Beginning of Campaign 2.0 for Barack Obama

On Nov. 4, Barack Obama launched his first campaign video on the web and social networks. The incumbent president, returned to 47 percent confidence in the polls, tried to convince some 1.5 million voters who chose him in 2008 to vote for him again.

“I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.” It was against these fine words that the first clip of Obama’s campaign starts, launched on the November 4 on his campaign website. Stirring music and memories of his inauguration speech in Chicago Nov. 4, 2008, unfold throughout this video of two minutes and 12 seconds (see video below), which echoes with the voice of Barack Obama. He defends the result of his first term, from the health reform to the death of Osama bin Laden through to the end of the war in Iraq, and the clip ends with a “Yes we can” punctuated by the crowd. The president seeks to rekindle the memories of his historic election.

Candidate 2.0

Two days later, a second video in the same style was posted on his campaign website. “What if?” refers to the next presidential term and urges voters to vote for the incumbent president (see video below).

Three years to the day after his election to the White House, the U.S. president placed the video on the web to promote his re-election as head of the United States. After joining the social networks Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, he has strengthened his presence on the Internet by registering on Oct. 25 to the micro-blogging platform Tumblr under the name 2012 Barack Obama.com. They have also published his campaign video.

Renewed confidence

While his election strategy is based through the Web, the tenant of the White House has also seen his popularity rise in the polls after the death of the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the publication of several favorable U.S. economic indicators.

According to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted between Oct. 25 and 31, Barack Obama has a confidence rating of 47 percent, whereas it was only at 41 percent at the beginning of October. However, 49 percent of respondents say they are dissatisfied with his policies.

U.S. analysts believe that incumbent presidents with approval ratings of at least 40 percent have a good chance of winning. For the time being, Barack Obama is between five and sixteen points ahead of his potential opponents from the Republican camp, with 50 percent against 36 percent facing Rick Perry, 50 percent against 40 percent facing Herman Cain and 47 percent against 42 percent facing Mitt Romney. However, Obama will still have to convince his voters despite the continuing high levels of unemployment and uncertain economic prospects in order to achieve victory as hoped.