Barack Obama

"Yes, we can!" was the rallying cry in 2008 that promised "hope" and "change". Three years later, little has changed: America is mired in an economic depression, government is hopelessly at a standstill and the country is as divided as ever. Barack Obama has tried hard to bring civility to Washington; however, his congressional adversaries' only priority is to stop him from doing anything meaningful. Although Obama introduced some restrictions on lobbyists, he hired Washington and Wall Street insiders to top positions. By concentrating on structural problems instead of high-profile projects, Obama appears too intellectual and out of touch to some. His success may depend on how well he can convince ordinary voters that he is fighting for them. Obama is the youngest major candidate in the race.

Current age: 50

From: Hawaii, later Illinois

Religion: Nondenominational Christian

Career path: Community organizer, lecturer of constitutional law, state senator, US senator

Current occupation: US president

Priorities: Reform of the US health-care system, stronger oversight of the financial-services industry, rebuilding infrastructure.

His critics call him: Barry, the big O, the One.

Distinguishing features: Big ears, rousing speeches.

Clown factor: *

Skeletons in closet: 0

Religious fervor: *

Cuckoo factor: *

Ability to stretch the truth: *

Troublesome aspects: Goes extremely far out of his way to seek compromise with people who refuse to compromise. Lets himself be pushed around by the Republican legislature on many points of disagreement. Has tried to make economic statistics appear less dismal by counting "jobs created or saved". Vague and often ad-hoc foreign policy. Has massively increased the national debt.

Why they won't elect him: Obama's centrist policies, and the lack of other Democrats running, leave the Left without a viable candidate; some voters may stay home on election day. Despite promising change, Obama continued a significant number of George W. Bush's policies, such as the USA Patriot Act. Although employment numbers show a temporary improvement from time to time, the country remains in a very serious economic crisis. Obama said in December that these problems would take years, even beyond a second term of his presidency, to solve — not something voters want to hear from a candidate. Although Obama has the incumbent's advantage, he seems unable to wrest the media's attention from his Republican challengers, except when bad news about the economy is announced.

Why they might: Obama has delivered a lot of what he promised in 2008: health-care reform, better oversight of Wall Street, the end (in sight, at least) of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the killing of Osama bin Laden, and a higher regard for America in most of the world. Much of Obama's centrism is in fact what the country wants (though perhaps in a stronger leader). For example, 72 percent of Americans are in favor of the plan he introduced in September 2011 to create jobs — a plan Republicans in Congress have vowed to block by any means necessary. Obama showed in 2008 that he can fire up the electorate and still sound sane, something most other presidential candidates are having difficulty doing. Obama also showed in 2008 that he is an excellent strategist who can calculate a path to victory.

Website: www.barackobama.com

— Mike Pilewski

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