Tough economic climate for Obama campaign

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama faces a long re-election campaign, having all but given up on the economy rebounding in any meaningful way before November 2012.

His own budget office predicts that unemployment will stay at about 9%, a frightening number for any president seeking a second term.

Obama’s prospects aren’t entirely grim, however. The GOP, heavily influenced by the Tea Party, may nominate someone so deeply flawed or right-leaning that, Democrats hope, Obama can persuade Americans to give him a second chance rather than risk the alternative.