Obama, allies and opponents gear up for 2012
As President Obama gears up for his re-election campaign, reports have emerged that two former White House aides are preparing to start an independent political group supporting his candidacy - a move that would represent a significant departure from the president's previous condemnation of outside groups in electoral politics.
The Los Angeles Times reports that former deputy press secretary Bill Burton and former Rahm Emanuel aide Sean Sweeney are in the planning stages for a group that could potentially serve as a counter to outside groups on the gop side.
In the 2008 presidential campaign, Mr. Obama vocally condemned the influence of such groups, not only discouraging their formation but also pressuring donors not to finance them.
But in the wake of 2010 Citizen's United Supreme Court decision, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on presidential campaigns, the Obama administration has signaled an openness to accepting money from independent political groups. Groups like American Crossroads and Americans for Prosperity took in tens of millions of dollars in the 2012 cycle to spend on behalf of Republican candidates, often without disclosing their donors.
The Democratic National Committee maintains that the Obama administration remained committed to transparency and disclosure.
"Despite the vehement opposition of Republicans to disclosure requirements and the political advantages the current system allows for, the president will continue to support such measures because it's the right thing to do," Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan told the L.A. Times.
Unlike campaigns, many independent political groups are allowed to accept unlimited donations from both individuals and corporations. Depending on the classification of the group, it may or may not have to disclose its donor information.
The Obama campaign is expected to officially begin with a video announcement on April 14, followed by a slew of fundraisers in Chicago, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and New York. The campaign alone is expected to bring in as much as $1 billion.
It will be going up against powerful independent pro-conservative forces: David and Charles Koch, of Koch Industries, have pledged to raise at least $88 million for conservative interests, and American Crossroads and its affiliate, Crossroads GPS hope to raise $120 million.
Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has launched an initial anti-Obama campaign effort: In a minute-long ad posted to the group's YouTube page on Thursday, the committee mocks the president's change-oriented campaign slogans from 2008. The spot features a graphic of the president flying over a rainbow on a unicorn accompanied by the mock slogan, "Four more years: America needs more changing."
(Watch the ad at left.)
While few Republican candidates have yet to officially enter the presidential fray, several likely contestants have recently indicated their seemingly inevitable participation. Rick Santorum announced on Friday that he will participate in the first presidential debate (despite the fact that he is not officially a candidate), and Mitt Romney is reportedly planning to start raising campaign money for a presidential bid in mid- to late April.
Meanwhile, Tea Party favorite Michele Bachmann reportedly plans to form a presidential exploratory committee in June or earlier, and may announce her official candidacy around the same time.