2012 Republican Primary Presidential Candidates

2012 Republican Primary Presidential Candidates

Republican Party

Initially weakened by defeats in elections in 2006 and 2008, the Republican Party could not prevent the adoption of health insurance reform in 2010. Exceeded on the right by a populist Tea Party was struggling to channel it to his advantage, the party of Lincoln was in trouble until 2010.

However, it operates its recovery from January 2010 election, winning a symbolic victory in a partial Senate in Massachusetts (election of Republican Scott Brown in the Democratic stronghold "liberal" Fire Ted Kennedy) (Condon, 2011). Driven by the growing discontent of the middle classes face the economic crisis, Republicans went on to win the midterm elections of November 2010 , including winning the most seats in the House of Representatives .

Background

Since January 2009, the President of the United States is Democrat Barack Obama , who won in November 2008 against the Republican Party candidate, John McCain . As for Congress, it is dominated by Republicans, victorious election legislative and senatorial elections of 2010 (Riley, 2011).

The primary place in a context of global economic crisis. In the U.S., growth is low, the public debt reached a record level (Feather, 2009). This situation has contributed to the declining popularity of the incumbent president, without his Republican opponents benefit significantly. Note that the movement Tea Party knows, during the Obama presidency, a growing influence in the political landscape.

The candidates

Mitt Romney, the favorite

Always well placed but never praised. If Mitt Romney is now leading the race, the Republican electorate remains the most skeptical. The conservative wing of the moderate reproaches him he had to pass as governor of Massachusetts. She rejects his reform of the health system, which requires the individual mandate (obligation to take out health insurance) and Barack Obama often cites as his inspiration for national reform (Madison, 2012). To try to convince the conservatives, Mitt Romney returned to his previous convictions on numerous occasions. Flip-flops to the delight of his detractors on the Internet. Co-founder of Bain Capital, he stresses his experience in the private sector and promises to stimulate employment with a large economy (Shear, 2011). It is also the only candidate capable of beating Barack Obama in November. Which ultimately must be the goal of all Republicans.

Ron Paul, the libertarian

If there is a point that Ron Paul is unanimous is that it stands out in the Republican camp. For the rest, or nearly so, the representative of Texas arouses much enthusiasm as contempt among Republican supporters (New York Times, 2011). Ignored by the party cadres and also by some media, it may instead rely on supporters present and more determined than all his opponents. To his supporters, Ron Paul is a candidate outside the system "corrupt" Washington. A politician with uncompromising positions, not dictated by lobbies. This is also the candidate of the U.S. Constitution, the founding fathers, individual liberties, state limited to its regulatory functions and a noninterventionist foreign policy (Perry, ...