Attention: Undecided Voter

I remember voting in my first election; Bush vs. Gore in 2000. Besides the election results taking close to a month to be announced, what I remember most about voting for the first time was (especially upon reflection) being really uninformed about each individual's political stance. For most of you, this is your first election. And, even if you can't vote yet it's never too early to really investigate your beliefs measured against those running for office.

 

This site offers the best political quiz I have come across, for it allows you to do more than simply answer yes or no. Be sure to expand your options when answering questions, and also be sure to indicate how important each topic is to you. I took this quiz and was a bit surprised at my result. If you feel comfortable sharing, what are your results? Also, who are the other individuals listed besides Obama and Romney?, what you think their parties represent?, and why don't they get any attention? 

Lincoln: The Movie

O.K., so I know we are only a couple weeks away from a presidential election, but instead of debating who won this or that debate, and whose energy policy makes sense, let's talk movies! I, for one, am super excited about the Lincoln movie. It's based upon the book Team of Rivals (also awesome), and looks absolutely amazing. So, let's have a fun extra credit blogging opportunity this week; 1. Which other presidential administration would make a great movie that you would line up to watch? 2. Which presidential administration would make a horrible movie that you would absolutely not want to watch? And why?
My answers:
1. Teddy Roosevelt (in addition to being a good president, he was also kind of crazy)
2. William Henry Harrison (died about a month into his presidency)

Round 2

If you missed the first presidential debate, I strongly encourage you to catch the second; Tuesday night at 8. Most everyone felt as if Mitt Romney won the first debate hands down, as President Obama seemed sullen and unwilling to counter many of the claims made by his challenger. As a result, most national polls show Mitt Romney tied with, or even with a slight lead, over President Obama. So, watch round 2 on Tuesday night and report back with who you think was victorious and why.

The Bill of Rights

We spent class on Friday discussing the 1st Amendment and how one could interpret the 2 religion clauses within it as a way to dissect the constitutionality of a law requiring students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Well, it brings me great governmental excitement to say that there are several other phrases and ideas within the Bill of Rights that can be interpreted in myriad ways. Therefore, your extra credit task for the week is to take a look at our first 10 Amendments and find something that can be interpreted it multiple ways. Explain these perspectives and conclude with your argument in regards to how this amendment/phrase/idea should apply today.

Debate!

The first of the  Presidential Debates occurs this Wednesday evening. Watch the debates and report back with who, in your opinion, won the debate, and why? Try to watch these debates from an unbiased perspective and ask yourself whether these individuals are simply repeating memorized lines and phrases, or if you think they are actually thinking originally and proposing real ideas. In essence, are the debates merely another platform to repeat rehearsed slogans, or are they the only opportunity for the candidates to speak their minds freely?