Election 2012: Shrinking Cities in Presidential Debates

The driving concerns of American presidential politics ebb and flow, reflected in the lan- guage spoken at presidential debates. Below, we map the frequency with which certain terms have been mentioned at debates over the last 35 years. Note how "inflation" went from a dominating topic to a minor one. See "terrorism" rise, then fall, then rise again. And watch "cities" and “urban" fade into the background of these quadrennial conversa- tions. Will the 2012 debates be any different? The Incredible Shrinking Cities Infographic by Benjamin Farahmand Source: Commision on Presidential Debates city cities urban rural budget- tax inflation spending deficit energy education oil terror terrorist terrorism iran iraq russia china 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 966 0007 2004 2008