Joe Biden: VP of the United States of Awkward

Joe Biden was picked as VP because of his foreign policy experience, but lately he has been in the headlines for a different reason.  He has often the been the subject of scrutiny for his, at times, uncomfortable closeness in public with total strangers and friends alike, that likely has the White House cringing.  Take a look at the three links embedded in this post..  Talk about awkward. Post a (school appropriate) Biden meme for a little bit of credit.  No repeats!

Ready to Cruz the USA or for a new bRand of President? (or Bush or Walker or Christie or Rubio)

So far (officially) only two candidates (with backing from a major party) have thrust themselves into the media spotlight by launching their campaign to run for the office of President of the United States in 2016.  The Senator from Kentucky, Dr. Rand Paul, is a former ophthalmologist by way of Kentucky and son of venerated libertarian darling Ron Paul.  His announcement came on Monday.  Since his announcement he has been under fire for his sometimes questionable reactions to media scrutiny.  Before Paul there was Senator Ted Cruz from Texas, the first official candidate for the Republican party, who is branding himself as the values-based religious option for the Republican palette.  Both share the Republican sentiment that Washington is broken, that they are newcomers/outsiders and the government that governs best governs least.  What are there chances against someone with the political clout of Jeb Bush or the more mainstream grassroots support of Gov. Scott Walker? Also, can they compete with the support of their likely Democratic challenger Hilary Clinton, who is set to announce her candidacy on Sunday?

Read all the linked articles to get an idea of how the 2016 Presidential race is shaping up in its infant stages and answer the following questions.  The thoughtfulness and in-depth analysis contained in your response will determine the value of your post. It is undeniable that these two first official candidates provide a fresh look on the field for 2016, but do you think they have a chance to win the primary?  What about the general election?  Why or why not?  If you were a Republican voter in the primary booth this fall, who would you vote for (assuming Christie, Walker, Rubio, Bush, or anyone else you might think of run) and why?  Would it be better for someone like Bush (center-leaning conservative) or Paul (right-leaning conservative) to win the primary?  What do you think the American people want in 2016?  If you were a voter (which most of you will be) what would you want the new President to address when they take office in 2017?  What issues do you think need to be on the policy agenda?  Be specific in your answers.

Opening the door for religious freedom or legalized discrimination?

In the wake of the controversial Indiana law and proposed Arkansas state law, a very provocative question has been dominating the headlines.  Should a business, if that business is owned by people with certain religious beliefs, be able to refuse service to someone because they believe what they are doing is against their beliefs?  Read this article for a good overview of the controversy.  For example, should there be a law that allows a bakery to refuse (based on religious beliefs) to make a cake for a wedding between two people of the same sex?  Does it hinder their ability to freely exercise their religion per the 1st amendment? Or does it simply allow businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation?  Is this similar to the racial discrimination of the past?  Is refusal of service based on sexual orientation any different from refusal of service based on race or gender?  Be sure to explain your reasons for your opinion, don't just answer yes or no.  Start a discussion below of the core ideas at work here (e.g. freedom of religion, separation of church and state, unlawful discrimination, expectations of private business, etc.).  Opinions are welcome, and necessary for this discussion.  Disagreement is inevitable, but keep in mind this is no place for ranting or personal attacks (like the comment section on so many articles pertaining to this subject, we're better than that).  Points will be awarded based on the thoughtfulness and completeness of the response.  Also, be sure to cite the articles I posted (or an article you found, or the law itself) at least twice in your response for credit.

Role play with the President

The recent talks with Iran in negotiating a deal on limitations of nuclear weapons in the Middle East has been dominating the headlines lately.  Clearly the President plays a big part in these negotiations, but exactly what role does he play?  Go to this article for background and details and answer the following questions.  What role (of the roles we talked about in class) is the President playing here?  How so?  What secondary role is he playing?  Use specific details from the article to back up your analysis and be sure to explain your reasoning behind your answer.    

Reflections on the legislative process (due Friday 3/27)

For credit, respond in complete sentences with more than one sentence answers.  Focus on your analysis and answering they why and how questions.  This is the last post for the 3rd quarter.

1. 3-6% of bills introduced in Congress become law. Is this passage rate good or bad? Why?
2. Members of Congress know that a bill they introduce has a very small chance of passing. Why do they do it anyway? What purpose is served by introducing a bill?
3. To what extent is each step of the process an opportunity for elected officials to represent the interests of their constituents?
4. How does the legislative process enable the House and Senate to test ideas before they become law?
5. How does the process by which legislation is made affect its outcome?
6. What do the documents studied in this lesson show about how citizens can affect the legislative process?
7. What do you think the public does not know but should learn about how Congress works?
8. What features of the legislative process do you think should be preserved? What features should be changed?
9. In what way does understanding the legislative process factor into voters' opinions in favor of or against incumbent candidates?

Congressional "Power of the Purse"

After reading the NPR article I handed out in class, answer the following questions by end of school on Friday for credit.

1. How does this illustrate the use of Congress "power of the purse" as a check on executive power?
2. How does htis article illustrate the influence of political parties in Congress?
3. Do you think what Obama is doing with his executive actions is unconstitutional (as Republicans clearly do)?  What if you framed the legal argument as the President using his pardoning power?  What then?  Does that change your opinion of his actions?  Why or why not?
4. Do you think it is justified for the Republicans to threaten government shutdown or should they go another route?  Justify your answer.

Gerrymandering simplified

Here is a really simple and easy to understand explanation of gerrymandering courtesy of the Washington Post.