Today is the day.

This morning, President Barack Obama officially announced his plans to run for re-election. We are 582 days away from Election Day 2012. Time to get moving!

Sure, the Republican Party has yet to officially announce any of its candidates. We don't even know who's going to show up for the primary, let alone who the President will be running against. The way I see it, we've got a head start on campaigning.

Sure, the Tea Partiers are going to run the dirtiest of campaigns we've seen in a while. It's what they do. The way I see it, we've got a leg up on taking the high road.

Sure, some Democrats are disappointed in what President Obama has been able to accomplish in his first term so far. But do you really think that John McCain would have had any of our interests in mind? The way I see it, we're light years ahead of where we'd be if McCain and Palin were in the White House.

This campaign is going to be heavy. It's going to take a lot of work by a lot of people. But we worked hard to elect him in 2008, and we're going to work hard to elect him again in 2012.

It is my hope that you will do your part. It is my hope that you will not let your busy life, your apathy, your frustration, or your anger somehow manage to let the Republicans win. I know it seems early. But if you wait, it could be too late.

And if you don't want to hear my incessant election banter, you may need to take a hiatus from reading this blog and/or following me on Twitter, and you may even go so far as to hide me on Facebook. I'm not going to lie to you and say that nobody did that in 2008 and 2010, haha. But if you want to know what's up, and you want to BE what's up, stay tuned.

And please, get involved.