2012 Primaries

President Russ Feingold was able to convince Americans to keep him around for four more years, but that was not the hard part. Now he had to turn the country's sagging economy around and make the case that brighter days would soon be ahead. Shortly after passing a financial bailout, President Feingold proposed a $700 billion stimulus package with the intent of boosting the economy. There was heated debate on the subject and a period when it looked like the proposal would fail in Congress, but the bill ultimately passed and got the president's signature. Soon afterward, Feingold also advocated for a major financial reform bill that would more heavily regulate and punish banking institutions and restore provisions of the Glass-Steagal Act that were repealed during the Lugar administration. This, too, would prove to be like the stimulus: hotly debated, but ultimately given to the president. Despite everything that has happened, Feingold had a mandate through his reelection, allowing him to get key pieces of his agenda through government.

Beyond these measures to jumpstart the economy, there wasn't as much done in Feingold's second term compared to the first. The president's clout was still diminished enough that he had little political capital to spare on issues such as healthcare and education. Those remaining hopes were squashed following sweeping gains for the AU in the 2010 midterm elections. Feeling burned out from the job and satisfied with what he has been able to do in office for the most part, President Feingold announced in the spring of 2011 that he would not seek reelection for a third term despite being able to do so. Now, the race to replace Feingold is on. The economy has shown some improvement but is still a long way from being fully recovered. This leaves Vice President Wesley Clark, running to succeed Feingold, more vulnerable to attacks from opponents, including Barack Obama, Howard Dean, and John Kerry. The AU primaries are even more of a clusterfyck than the DA's, showing just how many are itching to occupy the White House after nearly 12 years out of the executive branch. Finally, it should be noted that the Reform Party, rife with internal divisions and facing poorer performances than years past, disbanded during these years, bringing the country back to a two-party system. Time will tell if someone outside of the two parties will again recapture that populist spark, though.

Two days.

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