2. George W BushBarack Obama  Election of 2000  September 11 th  USA PATRIOT Act  War in Afghanistan  War in Iraq  Bush Domestic Policies  Election of 2004  2008 Recession  Election of 2008  Stimulus Act  Health Care Reform  Death of Osama bin Laden  Arab Spring  European Financial Crisis  Obama Domestic Policies  Current Election

3.  George W Bush (R) v. Al Gore (D) v. Ralph Nader (G)  VERY close in Florida  Some ballots not 100% marked ◦ “Hanging chads”, “Dimpled chads”, “Pregnant chads”  Went to the Supreme Court ◦ Ruled in Bush v. Gore that the recount method violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14 th amendment and no alternative could be reached before the results had to be constitutionally certified and thus the recount stopped and therefore Bush won  Very contentious; led to a cloud of illegitimacy over Bush’s administration

4. Bush = 271 Gore = 266

5.  4 planes hijacked out of Boston’s Logan Airport  2 hit the World Trade Center in NY, 1 hit the Pentagon in DC, and 1 was taken down by passengers in a field in PA (it’s target was in DC)  WTC collapsed, killing all inside including first responders  3,000+ Americans died  Carried out by al Qaeda (Osama bin Laden’s group)

6.  Stands for Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001  Passed in response to 9/11 Attacks  Authorized government and law enforcement to gather personal information in order to prevent terrorist attacks ◦ Wiretapping phones ◦ Collecting computer, business, and library records ◦ Indefinite detention of immigrants  Reauthorized in 2005  Related (but not in Patriot Act): Creation of Department of Homeland Security in the Cabinet

7.  In response to 9/11  because we believed bin Laden was in Afghanistan and that the Taliban (Afghan govt) was giving him asylum  History ◦ USSR invaded Afghanistan in the 1980s  Sort of like the Vietnam War for them – a disaster ◦ We supported the Mujahedeen and Taliban by sending them aid and weapons to fight off commies ◦ They won and the Taliban instituted a very restrictive govt in Afghanistan  Particularly crushed women’s rights  Quickly kicked out the Taliban, but many areas of resistance and Taliban loyalty remained  an insurgency  Could not find bin Laden  Had to get a functioning Afghan govt. up and running that could secure the country ◦ Afghan pres = Hamid Karzai  Current situation: Recent NATO meeting led to commitment to withdraw troops mid 2013

8.  March 20, 2003 – August 2010 (last combat troops removed, though sectarian violence continues)  Begun under the Bush Doctrine of preemptive warfare ◦ Take care of a threat before it hurts us ◦ Threat = Saddam Hussein’s possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction  Tried to get UN to fight against Iraq, but vetoed by France in Security Council  Created a “Coalition of the Willing” to fight ◦ Britain = biggest ally; but vast majority of burden shouldered by America  WMD Controversy ◦ Turns out, Iraq didn’t have WMD at all (destroyed in 1991) ◦ We found out in 2004 ◦ War protestors say that Bush and Blair (UK) knew this before the war, but used WMD as a rationale for going into Iraq; claim real motivation war oil, distraction from Afghanistan, and to finish Bush Sr.’s business

9.  Installed a new government ◦ President = Nouri al Maliki  Toppled Saddam Hussein ◦ Found later hiding in a hole in the ground ◦ Arrested, put on trial by an Iraqi court, convicted, sentenced and executed (by hanging)  But much sectarian violence continued (a civil war) ◦ Sunni v. Shia ◦ Insurgency against American troops  War became hugely unpopular, especially after revelations about no WMD, abuses by private companies operating in Iraq (Blackwater) and questionable US troop actions ◦ Abu-Ghraibb prison scandal  Obama elected on anti-war platform  Withdrew last combat troops in August 2010

10.  August 2005  Hit New Orleans, Gulf shores of Mississippi and Alabama  At least 1,800 people died in the storm & flooding  Breached the levees and thoroughly flooded New Orleans  Massive flooding, chaos, and death  Response by FEMA was heavily criticized ◦ Kanye West’s comments on Concert for Hurricane Relief

11. TaxesEducation  Passed 2 major tax cuts  Increased the standard income tax deduction for married couples, eliminated the estate tax, and reduced marginal tax rates  Temporary but Bush pushed to make them permanent  Designed to stimulate growth (like Reaganomics)  Criticized for benefitting the wealthy and adding to the deficit  No Child Left Behind Act  Set new standards for public schools  Measuring tool = state standard tests  Low-performing schools given aid  Parents given option to move kids away from low-performing schools

12.  Various ◦ Stem-cell research: Against ◦ Abortion: Against ◦ Gay Marriage: Against ◦ Oil drilling: Pro ◦ Social Security: Privatization ◦ Capital Punishment: Pro ◦ Kyoto Protocol (Global Warming): Against ◦ Gun Rights: Pro ◦ Immigration Reform: Pro

13.  George W Bush (R) v. John Kerry (D)  Main issues included ◦ Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ◦ Terrorism ◦ Security v. Rights  Bush won more decisively than 2000, but a very contentious election

14. Bush = 286 Gore = 251

15.  Also called “The Great Recession”  Caused by the “housing bubble” ◦ Belief that real estate investments were very safe and very lucrative (the price of a house will always go up) ◦ Lots of speculation (house “flipping”) where people would try to buy low and sell high ◦ Lots of loans made by banks to people who couldn’t afford it  0 down loans  Adjustable Rate Mortgages ◦ Effect: Houses sold for LOTS of money

16.  The bubble burst ◦ ARMs reset to higher interest rates  people couldn’t afford the new payments  foreclosures ◦ People who couldn’t afford the mortgage in the first place defaulted ◦ Properties weren’t really worth as much as they paid  Effects ◦ Banks had lots of foreclosed houses on their hands, can’t sell them for what they bought them for (the houses were “underwater”)  HUGE losses ◦ So many banks went bankrupt!  IndyMac, Wachovia, Washington Mututal ◦ FDIC insured deposits or arranged for bigger banks to buy them  Big banks (Chase, BofA, Citi, Wells) came out even bigger, but with “troubled assets” on their hands ◦ Credit dried up  MUCH harder to get a loan now, despite historically low interest rates

17.  Government response ◦ Bush: Trouble Assets Relief Program (TARP)  Government “bail out” of companies that were “too big to fail” by buying their stock  Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, AIG, Citigroup, American car companies  Govt. authorized to spend $700 billion on these companies ◦ Obama: Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act  Increased capital requirements for banks & limited their ability to trade in risky stocks (hedge funds, etc.)  JP Morgan Chase just lost $2billion+ last month prompting discussion about the strength of this reform, need for more regulation, or too much regulation

18.  Barack Obama (D) v. John McCain (R)  Messy Democratic primary race ◦ Hillary Clinton v. Obama v. John Edwards (and more) ◦ Clinton was presumed favorite, toppled by Obama  Obama elected on anti-war platform, pro- stimulus, health care reform platform  Seemed to be a referendum on economy  Historic: Obama is the first African-American President

19. Obama= 365 McCain= 173

20.  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009  Designed to save and create jobs through direct government spending and stimulus  ≈$550 billion in unemployment aid, aid to state governments, transportation projects, renewable energy projects, homebuyer tax credits, payroll tax cuts, etc.

22.  Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act  Passed March 23, 2010 after a very contentious debate season ◦ Summer 2009 featured heated town hall style meetings across the nation  Major components: ◦ Individual Mandate – all people must buy health insurance or face a tax penalty ◦ Insurance companies may not drop people because of preexisting conditions ◦ Children may stay on their parents’ coverage till age 26 ◦ Sets up health insurance exchanges for high-risk individuals ◦ Businesses with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance to workers  Arguments: Conservatives  govt getting too big, spending too much money; Liberals  want a public option but like the reforms  Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the constitutionality of the law; will issue ruling in June  Still very controversial, probably a big part of the upcoming election

23.  Wave of uprisings across the Arab world in the winter-spring 2010-11  First in Tunisia; led to deposing of King Zine el Abidine Ben Ali  Largest in Egypt ◦ Deposed President Hosni Mubarak, who had held power for 30 years  Had exercised extreme power by declaring Egypt in a “state of emergency” constantly since 1980! ◦ Getting ready for elections right now  Libya ◦ Descended into civil war when despot Momar Ghadaffi fought back against rebels and shelled civilian cities ◦ NATO created a “no fly zone” to stop the shellings and give the rebels cover ◦ Ghadaffi deposed, found by rebels, and killed  Syria ◦ Current uprising against President Bashar al-Assad ◦ Government shelling of civilians in cities (Homs)

25.  May 2, 2011  Found in Abottabad, Pakistan, living in a private house near a military college  Raid by Seal Team 6 led to his killing  Buried at sea to avoid creating a shrine for future terrorists  Led to increased tensions with Pakistan ◦ Did they know he was there? ◦ How could they not have known given his location? ◦ Pakistan upset with us over our unilateral action

26.  Increasing debt among certain European nations that belong to the Euro Zone sent interest rates on bonds soaring ◦ Effect: Too expensive to borrow money anymore!  Countries needed to be bailed out by the European Central Banks ◦ Ireland, Portugal, Greece – now Spain and Italy??? ◦ Spearheaded (and funded) by Germany  Bailouts came with strict conditions that countries must implement austerity cuts and balance their budgets  Led to protests against cuts, and recent French election ◦ Pro-austerity conservative Sarkozy ousted in favor of pro-growth (stimulus) Hollande  Much concern over the Euro Zone (will Greece leave? Get kicked out? Will it survive?) and over the “contagion” effect this might have on world markets

28.  Gay rights ◦ Ended “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in military  Now cannot be terminated for being gay (even openly so) ◦ Recently said he’s personally in favor of gay marriage  Education ◦ “Race to the Top” ◦ Money to states that show dramatic plan to reform education  Against oil sands pipeline from Canada

29.  Barack Obama (D) v. presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney  Messy Republican primary season ◦ Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Paul, Bachman, Cain, Huntsman, Pawlenty, Perry  Probably issues: ◦ Health care, wrapping up War in Afghanistan, economic growht