Obama may be making the decision very soon about whether to run again or not. Over a year go, he said he might sacrifice a second term to forcing issues during this term. The New York Times looks at the possibilities.
Now, coming off one of his worst weeks since taking office, Mr. Obama is nearing a decision on whether he really meant that. Is he willing to try to administer the disagreeable medicine that could help the economy mend over the long term, even if that means damaging his chances for re-election?
The Federal Reserve’s finding on Tuesday that there is little prospect for rapid economic growth over the next two years was the latest in a summer of bad economic news. One administration official called the atmosphere around the president’s economic team “angry and morose.”
There was no word on the mood of the president’s political team, but it was unlikely to be buoyed by the Fed’s assertion that the economy would still be faltering well past Mr. Obama’s second inauguration, should he win another term.
“The problem for Obama is that right now, the United States is either at a precipice or has fallen off it,” said David Rothkopf, a Commerce Department official in the Clinton administration. “If he is true to his commitment to rather be a good one-term president, then this is the character test. In some respects, this is the 3 a.m. phone call.”
If the president does opt for a single, relentless term, who will take his place as party leader and Democratic candidate? No one is mentioned. But we may know in a couple of weeks whether he's going to run or not. He's got something that looks a little like a campaign event coming up.
On Tuesday afternoon, the White House announced that Mr. Obama would be taking an “economic bus tour” in the Midwest next week, with stops in Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. “The president knows we must do everything we can to promote economic growth, restore confidence in our nation’s future and restore the sense of optimism for future generations,” the statement said.
Though the trip is not a campaign event, it could help shape voters’ perceptions of whether Mr. Obama is more concerned about being remembered for that one good term or whether he wants another four years in the Oval Office no matter what.
