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oday more than ever the Republican Party’s usual number of moderates and centrists, and even
preparations for the November 6, 2012 presi- several war veterans who had credentials that would
dential elections are long and laborious. Due to appeal to more conservative voters.
the system that selects candidates through the pri- For the Republicans, Bush was an important,
mary elections, all presidential campaigns in the Unit- though at times cumbersome precedent, especially
ed States are long and laborious. And with the renew- during the most critical and difficult episodes of his
al of Congress every two years, there is almost never a dual mandate. In preparing for the 2008 presidential
respite in the campaign. elections, it was difficult for Republicans to find a re-
The race for the Republican Party began during placement who did not invalidate the important as-
the election campaign for the 112th Congress, which pects of his presidency while still being able to elegantly
took place between 2009 and 2010. But it can also find distance himself from its most unappealing elements.
traces that go back to the presidential election of No- And this is mainly due to lack of suitable personnel. The
vember 4, 2008, in which Barack Obama led the De- choice fell to Senator John McCain, who of all the Re-
mocrats to the White House, and even back to the two publicans was the most openly critical of Bush. Thus
terms Republican George W. Bush. McCain was unable to offer an especially credible al-
Not even his political opponents and detractors ternative for the conservative electorate, which was
can deny that the Bush presidency was a strong and in- needed to defeat the Democrats.
cisive one. For better or worse, the eight years changed But the 2008 elections were not merely a scorching
how the United States acted in the world and how it was Republican defeat. They were also an opportunity for a
Linda Dupere holds a
sign at the Tax Payer perceived internationally. They also significantly significant change within the party – a healthy change.
Tea Party Rally in changed the Republican Party. The political-cultural In retrospect, the 2007-2008 primaries opened the
Concord, New axis during the Bush years – backed by the neocon- way for new faces and ideas that would significantly
Hampshire on April 15,
2011. servatives (who did not automatically constitute the “test the waters.” People like Mitt Romney and Mike
electoral base of the Republican Party) – moved the Huckabee initiated a dialogue with the electorate that
country’s center of gravity to the right. It is sympto- in three years has begun to bear unimaginable fruits
matically evidenced by the fact that to win the 110th with most conservative members of the American elec-
Congress, the Democratic Party was obliged in the torate. But above all, the Republican defeat in 2008
midterm elections of November 7, 2006 to run an un- brought to center stage two events that are now very
longitude #05 - 49
USA Elections 2012 USA Elections 2012