Best of 2012: The Year of Comedy, Citizens United, Health Care Competition, and Trolls
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Red lights illuminate Pennsylvania Avenue as the U.S. Capitol glows in the twilight, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, as talks continue on the looming fiscal cliff.
The Political Landscape is a weekly conversation with National Journal writers, editors, and outside experts on the news of the day.
2012 was a year of ineffable change domestically and abroad. At home: historic elections, a shifting demographic, evolving technologies, and tragic shootings. Abroad: political upheaval and unrest across the Middle East, changing U.S. military strategies, and the threat of a nuclear-capable Iran.
On this week's episode, we focus on the domestic issues covered by Political Landscape in 2012. We'll play back the highlights from some of the best interviews of the year. If you'd like to skip around to different topics, note the timestamps below. They represent when each topic comes up on this week's episode.
We investigated the impact of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision on the 2012 election. (2:20-6:58)
We examined Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's jobs plan. (6:58-11:07)
We dug into the advanced data-mining techniques used by both presidential campaigns. (11:07-15:47)
We explored the ways the presidential candidates were strategically using (or not using) comedic appearances to curry favor with voters. (32:08-35:49)
After Election Day, we spun the story forward.
We discussed the ramifications of results up and down the ballot. (15:47-20:57)
We talked about the coming changes for health care policy (20:57-26:20), net neutrality (26:20-32:08), and gun control.
Check out last week's episode on gun control's origins and future.
Check out all episodes of The Political Landscape.
