Today, we are
filing papers to launch our 2012
campaign.
We're doing this now because the
politics we believe in does not
start with expensive TV ads or
extravaganzas, but with you --
with people organizing
block-by-block, talking to
neighbors, co-workers, and
friends. And that kind of
campaign takes time to build.
So even though I'm focused on
the job you elected me to do,
and the race may not reach full
speed for a year or more, the
work of laying the foundation
for our campaign must start
today.
We've always known that lasting
change wouldn't come quickly or
easily. It never does. But as my
administration and folks across
the country fight to protect the
progress we've made -- and make
more -- we also need to begin
mobilizing for 2012, long before
the time comes for me to begin
campaigning in earnest.
As we take this step, I'd like
to share a video that features
some folks like you who are
helping to lead the way on this
journey. Please take a moment to
watch:
Barack Obama 2012 Campaign
Launch Video - "It Begins With
Us" Transcript
Ed,
North Carolina: Well it seems
like the last couple of
elections that we've had have
been almost kind of turning
point campaigns.
Gladys, Nevada: Kind of
nervous about it. It's like it's
coming. Here it is. 2012, the
election.
Katherine, Colorado: I think
it needs to reflect the changes
that we've seen in the last 2
1/2 years. Then we had an
underdog Senator. Nobody thought
that he had a chance, and now
he's the President.
Mark, New York: I just saw
the energy and hope that he had
for this country. Even though I
couldn't exactly vote at the
time, I knew that someday I'd be
able to help re-elect him. And
that's what I plan on doing.
Gladys: We're not leaving it
up to chance; we're not leaving
it up to oh, you know, the
incumbent. The type of thing is
an election that we have to win.
Alice, Michigan: And
unfortunately President Obama's
one person. He cannot go—plus he
got a job, you know, we're
paying him to do a job so we
can't say hey could you just
take some time off and come and
get us all energized. So we
better figure it out.
Ed: I can't not be involved.
There's just too much that is
fundamentally important right
now that's going on.
Gladys: As a community we all
have the same concerns. We all
want our kids to go to school
and learn, we want them to
graduate, we want jobs to be out
there, we want people to have
homes, we want people to have
opportunity.
Ed: I don't agree with Obama
on everything, but I respect him
and I trust him.
Gladys: There are so many
things that are still on the
table that need to be addressed,
and we want them to be addressed
by President Obama.
Katherine: I had this
perception that politics was all
show, it was all sound bites,
but politics is how we govern
ourselves. That's what politics
is. At the grassroots level it's
individuals talking to other
individuals and making a
difference.
In the coming days,
supporters like you will begin
forging a new organization that
we'll build together in cities
and towns across the country.
And I'll need you to help shape
our plan as we create a campaign
that's farther reaching, more
focused, and more innovative
than anything we've built
before.
We'll start by doing something
unprecedented: coordinating
millions of one-on-one
conversations between supporters
across every single state,
reconnecting old friends,
inspiring new ones to join the
cause, and readying ourselves
for next year's fight.
This will be my final campaign,
at least as a candidate. But the
cause of making a lasting
difference for our families, our
communities, and our country has
never been about one person. And
it will succeed only if we work
together.
There will be much more to come
as the race unfolds. Today,
simply let us know you're in to
help us begin, and then spread
the word:
http://my.barackobama.com/2012
Thank you,
Barack