors embraced the candidate [Obama]…now those donors are swinging hard back to the Republican party- and to Mr. Romney”, according to the New York Times. (“Romney, Again, Outdoes Obama In Fund-Raising”). President Obama will need to raise an enormous amount of money in the coming weeks and months in order to catch up to Mr. Romney before the November election.
President Obama’s proposal to extend tax cuts only for those who make $250,000 or less, is opposed by some Democrats as well as Republicans. The Democrats would prefer that President Obama at least extend them for those who earn less than $1m yearly. It would reflect badly on President Obama if one of his final proposals before the election were soundly defeated.
According to a Gallup poll, in February 2009, 68% of Americans approved of how President Obama was doing as commander-in-chief, compared to only 45% in June 2012 (“Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval”). This is a very concerning result. However, another poll suggests that he may still have the overall support of America.
Though Mr. Obama has had several difficult moments recently, he is still more favored by Americans than Mr. Romney. According to a July 2012 Gallup poll, he holds a five-point lead (48% to 43%) over Mr. Romney (“Obama Now Leads Romney, 48% to 43%”). Hopefully, Mr. Obama will gain more financial support, and will go into November with a stable lead over Mr. Romney.
The New York Times and Gallup.com were used as sources for this article. For the full citations, please contact me by writing a comment on the page.
A Journey through the News* 