A Closer look at the 2012 Election?
A Review of the result of the election and its consequences
Majd Mohsin
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Author Note
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Magd Mohsin, University of Michigan Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Road Dearborn, MI (313)-258-8678. Email .
Abstract
In this paper, I will discuss the United States 2012 election. The result of the election was a clear reflection of the current situation Americans have come to. A divided government and direct influence by interest groups. I am determined to uncover many issues the United States election engaged in. Pools and surveys continue to reveal the lack of political knowledge of average Americans. Ignorance works against democracy. Therefore, it is important to educate the public about certain affairs that affects their daily life.
A Closer look at the 2012 Election?
Despite the fact that it seems to those who actually voted that the 2012 election was a good election and will improve the country, this is way far from the truth. We see today the gridlock that this election has created. Even though president Obama won the election, Republicans have not lost yet. Republicans still control the house which means that nothing will get done. Both Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on major issues such as tax cuts. Hence none of them will compromise to the other anytime soon.
While a government gridlock is in place, many political scientists argue that the way our government is setup makes it an inevitable outcome. Besides, there are many problems that the United States government system faces are being ignored. These problems are not visible in the surface for the average citizen to notice. In fact, they are purposely kept in the dark and behind closed doors. Uninformed Americans cannot see or understand these problems, and therefore they cannot make wise decisions nor do anything to fix them. Some of these problems are the consequences of the divided government that we have today, the influence of big corporations on public policies, the unfair election resulted by the Electoral College system, and most importantly, the exclusion of minor parties. These are essential issues that need to be discussed. As time progress with no solution on the table, they only become more difficult to solve. Because of these loopholes, private organizations have found an easy way to access the government and shape it from the inside as they wish. And to add insult to injury, the media has also played a big factor to aid these organizations and limit democracy contrary to its principle.
The US two-party system and its future collapse
Despite the fact that many would agree that the United States has a stable government because of its two-party system, however, I believe that this system will be the cause of its future collapse and destruction. I am not anti-democracy. I support a republic government and opposed any form of government that does not represent the people in a democratic way. I, however, dislike the situation our government has come to. As you see today, the American two-party system has been a clear failure. Both Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on tax cuts. A two party system has proven insufficiency and a lack of collaboration caused by the party ideologies and loyalty. This policy has created an impractical and a divided government. A divided government is a paralyzed government. It is a disabled government that cannot make an action that benefits its citizens, and a dismantle government that cannot stand back on its feet at bad economic times such as of today’s.
One of the biggest problems about the two-party system is that the divided government freezes entirely if one party decides to not compromise to the other on certain issues. The situation cloud not possibly change without finding a compromise solution they both agree on. At times, it may take up to months, or even years. Besides, with the increasing number of corporations that are getting more involved in politics every day, lobbyists have played a big role in politicians’ actions and inclination to favor themselves. It all comes back to the innocent citizen who has trusted the government and its role to protect him and provide him a better opportunity for a better life.
Minor parties
The 2012 election was the first one I was eligible to participate in. I was very excited to cast my vote and exercise my rights. However, there were many times when I was confused about who is the better candidate. The issues were complex and I felt overwhelmed. The issues were too complex and parties did not clearly state what they want to do. After all, I only have few options; only two. In one hand, I liked some of the policies of the party that I felt it closely represented me, but in the other hand, I did not agree with everything the party stood for.
In general, voters chooses one party over the other because of a single issue, he will change his mind easily. This eventually leads parties to become very careful about where they stand in certain issues. You may have noticed that both Democratic and Republican parties have become very similar. Both candidates Mitt Romney and President Obama stand on a moderate view in the government. With no alternatives available in sight, a vote along party lines is inevitable; even though satisfaction has not been met.
Americans are becoming unequal
Contrary to what you may think of how democratic the United States is, income and educational inequality has rather increased and continued to increase throughout the years. A research that was conducted by Peter Lindert of the University of California showed that the United States has the highest economic inequality among all developed countries democracies (Weissmann, 2012). With the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, the gap between the two classes tells us a lot. Economists say that economic inequality brings along political inequality. In fact, this point has been clearer than ever with the PAC unlimitedly lobbying candidates for official offices. Big corporations have paid enormous amounts of money to influence elections and policies. Their “voice” has become stronger than the common uninformed citizen. In fact, many of these uninformed citizens have actually no voice in government because they do not vote. Only about 60% of eligible voters voted in the 2012 election (The Washington Post, 2012)
The role of the media
In the 2012 election, it was very obvious that the media was very far from its principles. The overlook The media plays a big role in influencing significant actors in the political system. This ranges from citizens, elected leaders, and of course politicians. The media does not only influence our political system, but in fact, shapes our government. Even though the media (as the form of press) was supposed to be the “watch dog” over the government, it has failed to do so. In the past 2012 election, political scientist condemned the media extensively.
` The founders, although being least favorable to democracy, have stressed the importance of the press. They concluded that the press is so essential for keeping an eye on the government exercises and its elected officials. The idea that the press should dig up the facts and warn the public of officials’ corruption is no longer in place. Instead, big corporations has used it as a tool to influence what is talked about to their advantage.
One of the media’s roles is to clarify the electoral choices. In the past election, many voters listened to the media to shape their opinions. They searched for clues of what Democrats and Republicans stand for, what positions each of Obama and Mitt Romney take, and how do both candidates claim to make the economy better. Surveys and polls have proved that the media didn’t do a good job.
The Electoral College
The central idea of democracy is that ordinary citizens should control what their government does. They do so by voting. However, because the framers favored a form of government based on the consent of the governor, but only where the governed played only a limited and indirect role, they created the Electoral College. The framers feared the majority tyranny and came up with the elector college. However, this system is no longer functional. It has been proven to be a failure to democracy. For the second time in the United States history, in 2000, President Bush won the election even though he received fewer votes than his appoint Al Gore. For this reason and contrary to what some claim that “the Electoral College protect the interests of small states and minorities,” pools and surveys have proved the complete opposite. According to a survey conducted by Georgetown University, presidential candidates spent 85% of the money on only ten states and focused most their attention on five. The survey said that the Electoral College pushed presidential candidates to ignore certain states and exclude them from the race. In result, this sparked a serious argument of a violation to the concept of democracy and its fundamental beliefs.
Refrences
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20344750
Rosenhall, L. (2012, November 15). After election, state lawmakers and interest groups travel in tandem. The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved from http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/15/4987294/after-election-state-lawmakers.html
Rowen, B. (2007, October). Super PACS explained. Infoplease. Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/super-pacs.html
Restrepo, M. (2012, February 04). Outside interest groups set to play huge role in 2012 election. The Colorado Independent. Retrived from
http://coloradoindependent.com/111805/outside-interest-groups-set-to-play-huge-role-in-2012-elections