...I believe that the electoral college is an integral part of the United States election process and that it is the fairest way to determine the victor in the presidential race. I believe the electoral college is integral to the election process because I value the fundamental ideals of American republicanism, especially that all people are equal and the fairness that our system of government has established. Though I believe that the electoral college is a necessary part of the United States’ election process, there are others who believe that it is unfair, yet they too value equality and fairness. When I first learned that there was an argument against the electoral college system, I was stunned; however, after a deeper investigation of the...
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...active Constitution in the world, behind the “1600 Statutes of San Marino”.(1) The Constitution has had Amendments conjoining or slightly altering it’s contents. But overall, The Constitution is arguably the same document at it’s core as when it was originally ratified. Sanford Levinson, in his book “Our Undemocratic Constitution”, pushes for the idea of another constitutional convention to revolutionize what he calls “hardwired” defects in the Constitution. These “hardwired” defects are whittled in the constitution’s grain and cannot be solved through even the most farfetched interpretation. A main theme of his book is based on the almost impossible but more than improbable process of amending the Constitution let alone holding his envied convention. Levinson’s defects are about but not limited to; Operation of the Electoral College and other disputed problems regarding the presidency, power being allocated in the Senate, bicameralism and resulting opportunity for the political minorities to block popular legislation. In America, we vote for electors in the Electoral College, who then...
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...the Declaration of Independence was signed. This was a significant start to democracy in America. The fore fathers of our country had big plans for America. This essay will include my opinions of Democracy in America, as well as some of the strengths and weaknesses that exist in our government system in America. I will include a description of the roles of the President, and other members of our government structure in America. The role of the government has done some major changing since the beginning of democracy. Some of these changes that have occurred have weakened our government system. The definition of democracy is a government run by the people of the country. My personal definition of democracy is having officials that will do what is best for the citizens of the country. I also feel that this should be done with the utmost respect and morals. I feel that this is the way that our fore fathers would have wanted it. I truly believe that our country started on these values and beliefs. Is that where it has really ended up? Democracy has a different meaning to everyone. One fact that we can all agree on is that democracy is one of the most important things in our life in America. The fact that we all wake in the morning to living in a free country is something that we as Americans thrive on. Some things that we must pay close attention to is the control that the government has over the citizens of America. As Ronal Reagan said “Government is not a solution to our problem”...
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...The United States may be considered a representative democracy. This is because the people don’t necessarily vote for the president, they vote for a selected group of people who choose who will become the president. These group of people are what are known as the electoral college. They were created so that the normal day to day people would not have the complete decision on who will become president rather they only give their opinions by the popular vote. The main reason for the electoral college is so that the government has control and authority and with the electoral college they get to control who will run their place. In the book “United Stated Government” by Sandy Maisel, she asserted that “the United States is a constitutional government...
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...and the North was based on industrialization. The political parties of the north and south were facing struggles with the electoral college more slaves in the south represented a party with no voice but counted for many votes going towards what the south wanted.This affected the north it wasn't fair that the south choose to use slaves not only for free...
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...110 Melinda S. Tharp I feel that America isn't a place where everyone is treated equally like it used to be. America is now a place of inequality and disparity. Our country has changed dramatically over the years both technology and economic ways. Both of these threaten the whole intentions of our founding fathers. In my opinion things have gone down hill for America. It seems like the poor is getting more poor and the rich is getting more rich. I don't think that American is very stable at all or equal for that matter. American used to be a place of equality, but no one gets treated equal. The higher class citizens with money get the best of everything. America just isn't the country it used to be. Everything has changed. I fear that the next thing they will try to change is the constitution. There are many strengths in our system. The Bill of Rights, balance of powers, the federal government shares sovereignty with the states, and also another great strength is that the Supreme Court balances the rights of each individual state. Our country system has many weaknesses as well. One of the weaknesses is that that everyone believes that the United States can “fix” the world and this isn't so. Our country is slowly falling apart. One of the biggest weakness that we have is that we have an over taxed system. If I were able to change one fundamental element of American democracy is the way that the...
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...Freedom of Assembly Maria R. Quinionez-Sheehan St. Gregory’s University Freedom of Assembly Out of the first ten Amendments, called the Bill of Rights, the one that is considered the most important is the first Amendment. It is considered as such because it protects the rights that we hold dearest, and it is important to a democratic government by stating what it is not allowed to do. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances (The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration , 2014). In 1787, James Madison received a letter from Thomas Jefferson discussing how wrong it was to not include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution, and made the statement "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth" (Exploring Constitutional Conflicts, 2014). One of the important rights guaranteed in the first Amendment, freedom of assembly, it is important to a properly functioning democracy. Political parties rely on this right, ensuring that they are free to interact with others in order to inspire confidence among their constituents and hold political rallies and conventions sponsoring presidential candidates. Society as a whole relies in part on the rights guaranteed by the first amendment, and limitations imposed...
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...2011-12-13 United States Government Political parties & interests groups Political Parties * American political parties do not have clear programs, regular members, annual meetings, party leaders don’t decide who will run for election, etc. – the ideology of American parties is not very distinctive – they are electoral machines – they help people get elected to Congress and help us organize our thinking. * Political parties have existed since the first decade of the new government’s existence. Americans have always had ambivalent feelings about them. * Parties are necessary, and they perform vital functions, they are crucial institutions when it comes to organizing competition when it comes to elections, structuring the thinking of the society. If they help us distinguish various political sides, we can start identifying with them (liberal, conservative) * Ad-hoc coalitions – built in order to pass a specific bill. Party functions: * Organize the competition * Unify the electorate * Inspire and inform voters * Translate preferences into policy * Provide loyal opposition * Organize Government * Help Govern * Act as Watchdogs * Nominate Candidates * Ensure Candidate Quality * Winner takes all election system – if you have to be big to win, it makes no sense for small parties to function. * Party systems – Multiparty and Two Party System. * Minor parties: Persistence and Frustration * American parties...
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...CHAPTER THREE CONCEPT OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 1. MEANING AND NATURE OF DEVELOPMENT Development is a multi-dimensional process. Development according to international encyclopedia of social science "is a rapid sustained rise in real output per head and attendant shift in technological, economical and demographic characteristic of a society together with the more concept of social development and political development". Walter Rodney opined that "Development in human society is a many sided process. At the individual level it implies increased skill and capability, greater freedom, creativity, self discipline, responsibility and material well being". Amaucheaz, in his submission stated that, development is a multi-dimensional process involving the totality of man in his political,, economical, psychological, social relations among others. Development as a concept is multi-dimensional phenomenon that embraces economics, political and socio-cultural aspect of a nation. When the political, social and economic conditions of a state are in good shape, that state qualifies to be termed developed or developing state. 3.2 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, NEED AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. The national development strategy is a means, way, and plan in which the government formulates and implements its policies in order to accelerate the rate of development in the policy. Obasanjo administration made series of efforts to lay a solid foundation for the socio-economic growth...
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...study for her chemistry exam. [who did not attend the meeting is an essential clause, defining the specific woman in question.] 1 2. He did not however intend to return the money he borrowed. [however is a Non-Essentials word.] 1 3. West Point cadets, who break the honor code, are expelled. [who break the honor code is an essential clause, defining a subset of cadets.] 1 4. She was as a matter of fact chiefly interested in becoming a Hollywood celebrity. [as a matter of fact is a Non-Essentials phrase.] 1 5. Raul's wife, Conchita, is president of the local Red Cross. [Conchita is a Non-Essentials word since Raul's wife already defines the specific person in question.] 1 6. The German writer, Hermann Hesse, is a favorite with American college students. [Hermann Hesse is an essential term, defining the specific German writer in question.] 1 7. The courthouse...
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...Kylie Murphy C.C.C. Annotated Bibliography “Five myths about gun control” By Robert J. Spitzer, December 21, 2012 1. I like this article because it states specific facts about gun control and not just opinions. It talks about all the myths about gun control, one myth is that gun control is a losing battle for Democrats. But, that is false because many democrats have voiced their opinion on the topic. Another myth is that guns are deadliest as murder weapons which has been also proven false because statistics show that gun suicide is more common than gun homocide. Another myth is that American schools have become shooting galleries. Horrible incidents like Sandy Hook and Columbine have happened but schools are still a safe place. Schools are starting to take a lot of precautions like lock down drills, metal detectors, and the presense of a resource officer. “…the odds of a child dying from a violent attack at school are about one in a million.”which may be very comforting to you but unfortunetely not to the families in connecticut and elsewhere. Another myth Robert talks about in this article is that gun regulations are incompatible with America’s gun heritage, but today four states have completely elimintated permits for handgun ownership and carrying. The last myth that Robert talks about is that the Second Amendment was intended to protect the right of Americans to raise up against a tyrannical government. If that was true it would defeat the whole purpose of the Bill...
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...particular pragmatic perspective. In particular, I shall explore the idea that this speech is constituted by many voices (in other words, it displays polyphony, to use an idea due to Bakhtin 1981, 1986) and that the audience is part of this speech event, adding and contributing to its text in a collaborative way (in particular, in constructing meaning). As many are aware (including the journalists who report day by day on Barack Obama's achievements), Obama uses the technique of 'personification' (The Economist, Dec 13th, 2007). When he voices an idea, he does not just expose it as if it came from himself, but gets another person (fictitious or, plausibly, real) to voice it. Since in an electoral speech, he cannot reasonably get people on stage to voice his ideas, he personifies ideas by narrating what people told him. His stories are his way of personifying his ideas. The discourse strategy he uses serves to reverse the direction of influence from the people in control to the people controlled (see van Dijk 2003). Duranti (2006b) writes that The language of politics has been presented and studied in terms of its ability to persuade an audience (of peers, subjects, and superiors) to go along with the speaker's view of the world and his or her proposal (Perrot 2000). In much of this literature, the successful political leader is seen as a skillful manipulator who controls a variety of linguistic resources – from elaborate metaphors to paralinguistic features like volume, intonation...
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...Amendment 10th Amendment Article III Eminent Domain 5th Amendment Arraignment Judicial Activism vs. Restraint Gideon v. Wainwright 7th Amendment Civil Law/Tort Law Criminal & Civil Negligence Federal & State District Courts Beyond a Reasonable Doubt 14th Amendment Preponderance of Evidence Majority Opinion of Supreme Crt Federalism Reserved Powers Police Powers Enumerated Powers Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) Roe v. Wade (1973) Commerce Clause McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) Supremacy Clause Necessary & Proper Clause Civil Liberties v. Civil Rights Incorporation Doctrine Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Party Primary General Election Closed Primary Open Primary Caucus Electoral College Gerrymandering Advise & Consent Filibuster & Cloture Speaker of the House Senate Majority Leader Standing Committee Conference Committee Pork Barrel Legislation Logrolling Council-Manager System Interest Group Public Interest Group Lobbyist Political Action Committee (PAC) Presidential Veto Inherent Powers The Appointment Power Treaty Power Department of State Commander in Chief Impeachment Take Care Clause Bureaucracy Rulemaking Patronage **New Terms for Unit 5** Agents of Political Socialization Socio-Economic...
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...The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School The Mary Jane and Frank P. Smeal College of Business ESSAYS IN POLITICAL MARKETING A Dissertation in Business Administration by David LeBaron 2008 David N. LeBaron Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2008 The thesis of David N. LeBaron was reviewed and approved* by the following: William T. Ross, Jr. Professor of Marketing Dissertation Co-Advisor Co-Chair of Committee John C. Liechty Associate Professor of Marketing Dissertation Co-Advisor Co-Chair of Committee Peter Ebbes Assistant Professor of Marketing David J. Huff Clinical Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Information Systems Johannes Baumgartner Professor of Marketing Head of the Department of Marketing *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT Political marketing sits at the nexus of two disciplines, political science and marketing, but is not entirely accepted by either. The present research looks at the origin, development, and evolution of political marketing and examines how the adoption of a political marketing orientation is impacting the practice of political campaigns. The role of political marketing in actually changing voters’ preferences is also examined, showing that grassroots marketing efforts seem to have the greatest effect, especially with undecided voters. Finally, voter segments are derived...
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...Final Exam Review POLI 2051 Dr. Kenny Ch 11: Congress • Approval of Congress relative to the president. o Congress tends to be less popular than the president. • Basic info. on Congress o Why is it bicameral (why are there two chambers?) 1. Practical Reasons ▪ Came from the Great Compromise 2. Philosophical Reasons ▪ To keep power spread out and dispersed • House of Representatives o Representation based on population o 435 Total o 2 year terms o Seats are reapportioned every ten years because we get the census back every ten years. o Entire membership elected in November of even number years. • Senate o 2 Per state o 100 total o 6 year terms that are staggered ▪ Staggered means that only 1/3 of the seats are up for election in each two year election cycle. This is so that it does not change radically in one election. o This means one third elected in November of even numbered years. • Congressional organization: o Leadership – the political parties work through the leadership structure of congress because the leaders of the majority political party are, at the same time, the leaders of the House and the Senate. ▪ Leaders (know the top posts) • Leadership in the House o...
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