Political+Campaign+2012

__What is the process/timeline for electing a president?__ __While it is pretty certain Obama will be on the ticket again as the Democrat, what else is going on within the party?__
 * Caucus**- a meeting of the members of a legislative body who are members of a particular political party to coordinate members' actions, choose group policy, or nominate candidates for various offices. (public voting)
 * At the caucuses, those in attendance indicate their support for the candidates competing for each party's presidential nomination. In the Democratic party caucuses, votes are cast by raising hands, a sign-in sheet or by splitting into groups supporting each candidate. In the Republican caucuses, votes are cast by secret ballot (each eligible voter in attendance is able to select the candidate of his or her choice on paper without others in attendance knowing how he or she voted).
 * Primary-** the preliminary step in the process of electing a candidate running for office in the United States.
 * A primary election is held in the U.S. to see who will receive the nomination from his or her political party during the convention. The candidate who receives the nomination, will run against the candidate nominated by the other party - or parties as the case may be.
 * How does a person get his or her name on a ballot in a state?**
 * **Texas**: For a registered political party in a statewide election to gain ballot access, they must either 1) obtain five percent of the vote in any statewide election or 2) collect petition signatures equal to one percent of the total votes cast in the preceding election for governor, and must do so by January 2 of the year in which such statewide election is held. An independent candidate for any statewide office must collect petition signatures equal to one percent of the total votes cast for governor, and must do so beginning the day after primary elections are held and complete collection within 60 days thereafter (if runoff elections are held, the window is shortened to beginning the day after runoff elections are held and completed within 30 days thereafter). The petition signature cannot be from anyone who voted in either primary (including runoff), and voters cannot sign multiple petitions (they must sign a petition for one party or candidate only).
 * How does a person become THE candidate for a political party?**
 * National Convention- the formal purpose of such a convention is to select the party's nominee for President, as well as to adopt a statement of party principles and goals known as the platform and adopt the rules for the party's activities, including the presidential nominating process for the next election cycle.
 * The CNN survey indicates that the president's signature piece of domestic legislation - last year's health care reform bill - remains unpopular, although some of the opposition comes from people who think the bill should have gone farther. Thirty-eight percent favor the new health care law; 37% oppose it because they think it is too liberal and another 14% oppose it because they believe it is not liberal enough.


 * "The biggest change comes among white Democrats with no college education, a group typically considered the core of the party's blue-collar constituency," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Half of all white Democrats with no college education say they don't want President Obama heading their party's ticket next year."

**What are they saying about Obama’s shots at reelection?**
 * Nonetheless, a robust 72% of Democrats are still in the president's corner - and in any case, the changes are strictly hypothetical, since there is no indication that Obama will face a serious challenger in any primary next year.
 * The national focus is no surprise given 9 percent unemployment and a persistent economic slump, but it bodes poorly for President Obama, who earns his highest job approval ratings on terrorism and national security but rates far lower on the economy and jobs. More than six in 10 Americans in a November CBS News poll approved of Obama’s handling of the threat of terrorism, but only one in three gave him positive marks on handling the economy.

__What are the Republicans up to?__ Michele Bachmann Herman Cain Newton Leroy Gingrich Jon Huntsman Gary Johnson Fred Garger Andy Martin Jimmy McMillian Tom Miller Ron Paul Rick Perry Buddy Roamer Mitt Romney Rick Santorum Matt Snyder Vern Wuensche The rise of the ex-House speaker comes as other candidates in the race encounter hurdles. Businessman Herman Cain spent the last two weeks fending off sexual harassment allegations. Texas Gov. Rick Perry capped off a string of shaky debate performances with an awkward moment Wednesday when he couldn't remember the three Cabinet departments he wants to eliminate. The new polls continue to show Cain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at the top. But Gingrich has carved out a space right alongside them. A McClatchy-Marist poll showed Romney leading with 23 percent, and Gingrich close behind with 19 percent. Cain was trailing slightly with 17 percent. A CBS News poll also released Friday showed Cain leading with 18 percent -- Romney and Gingrich were close behind with 15 percent each. Analysts for weeks have been suggesting that Gingrich could be primed for a surge. **Romney has remained in the top tier in national surveys for months**, while other candidates have quickly faded in the polls after enjoying an initial popularity burst. In debates, Gingrich has tried to stay above the fray, mostly resisting opportunities to attack his fellow Republicans and saving his criticism for President Obama. 2012 Republican Presidential Nomination [|2008 GOP Race on November 25, 2007] | [|2008 GOP Final RCP Average]  Polling Data __What independent/other political parties have candidates in the mix?__ > > > >
 * Who is in the running?**
 * Congressional Tea Party
 * Semptember poll 6-8%
 * lean toward the right
 * raised $13 million
 * facts about Constitution and Founding fathers- speech
 * "The Herman Cain Show"
 * Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
 * devout Christian
 * rags to riches
 * sexual harrassment accusination
 * 13-year absence
 * controversial statements Medicare
 * former speaker of the House
 * abrasive style, debater
 * nationally recognized, but burnt bridges in Washington
 * extreme fundraising
 * baggage private life
 * Governor of Utah (Mormon)
 * dark horse
 * high school dropout
 * friend of Obama
 * respected by liberals, at ease with average Americans
 * does not attend church
 * is pro-choice
 * anti-big government
 * pro-immigration
 * an outspoken critic of the war on drugs
 * favors legalizing marijuana
 * Governor of NM
 * first ever openly gay aspirant for the presidency
 * Jewish
 * lobbyist
 * been a part of many elections- knows the system
 * Republican, but running as an independent
 * remembered for qusetioning Obama's citizenship
 * tough enough to play with Obama according to himself
 * 250 civil actions
 * was a Democrat
 * Rent Is Too Damn High Party
 * Vietnam veteran
 * HAHAHAHAHAA
 * representative of the people
 * small government
 * feels that the country is being destroyed from within chiefly through a series of failed fiscal and immigration policies
 * career flight attendent
 * bring morals
 * liberty, human rights and financial market reforms
 * Texas Congressman
 * small, but vocal support
 * holds the most conservative voting record in Congress
 * small governments, non-expansionist foreign policy, gold-backed currency , personal liberty and abolishing federal income taxes
 * constitutionalist
 * The Koch Brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity (AFP), initiated the Tea Party Movement, and through a concatenation of events, Ron Paul was co-opted as the spiritual godfather of the movement. The social media strategy advocated by the AFP suddenly thrust Paul into the spotlight
 * current governor of Texas
 * dogmatic nationalist and a noted social and fiscal conservative
 * His hard stance on several explosive issues, such as abortion, firearms, immigration, same-sex marriages and capital punishment, is bound to provoke a reaction outside of the conservative circles.
 * similarity with President Bush
 * away from politics for 2 decades
 * Louisiana governor
 * $100 limit per individual
 * former Massachusetts governor
 * across the board appeal
 * vast personal fortune
 * the ability to build a consensus from diverging factions, is also his biggest weakness. He appears to be intent on pleasing everyone
 * He has chosen to skip all the straw polls and remain in the shadows of his rivals, and only making controlled media appearances.
 * U.S. Senator from PA
 * Santorum is confident of gaining grounds on early favorite Mitt Romney and warns, "We are going to be in this race, and we're in it to win."
 * associated to lube, fecal matter and anal sex (gay activist, Dan Savage, started a campaign in 2003 to popularize an alternate definition of Santorum, in retaliation to Santorum’s equating the issue of gay marriage to bestiality and pedophilia)
 * only practicing Catholic and relationship with Evangelical Protestants= religious money
 * network among Washington's lobbyist
 * supporter of people, not parties
 * ran for president in 2008
 * businessman
 * the person’s values, decision making skill, judgment on the issues and inner toughness
 * Christian nation
 * Who is the front runner?**
 * **Newt Gingrich** has moved into the top tier of Republican presidential candidates, according to two national polls released Friday, November 11.
 * ~ Poll ||~ Date ||~ Sample ||~ Gingrich ||~ Romney ||~ Cain ||~ Perry ||~ Paul ||~ Bachmann ||~ Santorum ||~ Huntsman ||~ Spread ||
 * RCP Average || 11/9 - 11/20 || -- || 23.2 || 21.0 || 18.2 || 7.7 || <span class="goog_qs-tidbit-0">7.5 || <span class="goog_qs-tidbit-0">4.8 || <span class="goog_qs-tidbit-0">2.0 || <span class="goog_qs-tidbit-0">2.2 || Gingrich +2.2 ||
 * [|CNN/Opinion Research] || 11/18 - 11/20 || 402 A || 24 || 20 || 17 || 11 || 9 || 5 || 4 || 3 || Gingrich +4 ||
 * [|Quinnipiac] || 11/14 - 11/20 || 1039 RV || 26 || 22 || 14 || 6 || 6 || 4 || 2 || 2 || Gingrich +4 ||
 * [|USA Today/Gallup] || 11/13 - 11/17 || 946 RV || 22 || 21 || 16 || 8 || 9 || 4 || 1 || 1 || Gingrich +1 ||
 * [|FOX News] || 11/13 - 11/15 || 370 RV || 23 || 22 || 15 || 7 || 8 || 6 || 2 || 3 || Gingrich +1 ||
 * [|PPP (D)] || 11/10 - 11/13 || 576 RV || 28 || 18 || 25 || 6 || 5 || 5 || 1 || 3 || Gingrich +3 ||
 * [|Pew Research] || 11/9 - 11/14 || 738 RV || 16 || 23 || 22 || 8 || 8 || 5 || 2 || 1 || Romney +1 ||
 * What are people saying the Republicans need to do in order to win?**
 * President Obama is facing an uphill battle regarding the current state of the economy, this is a key issue for winning the White House.
 * Answer the questions on how to solve the high unemployment rate and the national debt.
 * **Steward Alexander** Declared 2012 PFP & Socialist Presidential Candidate Political Activist
 * Roger Gary- Declared 2012 Libertarian Presidential Candidate Former Chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas
 * RJ Harris- Declared 2012 Libertarian Presidential Candidate 3-Tour Combat Vet, Philosopher and Law Student
 * Carl Person- Declared 2012 Libertarian Presidential Candidate New York attorney and founder of the Paralegal Institute
 * Danny Woodring- Declared 2012 Independent Presidential Candidate
 * **R. Lee Wrights**- Declared 2012 Libertarian Presidential Candidate Libertarian Activist

[] [] [] [] [] [] [] http://www.washingtonpost.com/2011/02/22/ABV7qSI_category.html?blogId=behind-the-numbers&cat=Behind the Numbers
 * Generate a list of any websites or sources that you feel like would be useful.**


 * Other optional things to read about:**


 * What issues are the people most concerned about being addressed?**
 * national economy
 * unemployment
 * immigration
 * Israel
 * Foreign aid
 * Healthcare
 * wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
 * terrorism


 * What are the polls saying about the chances of reelection for Obama?**

>> His long-shot campaign for the GOP nomination never gained traction. On September 22, he ended his campaign and threw his endorsement to fellow candidate Mitt Romney. >>
 * What has happened so far in the Republican bid for candidacy?**
 * Who is gone?
 * Thad McCotter.
 * Tim Pawlenty announced his withdrawal from the presidential nomination race following a disappointing third-place finish in the Iowa Straw Poll, a state he has unofficially campaigned in for the past year.
 * Outcome of the debates?
 * Why not Sarah Palin?