The upcoming presidential election of the United States of America president is going to be one of the most intriguing ones that have ever taken place. It will establish its place in history due to the many factors that are encompassed.
Faced with a number of burning issues that may adversely affect the likelihood of an aspirant getting elected as president, the candidates need to address them with a sense of belonging that may be crucial to their success.
This piece aims to show that there are several key aspects that affect the abilities of the 2012 presidential aspirants to be elected in to positions of leadership.
The issues that relate to immigration may substantially affect the campaign arms of Mitt Romney in quite a number of ways. It may be pertinent to note that the pressure that he is receiving from all sides is quite intense, because his stance on the issue is not altogether favorable to the majority of the people who are sympathetic to the plight of the immigrants.
The present government of president Obama has stressed on the fact that, it is quite essential to maintain a favorable atmosphere for people who would like to migrate to the United States of America.
Obama’s administration proffers “It is targeted at younger illegal immigrants who came to the country before they turned 16, are under 30 now, have stayed out of trouble, and have a high school education or served in the military” (Cook 1-2). Apart from this, it also states, the approach “does not lead to citizenship but does provide those covered to get a two-year work permit that can be renewed indefinitely.
The new Obama approach is similar to a plan offered by Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida” (Cook 1-2). This poses a formidable challenge for Mitt Romney when he addresses the people who he will seek for votes from in the near future.
Concerning healthcare packages that may be offered to the citizens of the United States of America, Romney’s policy depicts a situation that is reminiscent of the one he launched as the Massachusetts Governor.
He is of the view that more citizens of the country are willing to pay the fine then join up in the healthcare plan than before. The indications are “Romneycare was designed to address in the only way a governor can” (Coulter 20).
It goes on to depict “in addition to mandating that everyone has to purchase health insurance, Romneycare used the $ l.2 billion that the state was already spending on medical care for the uninsured to subsidize the purchase of private health insurance for those who could not afford it”(Coulter 20).
The healthcare sector has gone through a lot of scrutiny until a point where the “then Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signed a Healthcare reform bill for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of Faneuil Hall in Boston”(Coulter 20). This called for every citizen of Massachusetts according to his or her level of income.
Taxation, being one of the most compelling issues in the United States of America, has always been a source of controversy for most of the presidential candidates or hopefuls. Two main aspects may be tackled on the matter of taxation.
These are the means of sufficient revenue generation with minimal interference in the economic activities of the country and the decline or reduction of taxation on citizens. The main aspects being addressed so far show “Newt Gingrich has managed to satirize Romney as a top-hatted plutocrat while simultaneously proposing to lower Romney’s federal taxes from 13.9 percent to almost zero” (Exchange”).
It also elucidates, “Gingrich would do this by eliminating the capital gains tax. Romney’s effective tax rate is so low because most of his income is from capital gains, which are taxed at a top rate of 15 percent”(“Exchange”). On an individual basis and as an example, the depiction that the rates of taxation are quite steep is obvious.
The fact is that Romney “pays only slightly less in taxes than other rich people typically does. (His effective federal tax rate is not even the lowest of any recent presidential candidate”. It is also stated “when John Kerry ran in 2004, his tax returns from the previous year showed that he and his wife paid a combined effective tax of about 13 percent, according to a calculation by The Washington Post’s Bradford Plumer”(“Exchange”).
Illegal immigration will always be a key aspect of the presidential elections in the United States of America. It plays a key role with multiple impacts on the economy of the country. In an effort to address these issues, the republican leaders observed, “in his speech to NALEO, Romney started with a sense of economic opportunity, aware that the economy is the top issue for all voters.
He noted that unemployment among Hispanics is 11 percent; higher than the 8.2 percent national average” (Feldmann 1-2). There is also the fact that any presidential hopeful has to embrace the Latin Americans since “the DREAM Act is popular among Latinos. Now that he is assured his party’s nomination, Romney is softening his tone.
However, less than five months before Election Day, the former Massachusetts governor faces low support among Latino registered voters (Feldmann 1-2). There is the consensus that the current regime has failed in the duties and obligations by totally failing to secure that border.
The republicans also assert that the immigration laws are not being enforced enough. The issue also abounds on the fact stating “a May survey by NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo shows 61 percent supporting Obama, 27 percent backing Romney” (Feldmann 1-2).
They insist that the stand that has been taken in terms of addressing the enforcement of the immigration laws is not stringent.
The issue of education policies has long dogged election debates. Mitt Romney has endeavored to endear the position of education by providing the institutions with incentives that may increase the learning process.
For instance, Mr. Romney “put forth a package of proposals in 2005 and 2006 that would have offered $5, 000 bonuses to teachers who were among the state’s top third of performers” (Klein 1-27). Another example shows that Romney has strived to ensure “new math and science teachers would have also been given extra pay, along with educators who led Advanced Placement courses in those subjects” (Klein 1-27).
There are also quite a number of programs that he has started and promoted, in a bid to ensure the delivery of quality services in the lines of facilitation of education to the community and citizens at large.
It can be stated that in a heartfelt moment, in his education speech last month, Mr. Romney “touted the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship program, which he started in Massachusetts and which gives students who score in the top 25 percent of their districts on state exams free tuition at the state’s public universities (Klein 1-27). Furthermore, “the scholarships do not cover other costs, such as fees and room and board”(Klein 1-27).
Health insurance is an extremely expensive affair for many of the citizens according to the republicans. The current administration has not done enough to provide affordable premiums for the people it serves.
This may be elucidated on by the fact “Mitt Romney paid $14,176 in health insurance premiums in 2010 in line with premium plans available to the couple on the Massachusetts insurance exchange he signed into law as governor, but twice as high as the U.S. average”(McCarthy l0).
There are quite a number of parameters that may serve to determine the premiums that are being passed off as sufficient for people. There is the notion “on the Massachusetts exchange, the Romney’s would have a choice of 41 private health plans, with premiums ranging from $997 to $2,600 a month” (McCarthy l0).
The policies on healthcare that are being foreseen by Romney will ensure that all states can formulate plans that may suit their citizens. They have to design them in order to satisfy the Federal government as well, which will provide a level playing field for them to administer and achieve their plans on the healthcare reforms that they are touting.
There are a high percentage of voters who are covered in the bracket of middle-income earners. These people play a vital role in the sway of voting patterns since they are above issues such as partisan politics yet their votes are quite critical. In a recent run up, “Romney won 46 percent of the vote among those who make more than $100,000, compared with Rick Santorum’s 32 percent.
Meanwhile, Santorum won handily among voters who make less than $100,000” (Roarty 8). The majority of this bracket of income earners address issues that face the economic situation of the nation before, at the time and after the administration is in control.
A quick glance at “the county-by-county map in Ohio reveals that Romney succeeded in winning votes in the state’s main cities and surrounding suburbs while Santorum swept through the rural regions” (Roarty 8). There are many aspects of the economy that this group of voters follows and they may touch on issues such as free enterprise and innovation among other issues.
The group comprises of individuals who have deeper insight into the needs that may have to be addressed by the leaders whom they elect, and not on ideas that may be considered as sycophant related ones.
In Illinois, for example, college graduates “made up 52 percent of the GOP primary electorate in 2008. (In Ohio, college graduates made up only 45 percent of Tuesday’s vote.) California and New Jersey, two other states yet to hold their primaries, have a similar demographic breakdown”(Roarty 8).
Personal tax returns are an obligation of every law-abiding citizen. Filling in tax return forms is part of the life of an American citizen. There are no exceptions and Romney’s spokesperson Andreo Saul, says there was to be a press release that will show “Governor Romney pays millions in taxes each year and gives millions to charitable contributions, and that his investments are reported and taxed in full compliance with US tax law.
Governor Romney has paid 100 percent of what he has owed”(Scherer 1). There are various estimates of the amount of taxes that he will remit his returns but “one easy way to measure this would be to look at Mr. Romney’s tax liability divided by his adjusted gross income.
At a recent press conference, Romney said he thought his “tax rate would be about 15 percent” (Scherer 1). This conclusion is based on an opinion that may be done prior to the experts handling the issues.
However, some tax specialists believe it might be even lower. They state, “His tax rate is likely to be substantially below 15 percent, according to one expert of the Tax Policy Center, a non-partisan group that looks at tax policy in Washington. It could be as low as 13 percent” (Scherer 1).
The limitations to the methods and fundamentals of fundraising in presidential elections are one of the factors that affect the nominee’s strategies. It shows the true value and popularity of the presidential hopeful.
The ability to raise funds is considered one of the most powerful tools in a campaign machine. Spencer Zwick is considered among the most highly talented incentive creator in the region, and he was brought in to assist in raising funds for Romney’s campaign.
For example, the Romney campaign announced at some time that it “raised $ 20.63 million in the first quarter of the year, besting Republican rivals Rudy Giuliani and John McCain by $5.5 million and 58 million respectively”(Toeplitz 52).
The campaigners further stated that even though “Romney is trailing by double digits in most public opinion polls; he catapulted himself in to the first tier of Republican candidates with his fundraising performance” (Toeplitz 52).
There were some reports on the Romney moneymaking machine that stated the same week that Romney announced, “He was forming an exploratory committee, Zwick conceived and organized a camera-friendly corporate call-in day that brought in more than 56.5 million for the campaign. The event was mostly open to the media, who are typically banned from high-dollar fundraisers” (Toeplitz 52).
In an effort to ensure that all the retirees are covered in terms of their benefits and retirement packages, Romney has devised a system that will ensure that the retiree’s benefits are adjusted and not adversely affected by the rate of inflation. This will shield them from the far-reaching effects of the economy slumps that occur every other election period.
For example, “Romney has said possible reforms could include raising the retirement age or changing the way benefits are inflation-adjusted for high-income retirees” (Trumbull 31). With this in mind, it is easy to see why the rate of taxation remains inherent in all the presidential elections. At present, “Gingrich would also reduce the tax rate on business in come from 35 percent to 12.5 percent.
Romney would set the corporate tax rate at 25 percent” (Trumbull 41). While trying to address the issues of taxation that affect the nation as a whole, there is the need for attention to be given to retirees so that their interests may also be looked after no matter what the state of the economy may be like.
This is because they are living on a fixed amount of income that is not subject to increments, unlike the people who may still be working who enjoy increments according to the rate of inflation among other parameters.