Crash course on USA Presidential elections for people outside of the usa

1. USA Elections
What does this election
mean for the USA?

2. What will be Discussed?
• Political Parties
• Role of Media in elections
• Issues of great importance to the Election
• Current Presidential candidates
• What the future of the USA may look like

3. Republicans
• They believe in limited
government involvement in the
country
• Believe in limited taxes for all
people
• Believe in funding military
spending
• Don’t believe in spending funds
on “non-essential” things: Money
for needy people, scholarships for
students, medical care for old
people and poor people… Social
welfare programs.

4. Democrats
• Big Government
• Many social programs for people in
need
– Food Aid
– Reduced rent for apartments/houses
– Student aid
– Medical care for poor/old people
• Believe everyone should pay their
“fair share” in taxes.
• Everyone pays more taxes except
poor people
• Believe in Environmental protection/
clean energy

5. Third Parties
• Tend to be more outspoken
than the two main parties
• NEVER won a political
election
• Believe in very specific
change to occur to the
world/country
• Example
– Green party- Environmental
party
– Libertarian- remove of
almost all Gov. intervention
– Marijuana party- we want….
Donuts

6. First-past-the-post voting
• The type of election process the USA uses
• Election is one that is won by the candidate
with more votes than any other(s)
• This discourages more than two parties

7. “All people are born alike - except
Republicans and Democrats.” –
Groucho Marx

8. Elections
• President elections are every 4 years on the
first Tuesday of November.
• House of Representatives elections occur
every two years
• Senators are elected for a 6 year term
• Those of the Judicial branch (Supreme Court
Justices) are not elected by the people but
rather appointed by the President of the USA.
• Voter turnout tends to be around 55-60 % of
eligible American voters.

9. Current Presidential Election

10. Role of Media in US elections
• Television is still the primary • Today, the mass media is not
source of information about the just a means to an end, but one
candidates. of the most important factors in
– Debates are televised determining whether a
candidate for president wins or
• A great amount of scrutiny and loses the election. Thanks to
evaluation of candidates is the 24-hour news cycle and the
observed through television importance of carefully
– This is why news television is so managing a candidate's
important to elections image, media experts have
– Most issues that will be discussed taken a dominant role in
are directed by the news media. shaping presidential campaigns
• US Biased News Media • Campaign ads are presented
– FOX, MSNBC primarily through television.
• Changes focus to image and
personality more often than
policy issues.

11. Social Media in US elections
• Social media websites such
as Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube have had a much
larger impact in elections
– 10 % of Americans receive
their news about elections
exclusively from these types
of websites
– Attributed to the large youth
turnout in the2008 election
• Candidates use these social
media outlets in various
ways.

12. What are the issues of this Election?
• This election is being framed to be more of a
battle of ideology than policy
• America’s Role as a world power.
• Government’s obligations to its people
– Healthcare
– Social Programs
• Economy
– Direction of where it should go
– Governmental role in the Economy

13. • Foreign policy and the role of the USA in
world affairs is greatly debated.
• President Obama’s View
– “President Obama has pursued national security
policies that keep the American people
safe, while turning the page on a decade of war
and restoring American leadership abroad.”-
whitehouse.gov
– Finish current wars abroad and take a diplomatic
approach to Iran
– Reduce the size of the military

14. • Former Gov. Mitt Romney’s Approach
– “A Romney foreign policy will proceed with clarity
and resolve. Our friends and allies will not have
doubts about where we stand and what we will do
to safeguard our interests and theirs. Neither will
our rivals, competitors, and adversaries. The best
ally world peace has ever known is a strong
America.”- mittromney.com
– Stronger, larger military with increased military
spending
– Aggressive strategy for Iran.

15. Economy!!!
• THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN THE
USA ELECTION, PERIOD.
– 72% of the American people
believe that the economy is the
most important issue of today.
• Most distinct difference
between the two candidates.
– Each candidate has a distinctly
different vision for the future
of the economy and the
government’s role in the
economy

16. Role of Government
• Another New Deal vs. Objectivism
• Since FDR there has never been such a struggle
for the fundamental ideological direction of the
USA.
• Democrats
– Government has an obligation to provide extensive
services for its entire nation and has a large role in its
economy
• Republicans
– Free market capitalism has created the greatness that
USA citizens enjoy and should return to these guiding
principles.

17. Barack Obama
• Taxes- Has cut effective taxes for most Americans;
would repeal Bush-era tax cuts for households
making more than $250,000 a year. Proposes
raising taxes on millionaires.
• Economy- Signed the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, known as the stimulus, a
$768bn (£489bn) package of tax cuts and
investment in education, infrastructure, energy
research, health, and other programmes; Backed
a bailout of the US auto industry; signed trade
agreements with Colombia, Panama and South
Korea

18. • Foreign policy- Has killed much of al-Qaeda's
leadership, including Osama Bin Laden; pulled
US troops out of Iraq; agreed to a $487m
reduction in defense spending over 10 years
with congressional Republicans

19. Mitt Romney
• Economy- Plan centers on tax cuts, repeal of
Obama's 2010 healthcare reform law and
repeal of 2010 Wall Street and banking
regulations, and in general the reduction of
other regulations he says stifle economic
growth; Opposed the auto industry bailout;
proposes to reduce federal spending
significantly but gives few details about which
programes he would cut

20. • Taxes- Cut individual income tax
rates, eliminate taxes on investment
income, and reduce the corporate income tax
rate. According to the non-partisan Tax Policy
Center, taxpayers at high income levels would
see the greatest benefit. Would make up the
revenue by closing unspecified tax loopholes
• National security and war- Would spend
heavily on military hardware and invest in
missile defense, adding an estimated $100bn
to the Pentagon's budget, while reducing the
civilian defense bureaucracy

21. A Mitt Romney America?
• Polls are even going into election day and
there is a real possibility of Mitt Romney
winning the election
• What that could mean?
– Cut in social programs such as public
radio, television and healthcare
– A more aggressive stance in foreign policy
– More economic freedom for companies and
individuals
– Lower taxes for everyone (including corporations)

22. Why You (Ukrainians) Should Care
• The USA’s policies effect everyone
• If the USA economy does well, Europe does
well.
• NATO entrance
• We are world citizens

23. Review Questions
1. What is the political situation in Ukraine
currently?
– How can you compare US elections to Ukrainian
elections?
2. What are your impressions on US politics
3. What role do you believe that the government
should play in the economy and our lives?
– How does political differences in the USA compare
to those of Ukraine?
4. What candidate would you vote for?