Current News and Its Impact on the 2012 Presidential Election

This year is already proving to be a year for big news headlines. From Iran’s escalated posturing against the West to economic news from home and abroad, news outlets have not been forced to get creative in order to fill time slots. And in some ways, these headlines are contributing substance to another major 2012 news topic: the GOP Primary and the general election that will follow.

Throughout late January and early February, Iran has stepped up its once-vague threats to attack Israeli and American targets. Such threats have always been taken seriously to at least some degree – especially in regards to attacks against Israel by Iranian-funded groups like Hezbollah. However, Iran’s posturing and rhetoric is being met by a substantially increased level of seriousness now due in part to Iran’s progress toward an operational nuclear weapons program.

As reported by the New York Post, Iran has now begun to make direct threats against targets within North America, and many believe the regime is willing to follow through on such threats once the correct weapons systems are in place. Further U.N. sanctions against Iran due to its nuclear weapons efforts have begun to materialize as true economic threats for the nation, leading the world further toward the possibility of new military action in that region.

Another prevalent news topic for 2012 is the escalation of violence throughout Northern Mexico and the thus-far isolated cases in which that violence has spilled over into the U.S. As drug cartels seize further control of Mexico’s northern regions and break down that nation’s ability to contain the spread of violence, many Americans fear that the chaos will increasingly find its way onto American soil. In terms of newsworthiness, this perceived risk has begun to take precedence over the larger immigration issues that have dominated U.S. politics in recent years.

The economy will naturally remain the key issue during both the GOP Primary and the general election, but the aforementioned national security concerns will no doubt play a significant role in future debates. Each of the candidates will likely be judged not only on the economic strategies they bring to the table, but also on their ideas for addressing the Iranian and Mexican threats which seem to become more serious with every passing headline.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *