Tragedy

In his remarks regarding the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama alluded to 'taking action' to prevent this from ever happening again. Sadly, political pundits quickly turned his address into a debate over gun control in our country instead of coming together and healing.
So, A.P.G.A.P. students, the question for this week is to examine the role that firearms play in U.S. politics. Why do you think are two political parties are so split when it comes to gun ownership? Why is gun ownership such a hallmark of American culture, but not in other developed countries? What was the intent of the Second Amendment and how does that intent apply to today? Last, would more regulations on gun ownership prevent something like this from ever happening again, or is just a quick reaction in our desire to find someone to blame?

The Supreme Court has announced they will hear two cases on gay marriage this coming spring. As you will learn in a few months, there are two perspectives when it comes to the role the Supreme Court should play in American politics; judicial restraint and judicial activism. As can be concluded from those terms, restraint involves a court that does not seek cases that will lead to significant, sweeping precedents, whereas judicial activism is exactly as it sounds; active in making decisions that lead to policy.
It appears our current Supreme Court is activist as they are tackling one of the most controversial, debated, and current topics in our political culture today.
Read the article and write back with your opinion on the following:
Should the Supreme Court be able to choose cases which will lead to both publicity and policy changes?
How do you think the Supreme Court will decide this case? What amendment(s) will they look to in defining marriage and the constitutionality of a law that bans gay marriage? How do you think the Supreme Court should rule on this case?
Is gay marriage a political issue? Why/why not? Does it matter? Why does it matter? Who should have the authority when it comes to telling people who they can and cannot marry? (country, state, church, individual)...

Explaining the Iowa Caucus

Here's a handy video to try and help explain how a caucus works-in this case the Iowa caucus. Watch the video and compare it to what you know about the way in which primaries work. Which system of selecting a candidate is more representative of the people? Why do you think so? Does it makes sense that certain states have primaries (open/closed/blanket), whereas others have caucuses? Is there a better way of selecting presidential candidates?

Super PAC Spending

Take a look at this chart and then read this article and then comment on the following:

• despite the controversy over Citizens United vs. F.E.C., it appears as if all the outside spending did not influence the 2012 one way or the other. So, should the uproar of this decision stop? why/why not?
• seeing as the close to $1 billion spent by political action committees did little to sway the vote, or increase voter turnout, should their be a law that stops these groups from being able to raise so much money, simply because this money appears to be 'wasted'? Or, should unions and corporations maintain the right to spend ridiculous amounts of money on elections?
• what ways can you think of to improve the manner in which campaigns are run and funded? What ideas would simplify this process and make it fair?

A Shift in Thinking...



I heard something about this on T.V. recently and felt a bit dumb at the fact that I knew nothing about it. The abolition of military is something that, at first thought, would seem impossible for a country to function with (or without). However, as the article states, it is something practiced by close to 20 countries, and it seems to be a success. Huh....
So, what's your reaction? Is this concept simply too idealistic? What would the consequences be in the United States? Lastly, come up with as many reasons as you can in regards to why the abolition of the military would be politically impossible in the U.S. considering our current political culture and foreign policy.

If the World Could Vote

To no surprise, the topic for this week's APGAP extra credit deals with our recent presidential election. However, instead of focusing on the actual results, let's step back and ask the question; 'If the world could vote, who would they vote for?' There are many sites dedicated to this question, and all of them report similar results to the pie chart above. Why?, I wonder is this the case.
For extra credit do any, or all, of the following:
-develop and explain as many reasons as you can for the overwhelming support of President Obama world wide.
-research and find the only two countries in the world that would not have voted for President Obama in the recent election and explain why you think those two nations go against the trend.

The New York Times provides an excellent resources for all things political on their five-thirty-eight blog. They run countless computer models and simulated elections, and in doing so, have predicted an Obama victory on November 6th.
Your extra credit for this week is to check out the blog and then compare it to the actual election results. How accurate were the predictions and models? What did it get wrong? If there are some glaring mistakes made on the blog (for example: if Romney wins) what does this tell you about political polls and prediction models?
Lastly; for all you 18 year olds, remember to VOTE!

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?

Campaign ads! I know we are all sick of them, but let's use this opportunity to analyze, question, and break them down. Above is a particularly aggressive ad attacking President Obama for 'attacking success'. While it does use a speech President Obama gave, it takes it completely out of context. Is this fair? Here's your opportunity-find an ad, analyze what it has to say, and dig into some research and report on the validity, or lack thereof, of your particular ad.

 

This Tuesday, September 18th, the League of Women Voters of Door County is hosting a screening of the movie Patriocracy at the Door County auditorium at 7 p.m. The League's website says this about the film:

 

"Documentary film "Patriocracy" offers a "non-partisan examination of the Washington dysfunction and hyper-partisanship undermining America's ability to tackle its most serious problems. Whether it's the national debt, healthcare reform, the war on terror or illegal immigration, Americans are shouting at each other instead of listening to each other. Patriocracy brings an all-star cast of Senators, Congressmen/women, top Washington journalists, pundits and academia to the screen; giving their candid and comprehensive insights into the factors behind extreme polarization. It offers a detailed examination of how Americans have become so polarized over the past decade. Patriocracy is produced and directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Brian Malone and is Executive Produced by well-known producer, Stephen Nemeth."

 

Attend the movie and reply with your reactions to it. What did you learn? How does it make you feel about our current political system and political culture? Can anything be done to fix the issues exposed in the film?

 

As we begin our study of the Constitution, one of the more curious topics we cover is the Electoral College. Questions always arise about why it was created, why it hasn't been abolished, and how it's possible to win the presidential election without receiving a majority of the total votes cast. Consider this extra credit opportunity a scavenger-hunt of sorts. Research and report on any, or all, of the following questions:

• why did the 'founding fathers' create the Electoral College? What were they hoping to prevent?
• why has the Electoral College never been abolished? In other words, why do we still have it?
• has the Electoral College ever gotten it wrong? Have there been any elections in which the winning candidate actually received less total votes than the losing candidate? What is your reaction to your findings?
• lastly, do you think the Electoral College is the best way to elect a president in the United States? Why or why not? How do your feelings connect to the intent of the founding fathers in created this electoral process? If you think there is a better way, explain how your ideas would work.

American Political Culture

The Choice



 

Without a doubt you have already been bombarded with countless political ads, headlines, articles, and statements telling you who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election. This blog post isn't about who you will (or would) vote for, but rather you are being asked to assess the current state of politics in the United States. In essence, what is your critique of our current political culture, and why? Supply some evidence to back up your opinion. For example, paste a link to an article you read or ad you watched. Lastly, based upon your critique, conclude with some insight into the consequences of the condition you described.