American politics had plenty of press coverage in 2012. A presidential election was held Nov. 6. Key ballot issues passed as voters accepted legalized marijuana and gay marriage. Congress has yet to avert a financial pitfall that could happen once the new year starts. Despite the overload of political stories from 2012, some stood out more than others throughout the year.
Feb. 29: Fiscal cliff appears
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke coined the term "fiscal cliff" in late February during testimony before Congress. The fed chief said, "A massive fiscal cliff of large spending cuts and tax increases," according to the Nightly Business Report. The chairman went on to say he hoped Congress will "figure out ... long-run fiscal improvement without having it all happen at one date."
Feb. 29: Rush Limbaugh's "slutgate"
Politico noted Rush Limbaugh's controversial remarks he made regarding Sandra Fluke, the 30-year-old Georgetown law student who testified before Congress in favor of free contraception from insurance providers. The talk show host proceeded to call the young woman a "slut" and a "prostitute" for alleging she's being "paid to have sex" on campus.
March 1: Andrew Breitbart's death
Conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart died of a massive heart attack near his home in Los Angeles. Fox News reported the websites Breitbart founded announced his "unexpected" death from "natural causes." Breitbart helped bring down former Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York during his scandal in the late spring of 2011.
April 10: Rick Santorum dropped out of GOP race
The Washington Post revealed Rick Santorum's decision to drop out of the GOP primary race in mid-April. The former senator from Pennsylvania was the last major opponent for front-runner Mitt Romney who became the de facto nominee at that point in the election cycle.
May 17: Romney's "47 percent" remark
Time magazine reveals Yale's top quote of 2012 was made by Romney as he became the presumptive GOP nominee. During a fundraiser in Florida, one supporter secretly video recorded the Republican businessman saying, "There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what ... who are dependent on government, who believe that they are victims." Romney then said it wasn't his job to worry about those people. Several missteps like this made the founder of Bain Capital look like he was out of touch with ordinary Americans.
Sept. 11: Libya consulate deaths
Four Americans, including Ambassador John Christopher Stevens, were killed when insurgents stormed and burned the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya. A five-person review board concluded security was woefully short at the facility during a time of unrest in Libya. The State Department in general was held accountable for the lives of the four citizens, in addition to a lack of funding for proper security at the consulate in eastern Libya.
Nov. 6: General election results leaned to left with gay marriage, marijuana
Several election issues leaned to the left as results came in Tuesday night into Wednesday morning on Election Day. The Associated Press reports Maine and Maryland approved ballot measure legalizing gay marriage. Those results were the first time voters approved gay marriage. Washington state and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana use on the same day Americans re-elected Barack Obama.
Dec. 17: Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, died
The longest-serving member of the Senate died at the age of 88. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, was elected to the Senate in 1962. The Washington Times notes Inouye was the first Japanese-American elected to Congress. Only one senator remains who was first elected during the Vietnam era -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/timeline-top-political-stories-2012-165000711.html
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