'Hope' and 'Change' Meet Reality: President Obama's Reelection Roadmap

April 4, 2011 -- In 2007, Barack Obama presented himself as the candidate of change and worked to lure Democrats with ads (click HERE for an example) that promised that: We Can End a War," "We Can Save the Planet," "We Can Change the World."

This is pretty heady and ambitious stuff, which inspired famous (or near-famous) actors and musical performers to cut a video that caught the attention of millions of Americans.

Four years later, a more subtle and subdued message from team Obama. Instead of promises to save the world, supporters of President Obama take a more realistic approach to winning the election.

"Unfortunately President Obama is one person," says a woman identified as Alice from Michigan. "He cannot go -- plus he's got a job. We're paying him to do a job so we can't say, 'Hey could you just take some time off and come up here and get us all energized?' So we better figure it out."

One supporter, Ed from North Carolina, goes as far as to say, "I don't agree with Obama on everything, but I respect him and I trust him."

Watch the President's reelection campaign kickoff video HERE.

Barack Obama's decisive Electoral College victory in 2008 was made possible by his ability to win in states that Democrats traditionally carry – like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin – with states where they don't – like North Carolina, Virginia, Nevada, Colorado, and Florida. While Obama lost white voters by 12 points in 2008, he carried African American voters by 91 points, Hispanic voters by 36 points and voters under age 30 by 34 points.

To win reelection in 2012, Obama can afford to lose some traditional Democratic strongholds in the Midwest as long as he carries fast-growing southern and western states that are becoming more ethnically diverse. For example, recent census data shows that non-Hispanic whites make up 82 percent of Ohio residents and 85 percent of Wisconsin residents. In Virginia, just 66 percent of the state identifies as white, while in Florida it is 60 percent.

Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin combined add up to 48 Electoral votes. Virginia, North Carolina and Florida add up to 57 Electoral College votes.