Now that the 2010 midterm elections are two months old, we can say that the 2012 presidential campaigning has officially started. But according to the Chicago Tribune, President Obama may break from precedent and look well outside of the Beltway to find his election HQ. Far far outside; think Chicago. Maybe the President is finally fed up with us wimpy District residents when it comes to a little ice and snow — particularly after this weekend’s hoopla over nothing.

In the piece, Obama campaign insiders cite general anti-Washington sentiment for why the President should stay away from the city — shedding the always stigmatic “Beltway insider” label. It also helps that Chicago is in close proximity to several important battleground states, Midwest states — Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan — that saw several shifts in this past November’s elections. After his success in 2008, there’s little reason for Obama to change a winning formula, especially if some of the previous framework is still in place.

What will this mean for the composition of D.C. when election season is in full swing? One would like to think that a few missing faces wouldn’t affect the city’s landscape, but if you remember this New York Times Magazine piece on Obama staffers’ reign over D.C.’s social scene, whatever shall we do when all the glitz and glamor is gone? Our response was less than enthusiastic.

Already many Obama administration and DNC staffers are preparing to pack their bags and learning how to use the L. On the other hand, since there is no clear Republican presidential opponent, the “other half” of Capitol Hill is still in limbo. Either way, once a final announcement is made, we’ll be seeing a less of the President around the district.