Consider: What do you think we learned from the 2012 election?
"Some are saying that while at Nelson Mandela's memorial, President
Obama flirted with the female prime minister of Denmark right in front of
Michelle Obama. Man, if President Obama felt that the flight to South Africa
was long, can you imagine the way home?" –Conan O'Brien
"President Obama shook hands with Cuban dictator Raul Castro. Or as Fox
News reported it, 'Foreign communist shakes hands with the leader of
Cuba.'" Conan O'Brien
"A federal judge has ruled that President Obama's Kenyan uncle may
remain in the United Sates. The judge also ruled that President Obama's
Kenyan uncle is an amazing name for a band." –Conan O'Brien
"Pope Francis was named Time magazine's person of the year, and today he
performed his first miracle – he got people to buy Time magazine." –Conan
O'Brien
"New documents leaked by Edward Snowden show that the NSA actually
spied on people while they played the video game World of Warcraft. I don't
know but to me it sounds like some NSA agents had to think quick when
they got caught playing World of Warcraft at work." –Jimmy Fallon
The Last Word: Assignment 9 due tomorrow
Toward Reform: The 2012
Campaign
Unit 3: AP Government and
Politics
The Nomination Campaign
 Democratic race
 No challenger
 Republican race
 Large field
 Romney's victory
 Record as moderate
 Mormon faith
 Rick Santorum emerged as challenger
13.5
FIGURE 13.3: How did the frontrunner change
throughout the 2012 Republican primary?
The Interim Period
 Quiet period before party conventions
 Used for fundraising
 Obama gets a boost then makes a gaffe
 Obamacare upheld
 “You didn't build that”
 Romney announces running mate
13.5
How does a presidential candidate choose a
running mate?
13.5
The Party Conventions
 Consider the location...
 Republican National Convention
 Tampa, Fl – Hurricane Isaac
 Romney's acceptance speech/30.3 million viewers
 Democratic National Convention
 Charlotte, NC
 Obama's acceptance speech/35.7 million viewers
13.5
The General Election Campaign
Economy dominated
Attack on embassy in Benghazi, Libya
“47 percent”
Candidate debates
1st: Romney wins, 67 million viewers
2nd: Obama wins, 66 million viewers
3rd: Obama wins, 59.2 million viewers
 Vice presidential debate




 51 million viewers
13.5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tSOBg-vjqE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0LhytVWsmA
Election Results and Analysis



Romney loses Michigan
Obama wins swing states
Electoral College results: Obama 332, Romney 206
13.5
13.5
Which
states were
the focus of
the 2012
presidential
campaign?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/campaigns/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/2012-exit-polls/national-breakdown/
Video: So What?
13
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MED
IA_1/polisci/presidency/OConner_Ch13_The_Campaign_Pr
ocess_Seg6_v2.html