In evaluating the two elections of 2008 and 2012, a major issue seems to be at large. The Republicans did not come out and support their candidate with the same fervor as the preceding message plastered all over the Internet and print media.
The evangelical vote of white Christians was very high and shows a truth already known in correlation of another known fact that white voters are majority Republican. All other religions are, by the numbers in the exit polls, majority Democrat with the exception of Catholics who are at a narrow 2% difference in opinion. This is surprising considering 78% of America is Christian so; therefore, one could conclude this would play a major role in deciding our President. However, this does not seem to be the fact and recent studies have shown that 32% of Americans are no longer religious which, must be a contributing factor in turnout as well.
In regards to the political field in terms of the citizenry a great deal of attention must be paid to the statistics of each election. As a whole, women side with the Democratic Party with 91%(2008) and 86%(2012) respectively. Men on the other hand have changed with a 1% loss in 2008 and a 7% win in 2012. Once broken down by race one can see that black men had a 9% drop in support for Obama and a 6% increase in support for Romney a number in line with the economic downturn in the U.S. With the economic downturn has come a loss of support from the Democrats in the 2012 election with a drop of 3% since 2008. The Independent support has also fallen from an 8% win in 2008 to a loss by 5% in 2012. Support for Democrats has risen sharply with respect to Hispanics and Asians; a gain of 8% from Hispanics and 20% from Asians. Other minority races in the U.S. have started leaning heavily toward Republican however with an increase of 15% over 2008.
In the findings discussed here, the candidates need to re-evaluate the political climate of this country. There are many white voters out there for Republicans to easily get their hands on; however, the minority communities in this country are speaking almost in unison with regard to affiliation and the policies of the respective party. The polls clearly show this trend and it shows that these minority communities have a louder voice than previously believed especially when you consider they are voting similarly.
As the President of the United States, a president have powers that other members of the government do not. Presidential power can be defined in numerous ways. Political scientists Richard Neustadt and William Howell give different views on what is presidential power. These polarized views of presidential powers can be used to compare and contrast the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
8.In order for political success, both sides of the political spectrum must be critically examined in order to omit mistakes and for cultural advancement. Over two hundred years of United States politics have seen many changes. The names of parties may have changed, but the bi-partisan feature of the party-system has not. Republicans and Democrats are our two major partisan groups in present day America. Sometimes there are disagreement amongst party members that lead to dispute and a less concentrated effort. That is the beauty of a democracy, everyone is allowed to put their two cents worth in.
Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/la_riot/article/0,28804,1614117_1614084_1614831,00.html. Levy, W. (2013). The 'Standard'. United States presidential election of 2000.
”(Hicks) Originally in the United States, voting was reserved for white, property-owning gentleman who were members of the clergy. Johnson united Congress with the simple message, “Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country: to right wrong, to do justice, to serve man.” (Johnson)
...originating in the South. Bush swept the South, relying on support from the religious fundamentalists. Bush won the Southern vote by 3-to-2. Men supported Bush at a 3-to-2 ration while women gave Dukakis a slight majority. Bush received the support of the rich by a large margin while Dukakis received the support of the poor. Blacks voted overwhelmingly for Dukakis, with about 870f black votes going to Dukakis. Conservatives voted for Bush 4-to-1 while liberals voted for Dukakis 4-to-1. Unfortunately for Dukakis, there were about twice as many conservatives as liberals. Dukakis was hurt also by the low voter turnout. About 510f the voting age public voted in the 1988 Presidential election, the lowest post World War 2 percentage. The low voter turnout helped Bush immensely.
In any event, the demographic change has forced a transformation in the political world because both of the two major political parties have an incentive to court this population since their success in doing so will play a tremendous role in their ability to win future elections. Works Cited Gonyea, Don. Texas Democrats See Opportunity in Changing Demographics. 2 July 2013. NPR.com - "The New York Times" Web.
According to a study done by Nonprofit Vote only “an estimated 58.7% of eligible voters turned out to vote” ("Voter Turnout" ) in 2012’s presidential election, which is below the 62% that was achieved in 2008. (Ginsberg 306). According to the United States Census Bureau in 2012 71.2 percent of Americans reported that they were registered to vote, but only 61.8 reported that they actually did so. ("Voting and Registration"). While each source didn’t report the exact same statistics in America these percentages are considered highs in political participation. Even worse, in midterm elections voter turnout is normally closer to 33% and even lower for any local elections. (Ginsberg 306). While we may consider any of those statistics good for America, looking at world democracies we are trailing far behind, in many “European countries and other western democracies [the] national voter turnout is usually between 70 to 90 percent.”(Ginsberg 306). The question is then asked why don’t American’s vote, which is then an...
Cleavages existing in society are divisions such as religion, gender, race, and most importantly socioeconomic status. Political parties form around these divisions in society and in America’s society; money has proven to be the major factor. The major parties in American politics are Democrat and Republican, and the political preference of each member of these parties’ deals greatly with the amount of income they receive.
Theodore Rosenhof phrases realignment as a theory that suggests an overall shift in partisan dominance as a result of a shift in the way voters align themselves (2). Realignment can be centered around a critical election, in which the shift in power transpires rapidly over the course of one election (Thomas Ferguson, 407). However, realignment can also transpire slowly, occurring over a period of many elections. The realignment theory is comprised of various characteristics that determines whether an election is critical or not. It is important to note that although realignment is comprised of characteristics, some of these characteristics will be evident in one election but not in another. For a better understanding, of the characteristics that define realignment, this essay will firstly use a specific case study that emphasizes the attributes required for a critical election and secondly apply these characteristics to the current 2016 elections to determine whether a realigning election is being
When it comes to voting there are some major issues of concerns of whom the voters choose to votes for. Some of these issues consist of party affiliation, group interests, the candidate themselves, the economy and policy issues. In the election
their vote, and a hole is punched into a ballot where the space for the
This basis for this research requires further explanation. The rationale for excluding Senators from this study and for narrowing the focus exclusively to black House members reflects the difference in representation between House members and Senators. By studying House districts comprised of a smaller electorate, one can draw important conclusions about the constituency characteristics and the subsequent...
The United States presidential election of 2012 was the 57th presidential election. The election was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. The Democratic political leader was the incumbent President Barack Obama, and his candidate was vice President Joe Biden. Throughout this election the proportion of eligible voters who cast ballots shows that the rate was lower than in the past two presidential elections. Voter turnout decreased from 62.3 percent of eligible citizens voting in 2008 to an estimated 57.5 in 2012. The above calculation was also below the 60.4 percent in 2004 election, however above the 54.2 percent turnout in the 2000 election. Despite a rise of over eight million voters within the fitted population, turnout dropped from 131 million voters in 2008 to an estimated 126 million voters in 2012. When all ballots were computed, some 93 million eligible voters didn’t vote. There must be some contributing factors to see why there's a decline in voters’ turnout.
The reversal value system of the two parties is also explained by what they stand for. It is indicated that the parties have shifted, but the voters are probably still stuck in them. Racial issues have caused a major flip of the parties evidenced by the movement of the southern whites from the Democratic to the Republican Party. Economic policy and income distribution have also caused a significant shift since 1896 (Dalton, 2013). The Republican Party has been seen to observe big business while the Democratic Party is taking the side of labor.
In context, according to the demographics in Roots and Reform, race and ethnicity is an important factor that aids in contributing and forming political opinions. The opinions of racial groups such as black, whites, and Hispanics vary, but do share similar characteristics. For example, Hispanics are more likely to favor immigration rights that protect the