Obama’s permanent campaign

He hasn’t taken his first action as president.

He hasn’t been sworn in yet.

He hasn’t even been approved by the Electoral College.

But Barack Hussein Obama Jr. is already running for re-election in 2012.

That’s the message I get from an e-mail from his campaign manager, David Plouffe, sent to millions of his supporters late last week (and me, too, I might add).

Here’s what it said:

“Exactly one month ago, you made history by giving all Americans a real opportunity for change. Now it’s time to start preparing and working in our communities.

“On Dec. 13 and 14, supporters are coming together in every part of the country to reflect on what we’ve accomplished and plan for the future of this movement. Your ideas and feedback will be collected and used to guide this movement in the months and years ahead.

“Join your friends and neighbors – sign up to host or attend a Change is Coming house meeting near you.”

Apparently, Americans didn’t just elect a president, they started a movement.

Find out what an Obama White House will mean for the nation, in “The Audacity of Deceit,” now for a special price of $4.95.

And, from the looks of this, it appears Obama, who built a massive donor base and e-mail list, is planning to parlay this political asset to build a grass-roots movement around his cult of personality.

This cannot be good news for Republicans eying a shot at the prize in 2012. Nor can it be welcome news for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should differences ever arise between them and their man in the White House.

This will make the first time in history a sitting president, assuming he is found to be eligible for the job or, more likely, that all controlling legal authorities charged with establishing eligibility of presidential candidates take the coward’s way out, has his own massive lobby force in place the day he takes office.

It’s not unprecedented, of course, that sitting presidents campaign for re-election from day one. Bill Clinton certainly did it. But it may be a first that someone who has not yet assumed the office is off to the races already.

This is not a healthy sign.

Clinton based every move he made as president on internal polling data. It looks like Obama is doing him one better. This guy might not be happy with two terms. After all, if being “a natural born citizen” is just a constitutional technicality, as some suggest, what about the limit to two terms? That little limitation, after all, wasn’t even in the original document.

But have no fear.

Obama will not win a second term – not in a free and fair election in 2012, at least not if there is opposition that is breathing and viable.

Here’s what is going to happen – and remember where you read it.

Obama is going to mess up this economy even more than George W. Bush and Barney Frank and Chris Dodd and Pat, I mean, Hank Paulson did. It’s going to be bad. It’s going to get much, much worse, folks.

I know 2010 sounds far off, right now, but I predict Republicans – as pathetic as they appear right now – stand an excellent chance of taking back both houses of Congress if they play their cards halfway right.

By 2012, if Obama is true to form and keeps half his campaign promises, even Pat Paulson, were he still alive, could take out Obama.

It’s going to be 1980 all over again. I know Ronald Reagan is not around. But someone will be – whether it is Bobby Jindal or Sarah Palin or Mark Sanford. All the Republicans need to do is not throw a retread out there.

But, in the meantime, Obama’s permanent campaign marches on.

---