What Issues Are at Stake in 2012?
CNN - Campaign Issues Election 2012
Gallup Polls on the issues
ProCon.org - 2012 Presidential Election
Listen to Me - Is the Political System Broken?
Political Advertisements - PBS
Health Care
"Most Republican[s]... are pushing to 'repeal and replace' much of the health care reform bill passed by a Democratically controlled Congress and signed into law by President Obama in spring 2010. The law has proved less popular than Obama and Democrats anticipated when they used considerable political capital to pass it. But the GOP is also exposed on health care. Gov. Mitt Romney is plagued by comparisons between the Democratic law and a similar bill he supported and signed while governor of Massachusetts" ("The Issues").
Foreign Policy & National Security
"President Obama has had a full plate on the foreign policy front for much of his term: inheriting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, developing U.S. policy in a Middle East where Iran is a potential nuclear threat, coaxing along a stalled peace plan when Israel and the Palestinians are still fierce adversaries, and encouraging popular voices to stand up against oppressive regimes in the Middle East and North Africa through democratic uprisings, a movement known as the Arab Spring. Meanwhile, Republicans have accused Obama of "leading from behind" in much of the Middle East. He had a major success, however, with the discovery and death of notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden, the face of al Qaeda for the past decade" ("The Issues").
Social Security
"Democrats view preservation of entitlements as a key issue with their base, while Republicans, conservatives and the tea party movement see these programs as potential places to make cuts" ("The Issues") and as areas in need of "modernization" ("Social Security").
Government Spending
Who's Telling the Truth?
Both of these websites monitor the accuracy of candidates' speeches, debates, TV ads, and other communication to the public.
Economy & Jobs
"The economy, unemployment, taxes and how to manage the federal government's $14 trillion debt will be leading issues in the 2012 White House race. With the near-collapse of the U.S. banking and financial system hitting late in the 2008 race, President Obama's tenure in the Oval Office is being defined, in many ways, by economic and fiscal policy issues. And the tea party movement - the conservative wing of the Republican party -- has been hammering Obama's economic and fiscal policy since 2009, pushing GOP candidates to hold firm on pledges not to raise taxes and to cut spending" ("The Issues").
Romney on Jobs & Economic Growth
Education
"As academic performance continues to stagnate in the U.S., the Obama administration has been critical of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law, which requires that all students meet reading and math adequacy marks by 2014" ("The Issues").
Immigration Reform
"Border security and the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. could prove to be a contentious issue in the 2012 White House race. Concerns about cross-border violence from Mexico and efforts by some states -- especially those on the border -- to try to enforce federal immigration laws have been high since Obama took office in 2009. Republicans and conservatives fault the Obama administration and Democrats for not doing enough to secure the border and enforce existing laws. And, from his left flank, Obama is facing criticism for not doing more to push through an immigration reform bill that would help put the undocumented on a path to citizenship" ("The Issues").
Environment
"When they had control of both chambers in Congress, Democrats failed to pass the cap-and-trade carbon emissions bill. Many Republicans, meanwhile, are far more skeptical about the science of global warming and fear the economic impact of aggressive energy policies" ("The Issues").
Additional Issues
Same-Sex Marriage: Romney Obama
"Changing Views of Gay Marriage: a Deeper Analysis" (Pew Opinion Poll)
Gays in the Military: "Obama Ends 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'"
Works Cited
"The Issues." CNN. Turner Broadcasting System, n.d. Web. 19 July 2012.
<http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/campaign-issues.html>.
"Social Security." mittromney.com. Romney for President, Inc., n.d. Web. 19 July
2012. <http://www.mittromney.com/issues/social-security>.