A year from now Americans will be voting in one of the most important presidential elections ever; on a backdrop that is likely to be the harshest economic downturn in 80 years.
The mid-western state of Michigan has voted Democrat in the last five presidential cycles and it will be a key state in November 2012.
Mr Obama has spent a lot of money and time on Michigan in the past four years but many wonder if he's done enough to entice voters to go for him again in a state that has a Republican governor and legislator?
Al Jazeera English sent me to Michigan to find out if I could find any green shoots of economic recovery. I found them, but let’s not kid ourselves.
The city of Detroit will run out of money next March unless deals can be struck with the unions. There's still grinding poverty in Michigan - especially in Detroit and Grand Rapids.
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