BARACK OBAMA IS THE CAMPAIGNER IN CHIEF

Since taking office in January, 2009 Barack Obama has been in constant campaign mode. Every official speech he has made at any location in the country has had the appearance of a campaign gathering rather than what would be a typical Presidential visit. The rhetoric contained in his speeches have been completely partisan and not only politically driven but sounding at every speech like a candidate running for reelection rather than a sitting President who uses stump speeches to discuss policy.

During a reelection year a certain amount of campaign speeches are expected but Obama has yet to end his 2008 campaign and now we are in 2012 and he is using tax payer dollars for a continual barrage of obvious campaign speeches claiming they are anything but a campaign speech. An alarming statistic has come forth proving Obama's continual campaign mode and his constant use of the Office as a means to not only campaign but raise money for that campaign and NOT the public policy stops that he claims these to be.

It is not unusual for sitting Presidents in an election year to make occasional appearances not just for his reelection campaign but to raise funds for his campaign. As a sitting President the perks of office travel with him, like using Air Force One for the trip, having the normal Presidential entourage etc. But Obama has taken this official perk to a level that is not only ridiculous but borders on an abuse of the Office of the President and an abuse of tax payer funds, where funding for these trips should be coming from his campaign funds rather than government coffers.

Beginning with Jimmy Carter's reelection bid in 1980 each sitting President has attended a combined total of 94 campaign fund raisers. Carter attended 4, Reagan attended ZERO, George H.W. Bush attended 19,  Clinton 14 and George W. Bush 57 at this point in their respective administrations. Barack Obama alone has attended 124 with an unending barrage of fund raisers on his agenda in the coming weeks. He is also the only President in the past 35 years to visit every electoral battle ground state during his FIRST year in office.

One year ago when Navy Seal 6 took out bin Laden Obama stated he would not use the killing of the Al Qaeda leader as a political football when he stated that he would not, "spike the football," using the death of bin Laden as his own personal, "at a boy," for political gain. Yet one year later as the anniversary hits Obama has not only used it as a spiked football with several campaign commercials coming out bragging about Obama's , "brave," move to get the Al Qaeda leader but in one ad he actually states that had Mitt Romney been President he would not have given approval for the raid based on a statement Romney once made about using a large amount of resources to go after one man.

He is not only using the bin Laden anniversary as a blatant campaign move but making accusations against Romney with no basis.  Obama has no record that he can run on. He has lost the Independent vote with every poll showing Romney with at least a 10 point lead among this key voter group. His failed policies are hurting his fund raising efforts as large donors are not contributing as was expected going into the 2012 campaign cycle. Now he uses the heroic actions of the Seal Team 6 as his own personal victory while traveling the country on tax payer dollars raising money for his campaign and making campaign speeches claimed to be official visits rather than campaign stops. And still there are voters who believe THIS disgusting individual deserves another four years.

Ken Taylor