Overview: From Bush to Obama 

In 2008, American voters—tired of war and dispirited by the economic downturn—elected Barack Obama, a relative newcomer to the political scene who inspired them and made them believe that the United States could rise above political partisanship. Barack Obama’s story resembled that of many Americans: a multicultural background, a single working mother, and care provided by maternal grandparents. As president, Obama has faced significant challenges, including managing the economic recovery in the wake of the Great Recession, fighting the War on Terror inherited from the previous administration, and implementing the healthcare reform upon which he had campaigned.

Despite Republican resistance and political gridlock in Washington during his first term in office, President Obama oversaw the distribution of $7.77 trillion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to help shore up the nation’s banking system, and Congress authorized $80 billion to help the auto industries Chrysler and General Motors. The goals of Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly known as "Obamacare") were to provide all Americans with access to affordable health insurance, to require that everyone in the United States had some form of health insurance, and to lower the costs of healthcare. During his second term, the economy has grown modestly, though unemployment is still high in some areas. Acceptance of same-sex marriage has risen, and the United States has sharply reduced its military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 2016 Presidential Candidates 

The United States presidential election of 2016 will occur on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, and will usher in a new president upon completion of Obama's second and final term in office. The series of presidential primary elections and caucuses took place between February 1 and June 14, 2016, staggered among the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. The 2016 Republican National Convention took place from July 18-21, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio, while the 2016 Democratic National Convention took place from July 25-28, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Businessman and reality television personality Donald Trump became the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party on May 3, 2016, after his win in the Indiana primary and the subsequent suspensions of Ted Cruz's and John Kasich's campaigns. Former Secretary of State and New York Senator Hillary Clinton became the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the general election on June 6, 2016. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign has stated he will assist in efforts to defeat Trump. 

Republican Candidate Donald Trump

Donald Trump in a New Hampshire Town Hall on August 19th, 2015 at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH 

Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton speaking at an event in Des Moines, Iowa

Various third party and independent presidential candidates will also run in the election. Two third party candidates have obtained enough ballot access to mathematically have a chance of winning the presidency and have been featured in major national polls: the Libertarian Party nominee, former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson, and the Green Party presumptive nominee Jill Stein.

The Rise of Populism

Populism is a political doctrine or philosophy that proposes that the rights and powers of ordinary people are exploited by a privileged elite, and supports their struggle to overcome this inequity. Populists believe that virtuous citizens are being mistreated by a small circle of elites, who can be overthrown if the people recognize the danger and work together. The elites are depicted as trampling in illegitimate fashion upon the rights, values, and voice of the common people.

History of Populism in the U.S.

Populism has a long and complicated history in the United States; indeed, it was populist sentiment among the white Euro-American colonists against the entrenched British royal government that fueled the American Revolution. (Ironically, these same colonists were, at the same time, trampling on the rights, values, and voices of American Indians and enslaved Africans). There have been several iterations of populist movements in the United States. The terminology was inspired by the Populist Party of the 1890s, whereby Midwestern and Southern farmers, as well as some labor unions, denounced a system in which “the fruits of the toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few.”

Modern Politics and the Resurgence of Populism

Modern U.S. politics has seen a rise in populism in recent years in both the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as other political parties. In the 1990s and 2000s, the presidential campaigns of third-party billionaire Ross Perot, Green Party and Independent Ralph Nader, and Democrat John Edwards have been identified by the media as running populist campaigns. From its beginnings in early 2009, the Tea Party movement has used populist rhetoric, particularly in areas and states where Democrats are in power, for example, through its name (referencing the Boston Tea Party that led up to the American Revolution), large outdoor rallies, and use of patriotic slogans and symbols (such as the 'Don't Tread on Me' Gadsden Flag). 

In a recent example of populist movements, participants of the Occupy movement chose the slogan "We are the 99%" The Occupy leadership used the phrase "the 1%" to refer to the 1% of Americans who are most wealthy. The Occupy movement believed that the 1% was creating economic instability and undermining the social safety nets previously implemented by the government. Political science professors Joe Lowndes and Dorian Warren were among those to conclude that Occupy Wall Street was the "first major populist movement on the U.S. left since the 1930s."

The 2016 presidential election has seen a wave of populist sentiment in the campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, with both candidates running on anti-establishment platforms in the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. Both campaigns appeal to economic protectionism and have criticized free trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Their movements coincide with a similar trend of populism in Europe.