Monday morning president Obama officially launched his re-election bid with a video and is expected to file official paperwork with the Federal Election Commission later today.
Obama also sent an email to his supporters explaining that they need to begin organizing block by block for his re-election campaign. He also lays out his plan to raise 1 Billion dollars for his re-election. Starting the campaign early allows him to begin that fundraising effort.
The video ends with “It begins with us”, possibly his new campaign slogan, if so I may cause many to question why his “Change” didn’t begin 2 years ago.
Politifact has a listing of campaign promises that have been broken, here are a few:
- Expand the child and dependent care credit
- Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
- End income tax for seniors making less than $50,000
- End no-bid contracts above $25,000
- Allow imported prescription drugs
- Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center
- Centralize ethics and lobbying information for voters.
- Allow five days of public comment before signing bills
- Tougher rules against revolving door for lobbyiests and former officials
- Reduce earmarks to 1994 levels
- No family making less than $250,000 will see “any form of tax increase.”
- Negotiate health care reform in public sessions televised on C-SPAN
He also promised to end the war in Iraq, Politifact considers this a kept promise, because we have ended “combat operations” but with 50,000 troops remaining in the country it sure feels like we are still at war. He has also promised to being withdrawing troops in Afghanistan this summer, a promise that appears to be in jeopardy.