A Transformation in American National Politics: The Presidential Election of 2012

by Douglas M. Brattebo (Editor), Tom Lansford (Editor), Jack Covarrubias (Editor)

Overview

The presidential election of 2012 was among the most important in American history, both for the policies that will persist due to its result, as well as the national political transformation it portends. The contest’s outcome was the product of complex and fast-moving societal changes—demographic, technological, and economic—surfacing in American society. This volume, consisting of essays by leading scholars of American politics and the American presidency, examines the 2012 presidential election in its many facets. Particularly prominent in these analyses are: the role of religious and cultural divisions in contemporary American politics; the status of the two main political parties, their core constituencies, and demographic forces; the rhetorical approaches of the two nominees; the strategies and tactics of the two campaigns; and the decisive impact of economic, domestic, and foreign policies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629220055
Publisher:	University of Akron Press, The
Publication date:	10/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Douglas M. Brattebo is Director of the Center for Engaged Ethics and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. Brattebo is the coeditor of three other books, including The Obama Presidency: A Preliminary Assessment (2012). He is also the author of many book chapters, journal articles, and book reviews on topics ranging from President Obama’s firing of General Stanley McChrystal to Newt Gingrich’s crucial role in undermining civility in American political life.

Tom Lansford is the Gulf Coast Academic Dean at the University of Southern Mississippi, Long Beach, and a Professor of Political Science. Dr. Lansford is the author, coauthor, editor or coeditor of more than forty books, and the author of more than one hundred essays, book chapters, and reviews. His books include the Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy Since the Cold War  (2007) and 9/11 and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Chronology and Reference Guide  (2011). His more recent edited collections include: Judging Bush  (2009) and The Obama Presidency: A Preliminary Assessment  (2012).

Jack Covarrubias is the Director of the Center for Policy and Resilience at the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast in Long Beach, Mississippi. Covarrubias is a member of the governing board of the National Social Science Association and is coeditor of the journal White House Studies. Over several years in the military and in the academic sphere his research interests have ranged from security studies, American foreign policy, and the office of the President. He has published numerous works, including most recently The Obama Presidency: A Preliminary Assessment (2012) and Fostering Community Resilience: Homeland Security and Hurricane Katrina (2010).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction

1 The Presidential Election of 2012 in Historical Context Douglas M. Brattebo Tom Lansford 3

I Campaigning and Geography

2 The Obama White House's Transition from Governing to Campaigning Shirley Anne Warshaw 11

3 A Heartbeat Away; The Strategic Importance of Paul Ryan and Joe Biden in the 2012 Presidential Election Jewerl Maxwell Andrew Travis 30

4 The Political Geography of the 2012 Presidential Election Chad Kinsella 61

5 The Republican Advantage Continues: The 2012 Election in the South Neal Allen 78

6 The 2012 Presidential Race in Battleground Florida: Changing Demographics Challenge the Obama and Romney Campaigns Susan A. MacManus David J. Bonanza 92

II Domestic and Economic Policy

7 "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt": Using the Past to Win the Present Steve A. Stuglin 133

8 Health Care in the 2012 Election Michael K. Gusmano 163

9 The Obama Regulatory Record: Partisanship, Perception, and the 2012 Election Richard S. Conley 181

10 Conspicuous Silence: Global Climate Change and the 2012 Presidential Election Byron W. Daynes 211

III Foreign Policy

11 American Exceptionalism and the Elections of 1976,1980, and 2012 Stephen D. Wrage 231

12 President Obama's National Security and Counterterrorism Strategy and the Presidential Election of 2012 Leonard Cutler 245

13 The Obama Administrations Homeland Security Record as a 2012 Campaign Issue Tom Lansford Jack Covarrubias Robert J. Pauly, Jr. 273

14 U.S. Foreign Policy and Global Change in the 2012 Presidential Election Chris J. Dolan 292

Contributors 317

Index 323