Campaign2012

Barack Obama

Officially declared candidacy

Key Campaign Moments for Obama

September 19, 2011

Obama throws down gauntlet on deficit fight

September 19, 2011
Obama throws down gauntlet on deficit fight

Rebuffing congressional Republicans, President Obama threatened to veto any deficit-busting legislation from the special debt committee that doesn't include tax increases. He also proposed a minimum tax increase on millionaires.
September 7, 2011

Obama's numbers hit new lows among strongest 2008 supporters

September 7, 2011
Obama's numbers hit new lows among strongest 2008 supporters

Facing stubborn jobless numbers and the most pessimistic public since his inauguration, President Obama’s key base groups give him some of their lowest marks to date, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
August 3, 2011

Obama returns to Chicago to resume fundraising

August 3, 2011
Obama returns to Chicago to resume fundraising

Trying to make up lost time, President Barack Obama plunged back into the search for money for his re-election campaign Wednesday with a coast-to-coast series of parties marking his 50th birthday after he was forced to cancel fundraisers because of the debt-ceiling crisis.
April 4, 2011

Obama announces reelection bid

April 4, 2011
Obama announces reelection bid

President Obama announced his plans to seek reelection in 2012 via an e-mail and Web video sent to supporters this morning, a move designed to allow him to begin raising money for 2012 nearly 20 months before the election.

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Obama on Issues

Economic policy

When Obama first won the presidency in the wake of the 2008 financial meltdown, he touted a bipartisan approach to politics, but struggled to get support...

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Barack Obama on Economic policy
When Obama first won the presidency in the wake of the 2008 financial meltdown, he touted a bipartisan approach to politics, but struggled to get support for his flagship initiative: a $787 billion stimulus package that included large tax cuts and more government spending. A year afterwards, the bill was used as proof that Obama was a profligate spender and had racked up irresponsible deficits.
- Transcript: Text: Obama's State of the Union Address
- Article: Plotting path in Congress for an economic plan
Energy policy

As president, Obama has advocated renewable energy sources as a way to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and pushed to reduce the effects of climate...

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Barack Obama on Energy policy
As president, Obama has advocated renewable energy sources as a way to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and pushed to reduce the effects of climate change. His administration's EPA was accused of stretching the limits of the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions standards without passing new legislation in Congress.
- Blog post: White House advances its energy policy without help from polarized Congress
- Blog post: Reheated proposals
Foreign Policy

In his 2008 campaign, Obama pledged to end America's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The following year he ordered a 30,000 troop "surge" to Afghanistan...

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Barack Obama on Foreign Policy
In his 2008 campaign, Obama pledged to end America's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The following year he ordered a 30,000 troop "surge" to Afghanistan at the same time he ordered combat brigades home from Iraq. In 2011, Obama presided over the mission that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was found hiding in Pakistan.
- Article: Osasm bin Laden buried at sea after being killed by U.S. Forces
- Transcript: Transcript of Obama speech on Afghanistan
Health Care

Only a few months after taking office, Obama and his team began the push for an overhaul of the American health-care system that Obama had promised in...

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Barack Obama on Health Care
Only a few months after taking office, Obama and his team began the push for an overhaul of the American health-care system that Obama had promised in his 2008 campaign. The result, 2010's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was one of the most significant--and controversial--pieces of health-care legislation in history.
- Article: House passes health-care reform bill without Republican votes
- Article: How should Obama reform health care?
Medicare Reform

Obama has said American cannot recover from its economic crisis without getting financial control of entitlement programs including Medicare. Obama did...

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Barack Obama on Medicare Reform
Obama has said American cannot recover from its economic crisis without getting financial control of entitlement programs including Medicare. Obama did not support Republican Paul Ryan's Medicare-overhaul plan in the 2012 House GOP budget and instead introduced an alternative that retained the outlines of the current program but added spending limits.
- Opinion/Editorial: Medicare reform: Obama vs. Ryan
Social Issues

Obama pledged to defend abortion rights and backed a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Though...

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Barack Obama on Social Issues
Obama pledged to defend abortion rights and backed a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Though he has frequently said he supports civil unions, gay activists have criticized Obama for not going far enough to push for gay marriage rights.
- Article: Obama backs bill to repeal Defense fo Marriage Act
- Article: Obama trying to bridge America's racial divide

Obama Coverage

I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country.
The Washington PostJune 23, 2011
We must embrace America’s singular role in the course of human events, but we must also be as pragmatic as we are passionate, as strategic as we are resolute. When threatened, we must respond with force — but when that force can be targeted, we need not deploy large armies overseas.
Politico.comJune 22, 2011
Today, the single most serious economic problem we face is getting people back to work,” Obama said. “And even though we’ve added more than 2 million private sector jobs over the last 15 months, I’m not satisfied. Not until everyone who wants a good job that offers a little security has one. Not until empty storefronts in town are open for business again.”
Politico.comJune 13, 2011

I don't want the new breakthrough technologies and the new manufacturing taking place in China and India. I want all those new jobs right here in Indiana, right here in the United States of America, with American workers.
NPRJune 13, 2011
I will not allow Medicare to become a voucher program that leaves seniors at the mercy of the insurance industry, with a shrinking benefit to pay for rising costs.
Huffington PostApril 13, 2011