Political Participation, Essay Example

The primary distinction in the 2004 Presidential election between President George Bush and Gov. Jim Kerry will be explored in this essay. The distinction which the 2004 Presidential election held in comparison to the 2008 Presidential Election with Senator Barack Obama and Gov. John McCain will be explored. The distinction of the 2004 and 2008 Presidential elections will be compared with the aspects of the 2012 Presidential election between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney.

The primary distinctions in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections were the candidates and the issues. The candidates possessed distinct perspectives on the method of changing the direction of the country. The involvement of the American electorate during the 2004 and 2008 Presidential elections was unchanged. Over eighty percent of the American electorate was measured as being between eighteen and sixty four years of age (CNN, 2004; Nagourney, 2008).

The primary distinction in the 2008 Presidential election had been the need to discontinue the foreign relation s policies which President Bush implemented during his tenure. This need for changing the perspective of the American public in investing in trillion dollar wars, increasing public debt and the financial collapse of 2008 opened the way for a fresh newcomer. Barack H. Obama. The American electorate was willing to take a chance on a newcomer instead of following the policies which led to the financial collapse of 2008 (Nagourney, 2008).

President Obama had been able to involve new segments of the American electorate in 2012 by the implementation of the internet and social media during the 2012 Presidential campaign. This had been another distinction of the 2012 presidential election in comparison with the 2004 and 2008 elections. Another distinction which had been presented in the 2008 presidential election was the discontinuance of the application of public funding for financing the American Presidential campaigns (Abdullah, 2012; CNN, 2004; Nagournay, 2008).

Conclusion

The 2012 Presidential election had been characterized by the application of the internet and social media as a form of mobilizing the American electorate. The application of the internet and social media, in addition to the television exposure of the 2012 Presidential debates were the causal attributes for the victory experienced by President Barack H. Obama. The application of the internet and social media are the primary distinctions between the 2004, 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.

References

Abdullah, H. (2012). 21 moments that defined the campaign and America. Cable News Network, 6 November 2012.

CNN (2004). America votes 2004. Cable News Network.

Nagournay, A. (2008). The ’08 campaign: Sea change for politics as we know it. New York Times, 3 November 2008.