Religious diversity of the 113th Congress

Respond to the article about the religious diversity of Congresspeople in the comments section below.

North Carolina Senate Race: It's a close one

Respond to the article we went over in class and post your responses to the questions here.

Rick Scott v. Charlie Crist III: The Final Showdown

There is a third and final gubernatorial debate in Jacksonville tonight between the two major candidates.  After the media hype surrounding fangate, we will hopefully get back to focus on the issues facing Florida.  Watch the debate tonight at 7 PM on WJXT and answer the following questions:

1.  What was the most important issue the candidates went over in the first thirty minutes (must be in the first half of debate for credit) of the debate?  Why do you think it is important? What were the positions of each candidate? Do you agree with Scott or Crist? Why?

2.  What was the most important issue the candidates went over in the second thirty minutes (must be in the second half of debate for credit) of the debate?  Why do you think it is important?  What were the positions of each candidate?  Do you agree with Scott or Crist? Why?

3.  Who do you think went more negative (highlighted the shortcomings of the other candidate) in the debate?  Identify a specific comment and the policy area from the candidate you believe went more negative.

4. Did either candidate mention or make light of "fangate?"

5. Did this debate make you a more informed (potential) voter?  What is the purpose of debates such as this one?  Do you think this debate achieved the purposes you identified?

6.  What was your overall impression of the debate?  Who would you vote for and why?  Did anything about either of the candidates surprise you?

Party Division: Prospects for 2014 and beyond

Currently the Senate Democrats are distancing themselves from Presdient Obama because of his dropping approval ratings.  Associating with the President at this point can be a dangerous proposition for incumbent Democratic Senators in contentious, competitive races.  with the election only a month away, will this strategy work for the Democrats?  Read this HuffPost article outlining the strategy.  A similar dynamic is currently building up in the Republican party as the campaign season for the 2016 Presidential election is going to start in the next six months.  In anticipation of the upcoming push for the Republican Presidential nod, two prominent Republicans are showing where they stand on policy issues.  Chris Christie is a moderate Republican Governor in New Jersey, a state with a Democratic legislature, so he must consistently compromise to maintain his image as a "straight-talk, get the job done" kind of Governor.  Rand Paul, son of Libertarian legend Ron Paul, is a dedicated advocate of free market solutions and doesn't mind holding his ground and having an 'agree to disagree' attitude about certain policies.  They are both Republicans and have been in a war of words over the last year because of their different attitudes about the future of the party  and the best way to increase the base of the party to maximize their possibilities of Presidential success in 2016.  Read this article from CNN about the two Republican hopefuls an answer the following questions about both articles. 

1. Both of these articles indicate rifts within each party (illustrated by Paul v. Christie and Senate Dems v. Obama).  Which of these rifts do you think will have a bigger impact?  The Republican rift and their chances for winning nationally in 2016 or the Democrats and their chances for keeping the Senate in 2014?  Why?

      2. Do you think the Senate Dems will be successful in 2014 or not? Will their strategy work? Why or why not?

      3. Do you think the Republicans will be successful in 2016 or not? Will their strategy work? Why or why not?

      4. Is it a good thing that Paul and Christie, “sound a lot alike” as they say in the article?  Would you vote for someone you did not agree with all of the time?  What are the possible ways this could play out in the 2016 Republican primary?  Explain.

      5. Is it a good thing that the Democrats are distancing themselves from Obama?  Is this simply political posturing to maximize reelection chances or do you think these Democrats are genuinely in disagreement with the President?  Explain.

      6. Is there any bias evident in either article?  Cite and explain.

Articles from the other side....

For this post you will be reading an article from FoxNews about the Democrats and an article from MSNBC about the Republicans.  The FoxNews article focuses on the race for the mayor of DC, which could prove historic.  D.C. has never had a non-Democrat mayor, but in 2014 two independents will be running, that might stand a chance.  The MSNBC article focuses on the Value Voters Summit, a Republican conference to discuss how the party can reach out to voters who are conservative on social issues, a major base for the Republican party.  Read both articles and answer the following questions.

FoxNews article:
1. ID at least four unit 2 concepts in the article with corresponding evidence from the article (I need a concept tied to a brief quote from the article here).
2. Identify two major factors (specifically citing the article for evidence) that affect a candidate’s chances for winning an election.  Rank them in order of importance and explain why you think each concept is important.
3.  How will Catania’s status as a former Republican-turned-independent affect his chances to win the election come November?  Explain your answer.

MSNBC article:
1. What role do these type of events play in electoral politics?  What function do they serve? Answer with reference to at least two functions along with an explanation of why it is important.
2. Do you think it is possible for Republicans to maintain socially conservative policies and still win over enough independents (also women and the youth vote) to win the 2016 election?  Why or why not?
3. What are some possible political ramifications if Republicans actually do relax their stance on social policies to attract independents?  Will this dissuade conservatives from voting for them? Will it leave an opening for a socially conservative third party to make an impact? Why or why not?