For the Final on 5/21: Review Blog

Ahhh... the last blog of the semester. Like the midterm review blog this is simply an opportunity for you to ask and answer each other's questions and discuss anything that you think will be helpful in preparation for the final. I would suggest looking at your class notes, handouts from class, your reading assignments, as well as the chapter reviews in the textbook. I will check into the blog every couple of days but this is primarily an open forum for you so check back often during the week and comment/question/ponder/review as much as you would like. Good luck with all of your studying!

For Class on 5/19: Civil Rights

Civil rights are the obligations imposed on the government to protect citizens from illegal action, often associated with discrimination based on race, gender, age, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.

The issue of civil rights is a central tenant in a government of the most diverse nation on Earth. The people, events, images, and processes involved in the ongoing story of civil rights are as dynamic as any in American history, and it is remarkable that our nation has evolved from a long tradition of slavery into a society which elected its first African American president. That remarkable event does not mean that discrimination or civil rights are issues of the past, however. On that same day in November 2008, a series of state initiatives across the nation restricted the rights of gays and lesbians including the right to marry and adopt children, providing a strong example of the numerous civil rights battles that are continuing nationwide.

While there is much to discuss regarding civil rights in America today, our time is short and we will be focusing on one topic that affects us all as members of an academic community: the debate over affirmative action. For this week’s blog, read the chapter that was assigned, making sure to focus on the page which outlines the two sides of the affirmative action debate. As you do so, please think about affirmative action broadly (going beyond race alone) and answer the following question:

Does affirmative action in college admissions create more of a positive or negative effect?

For Class on 5/14: Civil Liberties

As we near the end of the course it is time to put many of the elements of the American political system together in order to discuss some of the most important policy issues and debates in a more complete manner. We will frame many of these final issues through the lenses of civil liberties and civil rights. One of the most important and enduring debates was perhaps most famously expressed by Ben Franklin when he said:

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
- Benjamin Franklin (1755)

The balance between security and liberty is especially difficult during times of crisis or physical threat. Examples include Abraham Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War and the PATRIOT Act and the use of warrantless wiretapping after 9/11 along with dozens of examples in between. For this week, interpret Ben Franklin’s quote above and weigh in on how to best balance liberty and security in America. Does the proper balance change during times of crisis? Is there really any balance at all or is one clearly more dominant? Can we maximize both at the same time? This should help prepare us for a great discussion next class.

For Class on 5/7: The Courts

In Federalist #78, Alexander Hamilton was perhaps the first to forcefully argue that the judicial branch is the weakest branch of the American government. However the powers and roles of the Supreme Court has evolved over time along with the size of the federal judiciary. Many have argued that it is perhaps the most powerful branch due to the finality of its Constitutional interpretations and independence from the political forces which dominate the executive and legislative branches. Based on the reading in the textbook and your background knowledge, how would you rate the power and influence of the Judicial Branch relative to the other branches? Explain your position with some real life example if possible. Also feel free to open the discussion to the justice system in general, including local and state courts. This will serve us well as we look forward to discussing civil rights and civil liberties in the next few weeks.

For 4/30 (NO CLASS MEETING ON 4/23): Congress

There are 535 members of the United States Congress emanating from 435 districts and 50 states across the country. The legislative branch is generally known as the most “democratic” branch in our constitutional system due to each member representing their constituents in terms of interests, values, and decision-making. Yet, according to David Mayhew, one of the leading congressional scholars of the last half century, the members of congress act with one goal in mind: that of reelection. Furthermore, he argues that congressional staff, committees, and political parties play a role in this. This single-minded goal is debatable and will require more discussion in class. But if we assume it is true, is it a bad thing that members of congress are motivated by the desire to be reelected? Does this constant pursuit of reelection have a positive or negative impact on representation? Feel free to expand this discussion to representation in general.

Reminder: Your 3-page Obama Reflection paper is due on 4/30

For Class on 4/16: Obama Reflection Paper

This week I would like you to start to discuss what will be your research paper topic for the semester. The details are below and it is not due until April 30. You do not need to do any research for your blog post but can start to think about which area you might want to select from the list below (you should focus on only one) and what position you might take. In short, use this blog as a brainstorming opportunity regarding your reflection paper a and general forum regarding President Obama's term so far. Try to be as specific as possible in your initial thoughts. I am not concerned about whether you love him or hate him (OK I am but not in this blog post) but start to talk about his job as president based on what you know about the man and about the position. See the details below.

President Obama Reflection Paper

Due April 30

For this assignment you are to write a 3 page reflection paper (12 point font, double spaced, normal 1” margins) evaluating the Obama Presidency up to this point. After reading this week's assignment you have a good understanding about the roles, powers, goals, and limitations of the presidency as well as the personal characteristics of President Obama as well as some of the strategies he has used. This is a reflection paper where you share your thoughts and opinions in a well thought out concise paper. You are required to use a minimum of three sources for your research which should be cited (I think that 1 hour or so searching for relevant news would be all you might need – please ask about appropriate sources of information if you have questions about this and start with the political news links on the course website). You are to pick a specific area of his first year and a half to evaluate. Some suggestions may include:

• His handling of the financial crisis
• His handling of the War in Iraq
• His handling of the War in Afghanistan
• His relationship with the media
• How “transparent” his administration has been (Is most of the work being done behind closed doors or does the public have access to it?)
• His relationships with his party or bipartisanship
• His foreign policy
• His use of technology
• Whether he has followed up on campaign promises or not
• His effect on the Judicial Branch/Supreme Court
• His decision making style
• His public speaking
• His management of the executive bureaucracy
• How he relates or does not relate to the American public
• His handling of the health care reform

You are not limited to these choices and if you have other ideas please e-mail them to me. The main point is that you should pick some specific aspect of his presidency so far. One great way to brainstorm would be to look through the NY Times interactive article about his first year to see some of the areas that they have discussed (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/04/us/politics/obama-first-year.html?hp).

Regardless of what topic you choose you should discuss the following questions in your paper.

1. What has President Obama tried to do so far relating to your topic of choice?
2. What has he accomplished/failed to accomplish?
3. What do you think this suggests about the future of the Obama presidency?

If you have any questions please let me know.

Midterm Review Blog

This week please use the blog to review for the exam. This will be the only blog until the exam on Friday 4/9. Feel free to post general or specific questions or thoughts and then respond to each others posts. You do not need to write anything more than brief blog entries but I strongly encourage you to check into the blog regularly to look for questions and to help share ideas to review for the exam. The more entries that each of you adds the better for everyone. Make sure to review other entries so that you have correct concepts before the exam.

A couple of hints that I mentioned in class:

1. Use the review sheet (but don't psych yourself out) it is supposed to help you.
2. Make sure that you have core concepts for each of the sections down, this about how each are connected in the broader American political system, as you begin to connect those large concepts work to include other ideas and identifications connected to those core ideas.
3. Try to connect each area to one another (i.e. Political Parties to Interest Groups).
4. Make sure to review readings and class notes.

Good luck to all!

For Class on 3/26: Healthcare Reform

On Tuesday Barack Obama signed the healthcare reform bill into law. Presidents for nearly a century have been working toward improving our healthcare system and President Obama and the vast majority of Democrats who voted for the bill feel that they have finally accomplished what many have tried and failed at. Many Americans and all Republicans in Congress opposed this bill and are worried about its costs and the expanding role of government in our lives. Regardless of how you feel about healthcare reform, this law is, by most accounts, the most sweeping law regarding domestic policy, and the relationship between the American public and the federal government, passed in this country since the 1960s. I would like to know what you think.

First take a look at an overview of the history of healthcare reform efforts.
Then it will help to take a look at some of the highlights of the new law (or a more detailed description here) and how it is likely to affect you here or here.

From there I would simply like to know your response: Do you support this new law or oppose it? Was this an example of the true value of our political system or the true danger of it?

For Class on 3/19: Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Social Movements (Double Blog Opportunity)

Political parties, Interest Groups and social movements each try to shape the nature of political and power in America. We want to take a look at all three in this blog.

Political Parties have changed dramatically since the development of the Federalist party shortly following the ratification of the Constitution. While third parties have existed for most of American history our political system has been primarily dominated by two parties at a time creating the "two party system." Today's Democrats and Republicans (GOP) are very different from earlier forms and their goals and make up changes based on their political and electoral goals and the changing times. Take a look at each national party website to get a sense of how they are presenting themselves today.

Republican Party Webpage
Democratic Party Webpage

Interest groups come in all shapes and sizes. They may organize around particular groups of people, businesses or institutions, or groups organized around supporting certain issues. These groups attempt to influence the government by utilizing most of the forms of political participation that we discussed earlier in the semester. Just to get a sense of some examples of interest groups which are very active in American Politics today that a look at these sites (check out the "about us" sections if you aren't familiar with these organizations):

AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)
NRA (National Rifle Association)
Moveon.org
The Christian Coalition
The Sierra Club

Social movements share some similarities with interest groups, and political parties for that matter, but are fundamentally different as described at the beginning of the chapter you read for class. Social movements are broad groups of people who act, often outside of the traditional political channels to affect some society wide change.

Examples include the civil rights movement, women’s rights movement, Christian conservative movement and countless labor movements and strikes throughout US history.

As you evaluate the various methods of political involvement and different strategies to influence American politics, what do you think is the most effective strategy: political parties, interest groups or social movements? Why?

Keep in mind you can get two blog credits if you add more than one thoughtful comment and create a conversation with your classmates online.

For Class on 2/26: Participation at the 2008 Election

This week we are starting to look at political behavior, which includes many of the ways that citizens actively or passively interact with their government. The most obvious form of political participation is voting, although, as you will read, it is far from the only form of participation. I would like to take a look at the 2008 election results to start to get a sense about what it might mean in terms of how we were feeling and in November and what that means for us today.

First let's look at how the overall voter turnout in 2008 compares to other presidential elections since 1948. I suggest reading along the side to understand the difference between the Voting Age Population (VAP), and the Voting Eligible Population (VEP). You can get more detailed state by state information at the bottom of that page or by clicking here, Can you guess which state had the highest voter turnout?

Next lets look at how various groups across the nation voted. The most accurate measures of this come from exit polls taken from people who just left the voting booth. Some different looks at this are available here, or here.

Finally it is important to remember what issues each ticket campaigned on. Skimming through this page from CNN can help remind you.

After looking at this information what do you think it suggests about what people were looking for in November 2008? Do you think they are still looking for the same things? Do you think that the government is responding to the goals, wishes, or needs of the people?

For Class on 2/19: Important Political Issues

For the blog this week we are going to take a step back from the class reading and look at the major issues that have dominated recent political headlines. The president and Congress have many issues that they are dealing with along with gearing up (already!) for the 2010 mid term elections in November. Whether they successfully address the issues most important to Americans could go a long way in changing how people feel about their government and how politicians will fare in upcoming elections.

Start by taking a survey similar to those conducted by polling companies and news organizations regarding what issues are most important to you. you can find the survey here.

Next take a look at how your responses and the responses of your classmates compare to national polls here

Then please post a comment describing your reactions. you can use any or all of the following prompts as a starting point if you wish.

1. Choose one of the items you listed as extremely important and explain why.
2. Choose one of the items you did not think was very important and explain why.
3. Draw connections between these issues, the roll of the national government and the issues of trust, knowledge, and efficacy discussed last week.
   

For Class on 2/5: American Political Culture

This course will focus primarily on the American political system and how it affects us as citizens (and hopefully how we can affect it as well). Part of our reading this week discusses the interaction between trust in politics, knowledge in politics, and a sense of political efficacy. It also detailed the incredibly low level of political knowledge held by most Americans. That is something we will try to change this semester. Regardless of how much you know about our government or how much you trust it, it impacts you every day in many ways. As illustrated in Box 1.1 (pg. 6) and Fig. 1.1 (pg. 8) the government plays a large role in your life. This week I would like you to discuss any or all of these issues. Two questions that you might want to answer:

1. Although the government impacts us each and every day, most Americans don't know much about it or don't care. Why do you think that is the case?
2. How do you feel knowing that the government plays such a huge role in your life? Safe? Secure? Nervous? Vulnerable?

Remember: Your answers should be approximately one long or two short paragraphs and no more (around 150 words). No research is necessary but think carefully about what you want to write and respond to the ideas presented on the blog, not the people. Happy blogging!

Welcome

Welcome to your poliblog experience! Each week you will be required to read the post for that week (which may include a news article, question, comment, controversial issue, etc.) and respond with your comments. Each of your comments should be no more than 1/2 page (approx. 150 words) and must be posted by 8:00 Thursday night. You do not need to do any outside research in order to respond, just reflect on the topic of that week, the other comments posted on the blog and make an argument presenting your views. You must post at least one comment on 8 different weeks (NOTE: you do not need to write a comment every week). But you MUST read the post and all comments either Wednesday night or Thursday each week. Enjoy the world of the poliblog.