The 2016 presidential election in the United States marks the 58th quadrennial elections since the declaration of independence and it will be held on 8th November 2016(David, "The 2016 Election, Already Upon Us). The 22nd amendment in the US constitution stipulates that a president only serves for two terms and this locks out the incumbent president, Barack Obama from vying (Cillizza, "The long campaign is over. Get ready for the next”). The election is expected to be a tight race between the republicans and the democrats.
During the recent elections held on 6th November 2012, the incumbent president Barack Obama of the Democrat party won. Factors that took a center stage in the campaigns include; foreign policy, healthcare, and withdrawal of the United States from the combat in other parts of the world for example Afghanistan. Barack Obama had an upper hand in the campaigns due to incumbency and his election campaigns manifesto. Somehow, it is difficult to determine which party is going to win the next elections but a number of factors in the campaigns will determine the America’s next president. These factors include but not limited to; a balanced budget, environment and global warming, focus on small businesses and the unemployment insurance benefits (Cillizza, "The long campaign is over. Get ready for the next”).
Balancing the Budget
Currently, the United States is facing a big budget deficit and a debt of about 14 trillion USD (David, "The 2016 Election, Already Upon Us). It is expected that this will be a major factor in the 2016 presidential campaigns. The Obama administration is operating on a budget deficit. For example, the republicans believe that the Obamacare will be the biggest driver of the US future debt. The Republican Party has always been advocating for cutting spending accompanied by an increase in the productivity, debt reduction, and the use of technology.
Environment and Global Warming
The republicans and the democrats have always had a different stand concerning global warming. This has hence created political polarization in the country and it is evident that it will continue for a while. The democrats believe that the protection of the natural resources is essential because it will preserve the habitats and reducing unemployment. In addition, the democrats consider global warming as a big threat. On the contrary, the republicans think that science based regulations should work mutually with environmentalism and economic prosperity (Vähämaa, "US Presidential Elections and Implied Volatility: The Role of Political Uncertainty”). The year 2016 will not be an exception and this controversial matter will feature in the presidential campaigns.
Small Businesses
The democrat party supports the tax raise on the small businesses in the country to help finance the government programs. On the other hand, the Republican Party believes that a tax increase will negatively affect the small enterprises instead of supporting the small business owners (Cillizza, "The long campaign is over. Get ready for the next”). Since the small businesses are responsible for over 60 percent on the new annual jobs, the debate on their taxation is expected to take a center stage in the 2016 presidential elections campaigns.
Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Close to 60 percent of the working age population are employed in the United States and the Democrat party supports a longer unemployment benefits. Conversely, the Republican Party is in support of shorter unemployment benefits. The 2016 election campaigns will apparently feature the debate on the unemployment benefits.
However, to secure a win in the 2016 presidential elections, the Republican Party should embrace a libertarian agenda and move away from conservatism (Cillizza, "The long campaign is over. Get ready for the next”). This move will ensure that the party becomes inclusive of all the US citizens: the gays, Hispanics, Asians, blacks and the young population (David, "The 2016 Election, Already Upon Us). In addition, to be more appealing to the moderate voters including the youth population the Republican Party needs to strengthen both their domestic and foreign policies. Foreign policy in the United States does not play a key role in the presidential campaigns but the Republican Party needs to take it seriously and take a moderate stand on issues such as immigration policies.
Work Cited
Chris, Cillizza. "The long campaign is over. Get ready for the next!." Washington Post, The Aug. 0011: Regional Business News. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
Goodell, John W., and Sami Vähämaa. "US Presidential Elections And Implied Volatility: The Role Of Political Uncertainty." Journal Of Banking & Finance 37.3 (2013): 1108-1117. Business Source Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
Leonhardt, David. "The 2016 Election, Already Upon Us." New York Times 05 Feb. 2012: 5. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
