1. America in Globalization and War

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

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

5. 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

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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. Global Financial Crisis

20. 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

21. 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)

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

23. 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