Bill O'Reilly: President Obama launches his re-election campaign
March 19, 2012

By Bill O'Reilly

Today, the President held five… five fundraising events, two in Chicago and three in Atlanta, Georgia. So, the game is on. President Obama has kicked his re-election campaign into high gear.

This time around actor Tom Hanks is the point man for Mr. Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: How do we understand this President and his time in office? Do we look at the day's headlines or do we remember what we, as a country, have been through?

Not since the days of Franklin Roosevelt had so much fallen on the shoulders of one president. And when he faced his country who looked to him for answers, he would not dwell in blame or dreaming idealism. As President, the tough decisions that he would make would not only determine the course of the nation, they would reveal the character of the man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: All right. Well, we'll leave the character of the man for you to assess. But let's take a look at the course of the nation as Tom Hanks so eloquently put it. Here is the latest Fox News polling on the President. His approval rating now stands at 47 percent; 45 percent disapproving. That's not a good number for an incumbent president.

As far as the economy is concerned 54 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Mr. Obama is going about things; 42 percent say he is doing ok.

On gas prices, 61 percent disapprove. About the way the President is handling them, just 26 percent approve. So it's obvious the President is taking big time blame at the pump.

Finally has President Obama taken responsibility for the economy on his watch? Or is he still blaming the Bush administration? 47 percent believe he continues to blame Mr. Bush; 38 percent say the President is taking responsibility.

So those are pretty troubling numbers for Barack Obama but he does have plenty of time to turn things around. Now, it's clear the Obama re- election campaign will have two primary focuses: first their contention the economy is improving but slowly because the disaster they inherited was so intense.

And secondly, that the President's investments in high tech and alternative energy will pay off, so the country must be patient. Obviously, Mr. Obama can't run on fiscal responsibility as America is more than $16 trillion in debt with no end in sight. He can't run on containing gas prices because they’ve doubled under his administration. He also can't run on leadership because the future of America is so unclear.

Now this is not… it is not a partisan analysis. This is real life. The President will once again ask Americans to believe in his vision. But that will be a much tougher sell this year than it was four years ago.

But do not underestimate Barack Obama, he is a brilliant campaigner. He'll have an enormous amount of money at his disposal. And whoever ends up at his opponent will have to run a nearly flawless campaign.

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots.

We all make mistakes but here's an enormous one. At the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois, and at the Gettysburg National Park Museum, they were selling this bobblehead doll showing Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, holding a gun. What? They were selling it.

But they're not selling it any longer, because it's incredibly offensive. And customers walk… I don't have anything to do with this. Customers go, "What are you doing? I'm not going to do that."

Whoever designed that doll absolutely a “Pinhead.” No excuse. They're not selling them anymore. And let's not make mistakes like that, ok?

— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com.

Transcript Date: 
Fri, 03/16/2012
Transcript Show Name: 
O'Reilly Factor
Posted by BillOReilly.com Staff at 5:56 AM
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