Liberal Gains and Conservative Backlash

1. Liberal Gains and Conservative Backlash By: Yesha Amin and Christina Tran

2. Democratic Party Successes in 2006,2008 elections • Major Issues of 2006 Congressional Elections: • Everyone was angry with Bush and the Republicans • The overall economy was doing well, however local economies were suffering, therefore Republicans had a disadvantage. • Democrats wanted to raise minimum wage as well as promote stem cell research. • The Republican Party was deemed corrupt because of Mark Foley’s scandal where he advanced towards young males. • 74% of voters said corruption was important in their candidate decision. • Republicans wanted anti-illegal immigration to appeal to the conservatives and independents who were upset about border security. • Republicans wanted to make the Iraq war an advantage. However, voters felt that the war was bad. • The Northeast became Democratic leaning. • Democrats chose more conservative candidates for the South.

3. Continued • Effects of Election • The end of the Bush administration’s legislative agenda. • The highest-ranking women in U.S. history. • Nancy Pelosi will be elected as Speaker of the House on January 3rd, 2007 • Bush no longer can conduct unconstitutional programs in secrecy because have to keep the House Committee Chair in on the loop about military and intelligence decisions. • Humane immigration reforms unlike the Republicans H.R. 4437 • Major pro-choice victories • South Dakota rejected an abortion ban • California’s Proposition 85: parental notification law was also rejected • Kansas’s Phil Kline was defeated in reelection because of his aggressive anti-abortion. • With the Democrats in office, the Federal Marriage Amendment won’t be brought up again until around 2010. • Arizona’s anti-gay marriage amendment was rejected • No new amendments creating exceptions to free speech • Flag Desecration Amendment won’t be getting a two thirds majority • Fewer civil libertarians in the Republican party • Democrats could become the de facto civil liberties party on every issue but gun rights while the Republican Party will move towards theocracy. • Practical Consequences to the Southern Strategy • A Safer Supreme Court • Another conservative can’t be appointed without opposition

4. Continued • Platforms of 2008 Elections • Democratic Platform • Health Care for All • Energy Independence • National Security • Economic Stewardship • Environment and Climate Change • Immigration • Open, Honest and Accountable Government • Secure Retirement • Republican Platform • Defending Our Nation, Supporting Our Heroes, Securing the Peace • Reforming Government to Serve the People • Expanding Opportunity to Promote Prosperity • Energy Independence and Security • Environment Protection • Health Care Reform: Putting Patients First • Education Means a More Competitive America • Protecting Our Families • Protecting Our Values

5. Clinton v. Obama in 2008 primaries • Possibility of first female or African American president • First time one of the main parties had a female or African American candidate

6. 2008 General Election • Candidates:

7. Continued • Issues: (Blue is Democrat and Red is Republican) • Abortion • Supports the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade that protects a woman's right to choose. • Believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned. • Economy • Supported the $700 billion Wall Street bailout package Advocates a series of reforms for the financial sector that include new oversight of investment banks, more disclosure by financial firms, higher capital requirements for firms used to operating with a minimal cash backstop, and more consistent rules that apply to all financial institutions, not just regular banks. Supported increasing the federal insurance for money deposited in personal bank accounts to $250,000. Advocates a $50 billion emergency economic stimulus plan. The money would go toward 1 million jobs for rebuilding infrastructure and schools, and helping local governments avoid budget cuts, the campaign says. Proposes a Homeowner and Financial Support Act. "First, it will provide capital to the financial system. Second, it will provide liquidity to enable our financial markets to function. And third, it will do what I've been calling for since I supported legislation on it early last spring, which is to get serious about helping struggling families to restructure their mortgages on more affordable terms so they can stay in their homes," he said during a September speech. Under the plan, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury would provide much the same kind of backing to state and municipal governments as the recent federal bailout did to the commercial credit market. Advocates closing the loophole in the bankruptcy code "that allows bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of mortgages on investment properties and vacation homes but not on primary residences" and says the legal liability of mortgage servicers should be clarified "so that servicers who work with struggling homeowners to modify their mortgages will receive legal protections.“ • Supported the $700 billion Wall Street bailout package. Supported increasing the federal insurance for money deposited in personal bank accounts to $250,000 During the first presidential debate in September, he advocated a spending freeze to help solve the financial crisis. "How about a spending freeze on everything but defense, veteran affairs and entitlement programs?" he said. "I think we ought to seriously consider, with the exceptions the caring of veterans, national defense and several other vital issues." Advocates creating a top-level commission to study streamlining and strengthening federal agencies charted with protecting the economy. Called for the creation of a Mortgage and Financial Institutions Trust (MFI) to help companies avoid bankruptcy while protecting their customers. The money would also help consumers restructure loans so they can keep their homes "The underlying principle of the MFI or any approach considered by Congress should be to keep people in their homes and safeguard the life savings of all Americans by protecting our financial system and capital markets. This trust will work with the private sector and regulators to identify institutions that are weak and fix them before they become insolvent," he said during a campaign speech in September. During the second presidential debate on October 7, McCain unveiled a proposal aimed to ease mortgage troubles for many Americans. The plan would direct the federal government to buy up bad mortgage loans from banks and homeowners. They then would be converted into low-interest loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. "Current rules mandate that investors must begin to sell off their IRAs and 401(k)s when they reach age 70 and one half. To spare investors from being forced to sell their stocks at just the time when the market is hurting the most, those rules should be suspended." Proposes ending the taxation of unemployment insurance benefits for 2008 and 2009. The McCain campaign says the plan is targeted "to help those most in need, those who were making less than $100,000."

8. Continued • Education • Believes NCLB has flaws. Proposes investing $10 billion a year to increase the number of children eligible for Early Head Start, increase access to preschool, provide affordable and quality child care and increase coordination across federal, state and local levels. Scholarships for those who wish to become teachers as well as mentoring programs for teachers and advocates schools dedicated to enabling "teachers to learn from expert practitioners in the field." Wishes to expand the Pell Grant (provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain post baccalaureate students to promote access to postsecondary education) and lower interest rates on the existing federal student loan programs. • Supports NCLB. Supports charter schools, vouchers and home schooling. Proposes using Title II ( a provision of the Higher Education Act passed in 1998 to increase accountability and development of teachers) funding to give incentives to teachers that demonstrate student improvement. Supports virtual learning with more virtual schools and online courses available to students. Said low-income students would be eligible to receive up to $4,000 to enroll in an online course, SAT/ACT prep course, credit recovery or tutoring services offered by a virtual provider. • Environment • Would implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the level recommended by top scientists. Would make the United States a leader in the global effort to combat climate change by leading anew international global warming partnership. Would establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) to speed the introduction of low-carbon non-petroleum fuels. Would create a Technology Transfer program within the Department of Energy dedicated to exporting climate-friendly technologies to developing countries. Would offer incentives to maintain forests globally and manage them sustainably. Would develop domestic incentives that reward forest owners, farmers and ranchers when they plant trees, restore grasslands or undertake farming practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. • Introduced the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007 with Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). The legislation is designed to significantly reduce the nation's greenhouse gases, accomplished through a combination of trading markets and the deployment of advanced technologies. Would propose use of alternative energy sources, including nuclear. • Guns • Supports instant criminal background checks on people purchasing guns and believes law should apply to gun sales at gun shows. Calls for permanently reinstating assault weapons ban. Supports restrictions on rifle ammunition that is "designed or marketed" to be armor-piercing. Supports making guns childproof and voted for 2005 child safety lock amendment. At a debate, when asked about case, Obama said he believes "that the Constitution confers an individual right to bear arms. But just because you have an individual right does not mean that the state or local government can't constrain the exercise of that right.“ • Supports instant criminal background checks on people purchasing guns and believes law should apply to gun sales at gun shows. Opposes restrictions on assault weapons and voted against such a ban. Voted against a 10-year extension of the assault weapons ban. Supported legislation requiring gun manufacturers to include gun safety devices such as trigger locks in product packaging and voted for 2005 child safety lock amendment.

9. Continued • Health Care • Would create a national health insurance program for individuals who do not have employer-provided health care and who do not qualify for other existing federal programs. Does not mandate individual coverage for all Americans, but requires coverage for all children. Allows individuals below age 25 to be covered through their parents' plans. Allows individuals to choose between the new public insurance program and private insurance plans that meet certain coverage standards. Plan would expand eligibility for Medicaid and State's Children's Health Insurance Program. Regarding employer contributions toward healthcare costs, the Obama Web site states: "Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan." The plan calls for small businesses to be exempt from the requirement and some could receive a tax credit that helps reduce healthcare costs, according to the Web site. Says states can continue to experiment with health care plans as long as they meet the minimum standards of the national plan. Would allow Americans to purchase medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower than outside the United States. Says he would repeal the ban that prevents the U.S. from negotiating with drug companies. • Supports health care tax dividends for low-income Americans, medical malpractice reform, improving electronic record-keeping, expanding health savings accounts, and encouraging small businesses to band together to negotiate lower rates with health care providers. McCain campaign Web site states, "Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines, and their policy should follow them from job to job." Says he would foster greater competition in the drug markets "through safe re-importation of drugs and faster production of generic drugs." • Homeland Security • Will implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Provide greater technical assistance to local and state first responders and increase funding for reliable, interoperable communications systems. Develop a meaningful critical infrastructure protection plan. Will secure chemical plants and ensure safe, secure disposal of nuclear waste. Will improve U.S. intelligence system by creating a senior position to coordinate domestic intelligence gathering, establish a grant program to support thousands more state and local level intelligence analysts and increase U.S. capacity to share intelligence across all levels of government. Voted for legislation overhauling the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, in July 2008. The bill, formally known as the FISA Amendments Act, effectively shields telephone companies from lawsuits for participating in a government eavesdropping program. Would close the controversial prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which holds hundreds of suspected terrorists and other detainees. • Would revitalize U.S. public diplomacy and work to recreate an independent agency with the sole purpose of getting America's message to the world. Would set up a new civil-military agency patterned after the Office of Strategic Services in World War II. McCain said: "The State Department and other agencies need to enhance their ability to send more experts to rebuild war-torn lands -- or, better still, bolster peaceful development to reduce the chances of war breaking out in the first place." Would create an Army Adviser Corps with 20,000 soldiers who would work with friendly militaries abroad. Would increase the number of personnel in information operations, Special Forces, civil affairs, military policing, military intelligence and other disciplines. Would increase numbers in Army and Marines and spend more on defense budget. Supports FISA and immunity for the telecommunications corporations. Would close the controversial prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which holds hundreds of suspected terrorists and other detainees.

10. Continued • Immigration • Co-sponsored Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. • Supported Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. • Same-sex marriage • Against same-sex marriage but supports full civil unions that "give same-sex couples equal legal rights and privileges as married couples, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency as well as equal health insurance, employment benefits, and property and adoption rights." Says the Employment Non-Discrimination Act should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Advocated legislation that sought to expand federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Says the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy needs to be repealed. • Believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Says states and local governments should set their own marriage policies. Wishes to retain the military’s "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. The McCain campaign states that gay adoption is a state issue and does not endorse any federal legislation. • Social Security • Strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security. Believes that the first place to look for ways to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system. Obama supports increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security. Would work with Congress to choose a payroll tax reform package that will keep Social Security solvent for at least the next half century. • Advocates supplementing Social Security benefits with individual investment accounts. Prefers slowing the growth benefits to raising taxes.

11. Continued • Taxes • Opposed extending 2003 Bush tax cut law through 2010. Supports eliminating marriage penalty and extending child tax credit. Proposes a "making work pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. Proposes eliminating income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 per year and eliminating all capital gains taxes on start-ups and small businesses. Says he would reform the child and dependent care tax credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for child care expenses. Favors tax cuts for middle-class workers and tax increases for top earners. Says he would restore the top two income tax rates to their pre-2001 levels of 36 percent and 39.6 percent. (33 percent and 35 percent at the time) Says he would maintain the estate tax but would freeze the estate tax exemption amount at $3.5 million. Proposes to create an "American opportunity tax credit," which the Obama campaign describes as "a fully refundable credit" that "will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans and would cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university.“ • Voted against 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cut laws, but later voted in favor of extending tax cuts through 2010. Says he would keep the current rates on dividends and capital gains, and maintain the current income and investment tax rates. Says he opposes a proposal supporters call the "Fair Tax," which would repeal income taxes and other taxes and abolish the Internal Revenue, but has previously said he would sign it into law as president. Says he would double the child deduction from $3,500 to $7,000 and permanently repeal the alternative minimum tax. Says he would reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Advocates raising the exemption from taxation on estates up to $10 million while cutting the tax rate to 15 percent. Proposes that a three-fifths majority vote in Congress be required to raise taxes. Says he would permit corporations to immediately deduct the cost of equipment investment. Would prohibit new cellular telephone taxes and ban Internet taxes. Wants to establish a permanent tax credit equal to 10 percent of wages spent on research and development.

12. Continued • Results

13. Tea Party • Origin: • The catalyst for what would become known as the Tea Party movement came on February 19, 2009, when Rick Santelli, a commentator on the business-news network CNBC, referenced the Boston Tea Party( 1773) in his response to President Obama’s mortgage relief plan. Speaking from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Santelli heatedly stated that the bailout would “subsidize the losers’ mortgages” and proposed a Chicago Tea Party to protest government intervention in the housing market. The five-minute clip became an Internet sensation, and the “Tea Party” rallying cry struck a chord with those who had already seen billions of dollars flow toward sagging financial firms. • 2010 Elections: • Across the country, dozens of Tea Party-affiliated candidates won the Republican nominations for their respective U.S. Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. The November 2010 midterms promised to be a referendum as much on the Tea Party as on President Obama, particularly as the push-pull relationship between the Tea Party and the Republican Party continued. In some states Tea Party candidates won endorsement from local Republican groups, while in others they provoked a backlash from the Republican establishment. Some longtime Republicans, a number of whom had lost to Tea Party candidates in their respective primary races, chose to contest the general election as independents or only lukewarmly endorsed their previous opponents in the general election. In the end, it seemed that the Tea Party label mattered less than the strength of an individual candidate. • Grievances: • Unlike previous populist movements, which were characterized by a distrust of business in general and bankers in particular, the Tea Party movement focused its ire at the federal government and extolled the virtues of free market principles. • Racism: • The Tea Party has had some claims of racism, for example in March 2010 near the end of the bitter health care debate. U.S. Reps. John Lewis, Andre Carson and Emanuel Cleaver said some demonstrators, many of them tea party activists, yelled a racial epithet as the black congressmen walked from House office buildings to the Capitol. However, conservative activists said the lawmakers were lying. In July, the NCAAP passed a resolution that "calls on the tea party and all people of good will to repudiate the racist element and activities within the tea party,” they wish for the tea party to “be responsible members of this democracy and make sure they don't tolerate bigots or bigotry among their members,” according to NAACP President Ben Jealous. • Budget Hypocrisy: • In April, the Tea Party criticized the Republican budget bill for not eliminating federal deficits quickly enough. Jenny Beth Martin, head of Tea Party Patriots, criticized Ryan's budget for merely slowing federal spending and doing too little to shrink the $17.5 trillion national debt.

14. 2012 General Election • Candidates: • Democratic Party- Obama • Republican Party-Romney

15. Continued • Biggest Issues for the 2012 Elections, suppose to be the dirtiest and most underhand election of all time: • Economy • Taxes • Obama does not want to raise taxes on the middle class but rather raise taxes on the wealthy = the Buffet Rule named after Warren Buffer • February 2012: reform the corporate tax code: slash corporate tax rates from 35% to 28% and pay for reduction by eliminating “dozens of business tax breaks. • Romney wants to cut taxes to reduce the current top rate paid on income taxes from 35% to 28% • Plans to eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax, repeal the Affordable Care law and reduce federal government workforce • Debts and Deficits • Obama’s plans would create a $6.4 trillion annual deficit, but the plan should stabilize the debt = deficits will stop growing faster than economy • Campaign to Cut Waste: To hunt down and eliminate wasteful spending across every agency in the federal government • Budget fails to lower public debt because doesn’t address entitlement costs • 3 pronged plan = Not spending on what we can’t afford = #1: repealing health care reform, privatizing Amtrak, cutting funding to Planned Parenthood, cutting funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and The Corporation for the Public Broadcasting as well as cutting foreign aid • Cutting Obama Care = saving $2.6 billion • #2 empower the stats to innovate = improving efficiency and effectiveness by reducing federal work force and reducing waste and fraud = save $112 billion • However budget plan is adding $3.4 trillion over the next 10 years • Jobs • Initiatives to improve manufacturing jobs within the US and push exports outside the US via free trade agreements, support for education and training • Bring Jobs Back Home Act: 20% tax break for the costs of moving jobs back to the US • Create jobs by heavy investment in Human Capital: plan to cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25%, repeal health care and continue Bush era tax cuts • Initiatives to retain workers and develop a competitive American workforce by raising visa caps for highly skilled workers

16. Contined • Health Care • March 2010 Affordable Health Care Act: reforms aimed to help more Americans get insured, constitutional as a tax • Irony, in Massachusetts, Romney enacted a health care bill similar to Obama Care • Believes that the president was overstepping its boundaries therefore promises to overturn it • Immigration • Department of Homeland Security directive halting deportation for young undocumented immigrants under the age of 30 who obtained a high school diploma or equivalent or served in the military • Securing the border by building a border fence as well as creating a pathway to citizenship for those who have serves in the US military or for children who came here through no fault of their own • Foreign Policy • administration victories: capturing and killing Osama Bin Laden • Policy towards liberation movements in Egypt [t, Syria, and Libya = work with a coalition of nations to pressure dictators to step down. • Criticized for not supporting Israel enough in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict • Advocate sanctions, coalition building and other diplomatic moves • Syria: wants to work with allies to arm the rebels but no US military involvement • ME: advocates a lock-step approach with Israel instead of the administration’s attempt to assume more of the mediator’s role • Afghanistan War: criticize Obama for wanting to bring home troops but agreed with NATO to withdraw troops by end of 2014 • Education • Waivers to allow more flexibility in meeting some of the standards of the law that requires that every child be proficient in reading and math by 2014 • Race to the Top Program: awarded states more than $4.35 billion in competitive grants in exchange for crafting “innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student achievement.”  • A Chance for Every Child” -- which emphasized school choice, accountability and ensuring that qualified teachers are in every class • Let the parents of low income and special needs students choose whether or not they want to go to to school

17. Continued • Abortion: • signed an order banning the use of federal funds to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest and if the woman's life was in danger. • Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule interpreting the health care reform law as requiring religious employers to offer birth control under their health plans to employees.  • staunch supporter of women's reproductive rights and a woman's right to choose. • Didn’t sign a law that allowed stem cell research because thought it allowed scientists to create life and then kill it 14 days later • Abortion should be decided at a state level • Same-sex Marriage: • In favor of same sex marriages • Marriage is between a man and a woman but Massachusetts ruled in favor of same sex marriage • Wanted a federal amendment to the Constitution banning gay marriage • Social Security/Medicare • Promised not to privatize Social Security • Hasn’t address Social Security reforms • raising of the retirement age, the creation of personal retirement investment accounts for younger workers, and the indexing of benefits to prices rather than wages, as is currently done • Plan doesn’t increase tax or reduce federal government’s involvement • Gun Control • 2009, Obama signed into law a bill that allowed guns in National Parks.  • If you've got a riffle, you got a shotgun, you've got a gun in your house, I'm not taking it away," and pushed for "common-sense gun safety measures.“ • 2004, then Massachusetts Governor Romney signed a state bill into law that banned assault weapons, closing a gap left when the 1994 federal assault weapons ban expired. • May 7th = Rights to bear arms day in Massachusetts • believed in background checks, and keeping “weapons of unusual lethality from being on the street.” He, however supported “the right of law-abiding citizens to own guns either for their own personal protection or hunting or any other lawful purpose.”

18. Continued • Environment/Global Warming • support of stimulus funding for the ill-fated Solyndra solar energy company • “all of the above” energy policy, including promising to create 5 million green jobs • 3 main forms of energy: oil, natural gas, and coal • Natural gas pollutes ground water and has other negative impacts • War on coal: eliminate lucrative federal subsides. • “Drill, Baby, Drill” : Republicans' desire to increase drilling in otherwise limited areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore to increase domestic supply and relieve rising oil costs deregulate many of the energy industries, relying on “conservative values” of less government intervention in businesses. • survey of America’s energy reserves and opening them for development: Approving Keystone Pipeline, Nuclear Regulatory Commission to speed up systems of regulations, special attention to research and development • Terrorism • withdrawing troops from Iraq and setting a timeline for withdrawal in Afghanistan • unmanned drone strikes in an effort to kill high-level terrorists and also has increased special operations • committed to stopping radical Islamists who seek to harm Americans • doesn’t believe the many sanctions or diplomacy that Obama has used toward the country have been effective • also promised to withdraw troops from Afghanistan • Role of Government • federal government has an important role to play in shaping the lives of the people, building infrastructure, regulating and helping to grow business •  pushed forward a federal stimulus plan, an over $800 billion injection into the U.S. economy in 2009 that was aimed at helping the U.S. economy recover from the 2008 bank failures • supported a 2009 bailout of auto industry, despite critics who believed that the government should stay out of free enterprise and let the cards fall where they may • advocated for less federal government in many respects, save Social Security, which he believes should remain at the federal level • lower taxes for every income level • advocated for a smaller federal work force, in an effort to reduce federal spending • advocated for lower corporate tax rates and less regulation, including repealing health care reform.

19. Continued • Republican Platform • Economy • Constitutional Government • Energy & Agriculture & Environment • Reforming Government • American Values • American Exceptionalism • Against women and Planned Parenthood • Take out money from public school and put into private schools • Democratic Platform • Healthcare for All • Energy Independence • National Security • Economic Stewardship • Environment & Climate Change • Immigration • Open & Honest & Accountable Government • Secure Retirement

20. Continued • Historical Significance • 1. He’s willing to take risks and he’s committed to making the changes he has promised. The choice of Ryan puts Romney in the Reagan category—a candidate who wants to win on ideas, not simply one who wants to win. • 2. It will change the race from a down-in-the-gutter name-calling contest to a discussion about the future of the country. If Americans choose Obama, so be it; this is a democracy, and that choice has to be respected; but it will mean the U.S. is no longer the exceptional country it had always been. • 3. In choosing Paul Ryan, Romney has selected the one person who can best articulate the underlying reasons for conservative principles—not just to gain control of spending and reform the tax system, but how these goals are related to an opportunity society that encourages individual initiative to compete, innovate, and create; in short, to earn success. As the vice presidential candidate on the Romney ticket, Ryan will get much greater exposure for these ideas than if he were only a Romney surrogate. • Also a major party ticket without a Protestant Christian

21. Continued • Results

22. Cultural Wars Mitt Romney: “I believe we should have a federal amendment in the constitution that defines marriage as a relationship between a man and woman, because I believe the ideal place to raise a child is in a home with a mom and a dad.” The Culture War • Mitt Romney: “I believe we should have a federal amendment in the constitution that defines marriage as a relationship between a man and woman, because I believe the ideal place to raise a child is in a home with a mom and a dad.” • Gay Marriage • Massachusetts (May 17, 2004) • Connecticut (Nov. 12, 2008) • Iowa (Apr. 24. 2009) • Vermont (Sep. 1, 2009) • New Hampshire (Jan. 1, 2010) • New York (June 24, 2011) • Washington (Dec. 9, 2012) • Maine (Dec. 29, 2012) • Maryland (Jan. 1, 2013) • California (June 28, 2013) • Delaware (July 1, 2013) • Rhode Island (Aug. 1, 2013) • Minnesota (Aug. 1, 2013) • New Jersey (Oct. 21, 2013) • Hawaii (Dec. 2, 2013) • New Mexico (Dec. 19, 2013) • Oregon (May 19, 2014) • Pennsylvania (May 20, 2014)

23. Continued • Illinois (law will take effect June 1, 2014) • District of Columbia (March 3, 2010) • June 26, 2003, the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy laws were unconstitutional • June 30, 1986 decision in Bowers v. Hardwick, the court established a right to sexual privacy • May 17, 2004, the first legal gay marriage in the US was performed in Cambridge, MA between Tanya McCloskey, a massage therapist, and Marcia Kadishm, an employment manager at an engineering firm.  •  Mar. 11, 2004 the California Supreme Court ordered a halt to same-sex weddings and voided the marriages on Aug. 12, 2004. In a 4-3 ruling on May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court overturned state laws banning gay marriage. • Nov. 4, 2008: Proposition 8 which made same-sex marriage illegal in the California. • June 26, 2013, the US Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision in United States v. Windsor declared unconstitutional part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which defined marriage solely as a legal union between a man and a woman • June 26, 2013, and also in a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled in Hollingsworth v. Perry that proponents of California’s Proposition 8 lacked "standing" to defend the anti-gay marriage measure after it had been ruled unconstitutional by a District Court. The decision was considered to clear the way for gay marriage to become legal again in the state.

24. Continued • Abortion • "The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay.” • 2012 Republican Party Platform opposed abortion, stating, "Faithful to the 'self-evident' truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed." • “Hyde Amendment," this provision banning federal funding for abortions • June 29, 1992 the US Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey upheld the constitutional right to have an abortion, but it abandoned the "rigid trimester framework" outlined in Roe v. Wade and adopted a less restrictive standard for state regulations. • Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003:  banned physicians from providing intact dilation and extraction (aka "partial-birth" abortion), a late-term (after 21 weeks gestation) method • Apr. 18, 2007 US Supreme Court case Gonzales v. Carhart/Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood upheld the act, ruling 5-4 that it did not impose "an undue burden on a woman's right to abortion." • On Apr. 13, 2010, Nebraska's Republican Governor Dave Heineman signed a law banning abortions at or after 20 weeks gestation on the theory that a fetus can feel pain by that time. • On Apr. 27, 2010, the Oklahoma legislature signed a law requiring pregnant women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus's heart, limbs, and organs. • On Mar. 29, 2011, Arizona became the first state to criminalize abortions based on the sex or race of a fetus. • Roe v. Wade(1973), the high court considered a challenge to a Texas law outlawing abortion in all cases except those in which the life of the mother was at risk. The second case, Doe v. Bolton (1973), focused on a more lenient Georgia law that allowed a woman to terminate her pregnancy when either her life or her health was in danger. • ruled that denying a woman the right to decide whether to carry a pregnancy to term violated basic privacy and liberty

25. Greenhouse Gas Levels • Science and Politics of elevated atmospheric greenhouse gas levels: • While most agree that there is climate change there is controversy over why such change occurs, some believe that it is caused by human activity and others contend that it is natural. The Obama administration has taken steps to prevent climate change caused by humans such as making the largest clean energy investment in American history which have allowed us to nearly double America’s renewable power generation since 2008. In 2012, U.S. carbon emissions fell to the lowest level in two decades even as the economy continued to grow. However, 55% of congressional Republicans don’t believe that humans are responsible for rising global temperatures. Some people, such as Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), a longtime member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, believe that “global warming is a total fraud," employed by liberals to "create global government." There are many viewpoints on the subject and it is a highly politicized issue. • Effect on relationship between Obama and Gulf Coast conservatives: • One example of how such controversy affects the relationship between President Obama and the Gulf Coast conservatives is the Keystone XL pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline is a proposal to expand TransCanada’s existing Keystone pipeline so that oil from Canada’s oil sands can be sent to refineries in Port Arthur, Texas. Proponents argue that this will create jobs and help the economy while critics point to their effect on global warming, stating that it will make it more difficult for the US to shift away from fossil fuels. The President is being criticized for taking time to review the proposal because he will approve the pipeline only if it will not lead to a net increase in overall greenhouse gas emissions.

26. Works Cited • http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/campaign-issues.html#economy-taxes • http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/11/AR2006111100726.html • http://civilliberty.about.com/od/historyprofiles/tp/after2006.htm • http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/same-sex-marriage-laws.aspx • http://abortion.procon.org/ • http://gaymarriage.procon.org/ • http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/ • http://2008election.procon.org/ • http://2008election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=001953 • http://www2.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.html • http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1673405/Tea-Party-movement#toc313262 • http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1673405/Tea-Party-movement/313263/The-2010-midterm-elections • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/naacp-tea-party-racism-re_n_644832.html • http://climatechange.procon.org/ • http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/climate-change • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/12/dana-rohrabacher-global-warming_n_3743390.html • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/03/obama-keystone-xl_n_4719401.html • http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/03/the-keystone-xl-pipeline-and-its-politics-explained/ • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/02/republicans-budget_n_5079344.html