Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- During a meeting with historians in 2011, Politico reported, President Obama said: "What you could do for me is to help me find a way to discuss the issue of inequality in our society without being accused of class warfare." For Obama, this is not an esoteric question. Rather, this is a challenge that will be integral to his campaign and, if he is re-elected, to his second term as president. Many Democrats have argued that Obama should have tackled this issue from his first day in the White House. But this is an issue the president didn't think he had the political capital to address. He has also continually feared that touching on inequality would open him up to Republican attacks of being left of center.
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President Obama reportedly asked historians for defense vs. 'class warfare' attacks
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Zelizer: There's no way for president to avoid conflict over the issue of inequality
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Two Democratic presidents -- FDR and LBJ -- found different ways to raise the issue, he says
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Zelizer: Today's economic stagnation increases the difficulty of addressing inequality
In a 1936 campaign speech, @placeholder said: "We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace -- business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
It has become more difficult for @placeholder presidents to discuss inequality for three reasons.