Inside Story Americas: Did the US Election Mark a Fundamental Shift to the Left?

November 09, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

Some are painting the the US elections as a major victory for a progressive vision of America. President Barack Obama was re-elected despite attempts by Republicans to paint him as an angry, socialist liberal, African-American infringing on religious rights. For the first time in US history, gay marriage was legalized by popular vote in three states. And in another first for the country, two states legalized marijuana for recreational use. So is the US shifting toward the left. Inside Story Americas discusses with guests Matt Lewis, Irin Carmon, and Frank Schaeffer.

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US presidential election, 2012

The United States presidential election of 2012 was the 57th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. The Democratic nominee, incumbent President Barack Obama, and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, were elected to a second term. Th... Explore this topic

Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex and/or gender identity. Legal recognition of same-sex marriage is sometimes referred to as marriage equality or equal marriage, particularly by supporters. The first laws in modern times recognizing s... Explore this topic

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II (/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama served as a U.S. Senator representing the state of Illinois from January 2005 to Novemb... Explore this topic

Drug liberalization

Drug liberalization is the process of eliminating or reducing drug prohibition laws. Variations of drug liberalization include drug relegalization, drug legalization, and drug decriminalization. The reasons given for this include the failure of current policies, the revenue to... Explore this topic

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party, also commonly called the GOP, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery activists in 1854, it dominated politics nationally for most of the period from 1860 t... Explore this topic

Politics of the United States

The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States, Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. The executive branch is head... Explore this topic

Women in government

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United States

The United States of America, commonly called the United States, or America, is a federal republic consisting of fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capi... Explore this topic

Abortion debate

The abortion debate refers to the ongoing controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the self-described "pro-choice" movement (emphasizing the right of women to choose whether they wish to bring a fet... Explore this topic

Legality of cannabis

The legality of cannabis concerns laws which in most countries regulate the, use, possession, cultivation, transfer, and trade in Cannabis. Since the beginning of widespread cannabis prohibition around the mid 20th century, most countries have not re-legalized it for personal ... Explore this topic

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US presidential election, 2012

Same-sex marriage

Barack Obama

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