Idea for 2012 campaign.

[Coolgamer]

This is just a rough sketch, but it's something I would like to see in a downloadable game.

Scenario: After 8 years of GOP control, and 4 years of Centrist rule by the Democratic party, the nation is divided. The economy is in bad shape, conflict continues overseas, and political discourse is at an all-time high. Can the GOP pull itself back together and make a surprise comeback? Can the Democrats pull together to accomplish their goals? Or will 2012 become the year of the third party?

Candidates:

Barack Obama: The incumbent President, can he win another term?

Dennis Kucinich: (Off by default)

Al Gore: (Off by default)

Republican:

Newt Gingrich

Gary E. Johnson

Michael Steele

Bobby Jindal

Kay Bailey Hutchison

Mitt Romney

Mike Huckabee

George Pataki

Tim Pawlenty

Tom Ridge (Off by default)

Libertarian Party:

Wayne Allyn Root

Ron Paul (This would create a possible Ross Perot situation. Ron Paul ran as a Libertarian in 1988, and has expressed dismay with the current Republican party. Given his popularity over internet social networks and great grass-roots appeal, he could make or break the election.

Independent:

Ralph Nader

Green Party:

David Cobb

Electorial map changes:

The 2010 Census will ultimately decide how the electoral map will be laid out for the 2012 election, but population projections based upon Census updates give an estimate of how the Electoral College vote apportionment will change. The Census occurs every ten years and is the basis for electoral vote reapportionment based on relative state population changes. According to a study based on the 2007 population estimates, the likely changes are as follows.

Likely gainers

* Texas - 4 more votes

* Arizona - 2 more votes

* Florida - 1 more vote

* Georgia - 1 more vote

* Nevada - 1 more vote

* North Carolina - 1 more vote

* Oregon - 1 more vote

* South Carolina - 1 more vote

* Utah - 1 more vote

Likely losers

* Ohio - 2 fewer votes

* California - 1 fewer vote

* Illinois - 1 fewer vote

* Iowa - 1 fewer vote

* Louisiana - 1 fewer vote

* Massachusetts - 1 fewer vote

* Michigan - 1 fewer vote

* Minnesota - 1 fewer vote

* Missouri - 1 fewer vote

* New Jersey - 1 fewer vote

* New York - 1 fewer vote

* Pennsylvania - 1 fewer vote

[ballapeter]

Hello Everybody!

Sorry that I brake the topic but I'm new guy, and I'm Hungarian (and not very well in English). I'dont know, how many hungarian joined the site and how many hungarian people play the P4E + Primaries. Later I please your supporters because I have got the 1.007. bla bla version and I didn't load new version. And I have got new election idea.

So, my first in this idea: In my opinion Governor Palin potential candidate. She isn't running the Governorship. And I think Clinton running against Obama because her position was very strong in 2008.

[WagonAngle]

and 4 years of Centrist rule by the Democratic party

And when would that be taking place?

[Kauai]

And when would that be taking place?

By international standards the Republicans are Far-Right and the Democrats are Center-Right to Centrist, perhaps with a small faction tilting a little left.

[bawlexus91]

Ummm, why no Governor Palin?

[ballapeter]

I think the left wing will strong in the Second Great Depresson not only USA, around the world. And my vision that the traditional "Rockefeller-group" back strikes or the new McCain-centrist group. For example Lincoln Chafee although independent but if he return in the GOP.

[ballapeter]

And Daniels like candidate?

[EGaffney]

By international standards the Republicans are Far-Right and the Democrats are Center-Right to Centrist, perhaps with a small faction tilting a little left.

Sorry for off-topic discussion. The only Democrats who would be considered left-of-centre in an "international" sense are people like Sen. Feingold. Most Democrats' views on foreign policy, the death penalty and health care would classify them as fringe right-wing in Europe. However, it is also important to remember that "international" usually means "democratic Europe", and the USA's population is as large as the total population of the established European democracies, so it would be more accurate to say both the GOP and Democrats are very right-wing by our standards and our statist Christian Democrats and Labour parties would be very left-wing by those of Americans.

[Kauai]

Sorry for off-topic discussion. The only Democrats who would be considered left-of-centre in an "international" sense are people like Sen. Feingold. Most Democrats' views on foreign policy, the death penalty and health care would classify them as fringe right-wing in Europe. However, it is also important to remember that "international" usually means "democratic Europe", and the USA's population is as large as the total population of the established European democracies, so it would be more accurate to say both the GOP and Democrats are very right-wing by our standards and our statist Christian Democrats and Labour parties would be very left-wing by those of Americans.

I disagree. The Democrats would not be right-wing even in Europe, but certainly Center-Right. It should be noted as well that the majority of Democrats are actually against the Death Penalty--public opinion is what keeps it in line. However you are wrong in making it seem like some radical opinion, the reason Europe abolished the death penalty was because of a number of European conventions which over time changed opinions and took precedence. [ I am personally against it. ] And even then in 2007 52% of French are anti-death penalty and 45% pro. Not exactly fringe? While 58% supported the execution of Saddam Hussein showing it also depends on the situation at hand; such as crimes against children.

On foreign policy; you can not call our political culture as far as interventionism goes much different than Europes based on the past eight years of an ultra-hawkish administration of whoms policies are opposed by upwards of 75% of Americans. Democrats are not interventionist and oppose the Iraq War.

Health Care...well your right there, although this comes from years of government fear mongering about....government. Haha. Americans have been convinced that they want government in their personal lives, but not to enforce justice in their economic loves [ Republicans ]. Being the leader during the cold war also probably had something to do with it...

[Abe Lincoln]

Sorry for off-topic discussion. The only Democrats who would be considered left-of-centre in an "international" sense are people like Sen. Feingold. Most Democrats' views on foreign policy, the death penalty and health care would classify them as fringe right-wing in Europe. However, it is also important to remember that "international" usually means "democratic Europe", and the USA's population is as large as the total population of the established European democracies, so it would be more accurate to say both the GOP and Democrats are very right-wing by our standards and our statist Christian Democrats and Labour parties would be very left-wing by those of Americans.

Is universal health care a right wing idea... what about buying up banks and businesses by the government?

[Kauai]

Is universal health care a right wing idea... what about buying up banks and businesses by the government?

I don't get what your saying.

[Abe Lincoln]

I don't get what your saying.

Obama is not a centrist.

[Kauai]

Obama is not a centrist.

By the American political spectrum, no. Within an international spectrum, which I believe should take prominence, yes--indeed he is.

[gopprogressive]

Personally, I think Obama is centre-left rather than centrist. At least regarding his true views.

And I do believe that most democrats in the USA would either be social democrats or liberals in the european/international political spectrum, so I fail to see how they are "far-right" in terms of Europe. Obama though I think would be closer to a "liberal" than a "social democrat," considering his waffling on economic issues though he's been fairly consistently left-of-center on social and foreign policy issues.

[EGaffney]

Show me the Democrats outside the big cities who agree to no death penalty, huge reduction of the role of the army and a universal socialist health care system and I'll agree that they are outside the right-wing of European politics. The parties in Europe which endorse the death penalty - a huge expression of government power and disregard for human rights - are on the fringe. They advocate policies that are similar to the right-wing of the UK Conservative Party, and that is very right-wing by European standards. It is only rhetoric that makes people view them any differently.

[Kauai]

Show me the Democrats outside the big cities who agree to no death penalty, huge reduction of the role of the army and a universal socialist health care system and I'll agree that they are outside the right-wing of European politics. The parties in Europe which endorse the death penalty - a huge expression of government power and disregard for human rights - are on the fringe. They advocate policies that are similar to the right-wing of the UK Conservative Party, and that is very right-wing by European standards. It is only rhetoric that makes people view them any differently.

I believe that you have summed it up quite nicely.

GOP Progressive and Abe, considering you are both Republicans I understand how you would love to paint us as far-left radicals. But the fact is the Republican party [ not saying you two personally, I don't know a lot about your two policies ] is the radical one in a global perspective. The American Political spectrum is strongly oriented towards the Right, most likely in my view due to our position during the Cold War and government fear mongering over the years.

However, the average Democrat is far from being a social democrat.

Although I disagree with you continuing to say the death penalty is so fringe, EGaffney, as polls show it clearly is not, even not in Europe.

[EGaffney]

Although I disagree with you continuing to say the death penalty is so fringe, EGaffney, as polls show it clearly is not, even not in Europe.

Sorry, I was being vague. I am not comparing the Democrats to the European public, I'm comparing them to European parties. Few parties support the reinstatement of DP even though it is popular among conservatives. This is due to a greater acceptance of elite-driven politics in Europe where ordinary people's opinions are not necessarily heeded. Due to the structure of the American political system, especially the weak central party structures and the use of primaries rather than party committees to select party nominees, candidates endorse platforms that would be considered populist in Europe.

[dorian]

Even if Obama is a centerist by European standards (a somewhat vacuous term because Europe is composed of many regions with many different ideologies and political spectrums that make it difficult to lump into one label of 'Europe' and present it as a continent with a relatively unified political ideology, especially since a lot of the comparisons are between Obama and British politicians and not say, Obama and Romanian, Serbian, or Ukrainian) that hardly makes a difference when discussing politics in the United States. For the US, Obama is somewhere between centre-left and left on most things. It hardly makes any sense to use the poltical spectrum of one nation to judge another. Sure Obama may be more conservative than, for example, the British Labour party but we can easily say he is far more liberal than Iranian presidential moderate Mir Hossien Moussavi. Using words like global when one really means European or the political systems of the global north is misleading. It is only senseible to determine how liberal or conservative a person is based on where they come from or live. In that regard, Obama remains somewhat to the left.

[dwkulcsar]

I don't see why we have to argue this. This scenario is for the US Presidential Game and based on the norms of it and its capabilities as well as what the author is predicting its rather irrelevant when we talk about American politics. Sure I am rather liberal but this seems like a futile argument when we are talking about a fictional scenario.