With the 2012 presidential election less than one year away, all eyes are focused on President Obama and the potential Republican candidates he will be running against. The biggest issue heading into the race is the economy and with positive jobs number's again in January, re-election for President Obama is looking better each month.
One of the biggest supporters of President Obama in 2008 was African-Americans. In 2008, President Obama was able to garner 96% of African-American votes, making up 13% of the electorate. If President Obama wants to win re-election he will have to repeat his support in the African-American community as well as other minorities. African-American unemployment hit a 27 year high this past summer, reaching 16.7%. That number is higher than anyone would like, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. According to the new January jobs report for 2012, African-American unemployment dropped significantly. As African-American unemployment sat at 15.8% for December, that number fell 2.2% to 13.6% for January. The current unemployment rate for the country is now 8.3% with 243,000 jobs added in January. African-American unemployment is still well above the national average, but it's headed in the right direction. Not all the news was positive however, the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) has projected that the unemployment rate could rise to nearly 9% by the end of the year, which is why it's important that President Obama and congress put partisan politics aside and pass the American Jobs Act in addition to other reforms.
As the economy continues to improve, President Obama will have to rely on his supporters from 2008 to come back to the polls again 2012. As African-American unemployment continues to fall, the re-election of President Obama looks more realistic.
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