America in Globalization and War

The 2000 Election Al Gore vs. George W. Bush Moderate Dem vs. “compassionate conservative” Super close election comes down to FL

“Hanging chad” – Florida authorities struggle to determine voters’ intent from flawed ballots

The “Butterfly Ballot” – voters in Palm Beach County, FL accidentally selected the wrong ballot line due to confusing ballot, e.g. Jewish voters who meant to vote for Gore had their votes counted for Pat Buchanan, the Reform Party candidate who has been criticized for making anti-Semitic remarks

The “Brooks Brothers riot” – well-attired Republican operatives protest recount process

The Outcome Gore wins pop. vote Bush wins Electoral College after Supreme Court’s Bush v. Gore ruling halts FL recount

Prosperity? Economic growth under Clinton and W. masks growing inequality Consumers buying on credit Dot com boom of the late 1990s is followed by housing boom of the early 2000s, fueled by easy credit and surging home prices

Terror 9/11/01 attacks on NYC, DC George W. Bush declares “War on terror” against “Axis of Evil” (Iraq, Iran, North Korea) US and allies (UK, Germany, Australia, etc.) attack Al Qaeda’s terrorist base in Afghanistan

Fear of the Turban Sikhs, Arabs singled out and attacked for retribution Gov’t rounds up Muslims, immigrants; many detained and deported PATRIOT Act allows greater surveillance

Iraq? Bush administration leads drumbeat of war (2002-3) Saddam Hussein regime accused of possessing “WMDs,” posing threat to US Saddam also accused Al Qaeda ties But Saddam was a secular nationalist, not a religious fundamentalist like Bin Laden; no ties existed

Shock and Awe US, UK invade (March 2003) Regime easily overthrown But US finds no WMDs Saddam captured, tried, and hanged

2004 Election Dems nominate Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) Dems have a confused message—many liberals oppose war, but candidate Kerry voted to let Bush invade Iraq Kerry says he’ll pursue war more effectively Bush promises to stay the course, and scores narrow victory

The Triumph of Conservatism 2004 election: victory for social conservatives Voters cite “moral values” as key factor Anti-gay marriage referendums pass in many states Zenith of conservative power: GOP controls White House, Congress, Supreme Court

Things Fall Apart Hurricane Katrina (2005) reveals inadequacy of neglected levies in New Orleans, inability of gov’t to respond to disaster Militant sectarian insurgency tears apart Iraq “Subprime” meltdown (2007-present) reveals that deregulated financial industry made a fortune by giving out bad loans to risky borrowers

2008 Election Former first lady and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) early frontrunner for Dem nomination Freshman Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) challenges Clinton over her vote for Iraq War Moderate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) moves to the right to win GOP nomination

Global Financial Crisis

The Great Recession Sept. 2008: major banks collapse as homeowners default on mortgages and loans held by banks turn out to be worthless Unemployment, homelessness surges

Saving the System, but for Whom? Global financial system on the brink of collapse Congress agrees to aid banks with $800 billion bailout in Fall 2008 Unpopular with voters but both candidates support it (Obama and McCain)

Obama’s Triumph 1st black president wins 6 point victory in Nov. Dems sweep Congress Obama pledges to save economic system, pass universal healthcare

Challenges of the 21st Century Joblessness, debt continues Political gridlock between Dems, GOP Climate change and rising energy prices remain unaddressed Issues such as immigration continue to divide an increasingly diverse nation White majority predicted to end in coming decades