May 02, 2011 07:35 PM UTC

Did President Obama Get Re-Elected Last Weekend?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Yes, it’s early. Yes, the 2012 election is still a long ways from now. But we’re a political blog, and we’ve got to ask the obvious question: Does killing Osama bin Laden all but guarantee that President Obama will be re-elected in 2012? This paragraph alone, from Obama’s speech to the nation last night, is incredibly powerful:

“Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.”

It is our view that it was always going to be an uphill battle for Republicans to defeat Obama in 2012. For one thing, the Republican field is less than awe-inspiring; when Donald Trump — who nobody thinks will actually run — is getting the majority of the media attention, your field of candidates is in trouble.

And while polling has been up and down on Obama’s approval ratings, polls have also consistently shown that the public “likes” Obama (approval ratings and, for lack of a better term, “personal feelings” are not always the same thing). People may not like Obama’s policies, but for whatever reason they seem to like Barack and Michelle Obama. All those voters need is one good reason to give Obama a second term, and killing Osama bin Laden is definitely a good reason.  

A lot of things can change between now and November 2012, but Obama now has one very important “Trump card” (pun intended). No matter what the eventual Republican nominee says about President Obama, he’ll always be “the man who killed Osama bin Laden.” It almost takes the national security/military issue off the table for Republicans as a potential line of attack.  

But what say you, Polsters? Vote below and chime in.

 

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