a) An advantage that the majority party in the House of Representatives has is that they decide which bills will get voted on and when they will get voted on.

b) A difference between the House and Senate is the filibuster. In the House a majority vote passes legislation, but in the Senate, a filibuster can block a vote, which is when an individual extends a debate in order to delay or prevent a vote on a proposal.

c) If a bill gets passed in the House, then it could go to the Senate and be blocked by a filibuster. The House could pass the bill, moving it to the Senate to get voted on, where it is then not completely agreed upon and prevented from possibly ever being voted on by one person who extends the debate for a period of time.

1) The ADA increased the power of federal government because it allows the federal gov. to practice its power nationally on an issue that can intersect with state laws. For example, it protects people with disabilities from discrimination, meaning that marriage can not be prevented from handicapped people, something that is classified as a state law.

Preemption gives the federal government authority over the states by invalidating state laws when they conflict with federal laws.

2) The U.S vs Lopez case decreased federal power by ruling against the federal government, and further limiting certain powers of theirs.

Devolution takes power from the federal government, and gives it to the local governments, therefore narrowing the powers of the national government and increasing those of the state governments.

Interest group classwork

a) The main goal of interest groups is to see their interests adopted and protected by the federal government.

b) The major goal of political parties is to get their candidate nominated and elected to office.

c) Interest groups help political parties by stressing issues that are important to the public so that officials can know what topics to focus on, and raising awareness in the public.

d) By raising awareness in the public, interest groups can gain more support for their goal, as well as more widely publicize their goal so that it becomes a larger issue in politics than it might have been before.

1) Collective Good- Something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member

Free-Rider Problem- When individuals do not participate in helping reach the goal of the interest group, and just sit back and enjoy the benefits that the members of the interest group work hard to receive.

Selective Benefits- Benefits only provided to people whose resources and incomes fall below a prescribed level.

2) a.  American Marijuana Association (AMA)
b. Fully legalizing marijuana in Virginia
c. The country with the money it can gain from taxing marijuana, people with health issues, potheads
d. Legal marijuana for anyone over 21
e.
f. My group will send petitions around the state advocating the legalization of marijuana, and will then present this to the state legislature. My group will also send a polling survey around the state to see what percentage of the state is in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

E4

• Maine, Senate
• Angus King-Independent; Charlie Summers-Republican
• Angus King    
• Charlie Summers
• poll results: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/me/maine_senate_summers_vs_dill_vs_king-3242.html
• Issues- Taxes- King wants to raise some; Gov spending- Summers wants to cut it
• Strategies- Summers making King look bad by pointing out that King went against his word by creating a negative ad toward his opponent when he pledged not to make negative ads.
• "I think people are tired of politicians who’ll say one thing and do another,”-Summers. Makes Summers look like a unique politician, one who can be trusted by the people.
• Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4a3blFhcDo -Negative ad by Summers who claimed King was the only one to make a negative ad out of the 3 candidates.

E2
1. huffingtonpost.com

2. I'd say that this site is mostly opinion. ex.) "Which is why it's important to discuss with kids, even those too young to yet understand all the specific policy points or platforms, why politics matters." (Drexler) While this statement is most likely true, i would not call it a fact, it is more of her personal belief. 

3. A good amount of this site is fact as well because it talks about political stories. ex.) "Three legalization initiatives on state ballots are drawing support from voters, newspapers, civic groups, celebrities and even some members of law enforcement." (Angell)
4. This site is mostly built off of other peoples blogs.
5. The majority of the bloggers on this site seem to be Democratic, usually talking against Romney and in support of Obama.
6. This site could influence the American public by enlightening them on current political issues and more specifically the effect these issues have on individuals. Many individuals who are well informed on politics provide their opinion on what's going on in the presidential race, and viewers can gain information on how other people are responding to the candidates' platforms to give them something to reflect on.

1) I learned that Tim Kaine had the most amount of money raised for him in Virginia, along with the fact that the National Beer Wholesalers Assn was the top contributor in Virginia, donating $2,884,750.

2) I learned that local candidates such as senators receive more money from fundraisers from their states than presidents do from that state.

A.  1) The subject of the survey More Say There Is Solid Evidence of Global Warming is global warming

2) From this article, candidates can learn that there is an increasing approval of the idea of global warming, and so can make an effort to stress the importance of helping the environment. The candidate can make it obvious that he wants to help the environment and reduce global warming and appeal to the majority of the public.

3) Since more Democrats confirm evidence of global warming, a candidate can appeal to this group by stating how he will help the environment and prevent global warming, whether he is a republican or democrat.

B. 1) Ask all: Q.62 In your view, is global warming a very serious problem, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not a problem?

2) In this question, more people answered "very serious" earlier in the decade, highest in May of 2009. In 2010, the lowest amount of people answered very serious, however in each time period, "very serious" received the most answers.

3) I do not believe my question has bias. "In your view, is killing the environment a very serious problem, somewhat serious, not too serious, or not a problem?"

C. 1) October 4-7, 2012

2) 1,511 adults

3) 2.9%

4) 95%

D8

• Online Team
• I set up the Facebook group and the twitter page and added details to Richard's background and beliefs by "liking" certain pages or following certain political figures to give the public a rounded idea of Richard's platform
• I created open pages for each online profile Richard has so that other team members can ad videos and ads to the pages to publicize Richard's campaign.
• I went home each night and added a couple people to both Richard Potter's Facebook profile and his Facebook group. I also put up questions that members of the group or friends of Richard could answer and kept people up to date on any events i knew about. I posted some occasional tweets and posts and made sure to add anything on Richard's personal information that could help the public understand what Richard stands for.

D7

Policy: Romney- Lower middle class taxes. The public likes there money, Richard should make sure to emphasize his stance on taxes and how he can help the majority with them.

Obama- Control energy and increase production of natural energy resources such as coal and oil. Introduce new efficient energy that is environmentally sound and will reduce gas prices. Richard should make sure to focus largely on the environment since it is such a big topic today, and stress how he will preserve land and energy.


Quotes: Romney- "And they brought us whole binders full of women!" Doesn't really make Romney seem like a hero, more just like a candidate trying too hard. He's stating that he went out to find women to join his party and doesn't really seem to have a legitimate reason for doing this other than to appeal to the public.

Obama- "Im the president and i'm always responsible" Makes Obama look like a real leader and not afraid to confront major issues our nation is faced with. Richard should take this approach and not avoid head on confrontation with controversial issues. He should also not be afraid to take blame for anything and instead focus on how he can reform the issues.


Style: Romney- Romney is very determined to get his words in and interrupts Candy at times to answer a question that wasn't necessarily towards him. Richard should cooperate with the moderator.

Obama- Obama seems to answer questions more directly and firmly where as Romney somewhat dances around the questions a bit. Romney says what is going to happen with him as the president where Obama says how it is going to happen if he holds his position. Obama also uses the thumb pointing technique often. Richard definitely needs to make sure he answers the questions as best he can.


Wild Card: Each audience member who asks a question seems very nervous

D6

I created a whole new facebook account under Richard Potters name. This allows for Richard to have his own set of friends on facebook as a political candidate rather than just a number of fans on his group page. I listed some political interests of Richard and "liked" numerous pages such as the Interest Group party to give the public an idea of Richard's views and platform.

D2

I created a Facebook group for Richard Potter entitled Richard Potter for Senate. I invited a group of people to join the group and made it a public group so that anyone can join on their own behalf.

C8

Wynter and I created a twitter page for Richard Potter. We posted a tweet and followed a number of political organizations and people helping bring focus to the platforms of our candidate.

Policy: Paul Ryan- Keep the U.S out of war.
Stimulate trade in order to improve the economy and raise foreign trade.

Joe Biden- Maintain control of nuclear weapons.
Lower taxes on elderly and raise taxes on upperclass.

Quotes: Paul Ryan- "And when it comes to our veterans we owe them a great deal of gratitude, including your [Biden] son Bo." Makes Ryan seem like a nice, patriotic and polite guy. "I think the Vice President very well knows, that sometimes the words don't always come out as you mean." Changes Ryan's tone towards a more aggressive and confronting one.

Joe Biden- "With all due respect that's a bunch of malarky." Biden comes off as strong and intense, in order to balance out Obama's relaxed mood during his debate. "Which i believe is how Mitt Romney feels. I could be mistaken he changes his mind so much I could be mistaken." Biden attacking the presidential candidate instead of Ryan.

Style: Paul Ryan- Ryan is usually smiling at Biden as Biden talks. At times he seems as if he's intently listening but at others he looks as if his minds on something else.

Joe Biden- Joe Biden often mocks Ryan as he talks, laughing at what Ryan says at times.


Wild Card: Biden interrupts Ryan a lot, and always shakes his head in complete disagreement with Ryan. He is much ruder than Ryan. Both try to gain the audiences sympathy by talking about the good things they've done or hardships they've over come. For example, Ryan talks about Romney paying for a poorer family's college tuition while Biden describes the obstacle of loosing his wife,.

A. 1956: 1) Republican Party
2) Demonstrates that Eisenhower offers peace, something that the American Public greatly strived for after the Vietnam war.

1976: 1) Democratic Party
2) The ad was meant to evoke feelings of trust towards Carter from the public, and be able to relate and connect to him as a person who focuses on the people.

1996: 1) Democratic Party
2) Highlights all major problems that Clinton plans to deal with and uses terms to gain public favor such   as "cop killer" bullets. Makes Clinton seem like a real good guy.

B. 1) One change i noticed over time was the use of words. In the earlier ads, a narrator described what the candidate would do where as in the later ads, the presidential candidate would give a speech over words describing his platform. Another change was in later ads the candidates seem to try harder to relate to the people and describe their background, where as in earlier ads the candidates focus more on stating how they can help America and the public.

2) the ad that felt most effective to me was Carter's ad, showing him shaking the hands of numerous American people including many minorities. This shows Carter reaching out to the people and making sure he appeals to all parts of the public, including minority groups. Gives Carter a more humane and positive look as well as a set of progressive ideals.

Presidential Debate:

Policies: Mitt Romney-Voucher Plan
-Federal regulation in the economy

Barack Obama- Medicaid
-Education

Quotes: Mitt Romney-" I like PBC, I like Big Bird, and I like you (mediator) too!" This quote is amusing and it shows Romney as attempting to be like-able.

Barack Obama- "And by the way i like that name, Obamacare." Shows Obama's cocky side and also gives an amusing flavor to his debate.

Style: Mitt Romney- Strongly attacks Obama, directly criticizing and scolding him.

Obama- Smily and chill, acting polite and friendly to his opponent. Gives off a very relaxed and calm tone.

Wild Card: Moderator doesn't seem to be in too much control of the debate, gets cut off a lot by the candidates and isn't forceful enough on controlling issue topics.

Both candidates usually answer questions by attacking the actions of their opponent

1. What is your stance on gay marriage?

2. Do you feel that the legalization of marijuana can bring in a prospering market to the U.S economy?

I think i'd do well in the online guru position because i spend a fair amount of time on the internet and can easily gain access to online sites to create accounts and post ads. I'd also like to be a campaign manager. I would do well in the position of campaign manager because i'm good at setting goals and could come with helpful strategic plans and keep the candidate aware on the main issues of the campaign.

My fellow classmates, i am standing before you as an advocate of reform. An advocate of full equal rights. And an advocate of the green party. The green party believes that the U.S is not fully allocating the freedoms it promised with the creation of it's declaration of independence. For example, the U.S is the only developed nation that has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which was proposed in 1979 and has been ratified by 173 countries. The green party will take action on signing this passage in order to protect women's rights and prevent exclusion from customs based on sex and repeal all discriminatory laws in our domestic legislation. On the terms of equal rights the green party also strives for the right of individuals to choose their own intimate partner, regardless of sex or gender orientation. For education, the green party will work towards increasing financial aid for students entering colleges, and support equal access to high quality education. We will make sure that education is put at the top of our social and economic agenda. The green party believes in the legalization of marijuana. Decriminalizing marijuana would widely spread its use as treatments for conditions such as cancer, where it has proved to be affective in the curing or reducing of such conditions. The legalization of marijuana would also bring a whole new market to the American economy, potentially bringing in an income of 1.75 billion dollars annually. In order to help progress the unemployment problem our great country is faced with today, the green party will enact a universal basic income, ensuring all citizens an income sufficient enough to provide for food and shelter, regardless of health, employment or marital status. State governments will supplement this amount from local revenues where living cost is high. The last issue my party is presenting to you today is one of our most important topics, the environment. In order to protect the environment and our gradually dying world, the green party makes plans to switch to more organic practices in farming, along with vastly cutting down on our country's energy use. While these goals will take a long time and a lot of effort to put to effect, the green party will work hard to make sure the practices are widely enforced. These practices consist of building a low cost public transportation system and re-localizing the production of food along with creating new farming methods to cut back on the amount of green house gases released from pesticides, fertilizer and the transportation used in the processes. As shown in this chart, http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com/2007/11/27/learning-from-environmental-footprint-statistics/ the U.S contains the worlds largest ecological footprint, meaning that our country consumes the largest land per person. This needs to change, and the green party believes that they are the solution to this devastating problem. Get our green party on the 2012 presidential campaign, and help advance the image of our prospering country.

http://cannabishealthnewsmagazine.com/medical/559/national-medical-marijuana-statistics/

One of the main differences between the democratic and republican party platforms is the step process taken to create more jobs. While democrats believe that  acts such as Obama's Recovery Act are needed to keep jobs in the market and cut taxes for the working class public, Republicans are more focused on partnerships between private and government factions need to invest in the nations infrastructure. Another key focus for the Democrats is putting veterans to work by "challenging Community Health Centers to hire veterans". They also "cut taxes on American workers and businesses", while the Republicans wish to simplify the tax system. While Democrats seem more concerned with the individual, Republicans are more centered on increasing federal spending and being more "aggressive in promoting U.S products abroad and securing open markets for them." This is what differentiates the Democrats with the Republicans in terms of the economy.

My coordinates are 90 on personal issues and 30 on economic issues. (90, 30)

I would find it helpful to know a little more on some of the issues the questions present, such as the end corporate welfare one. It's my fault, but im not too enlightened on corporate welfare or government handouts

A. 1) The first principle outlined in McCulloch vs. Maryland is the supremacy of the national government over the states, which states that as long as the national government follows its constitutional rights, it will always have power over the states. Article 1 is important to answer this.

2) The second principle outlined in McCulloch vs. Maryland is that the national government has implied powers beyond its enumerated powers meaning that it has powers that go beyond the ones listed in the constitution that are necessary to carry out the execution of the foregoing powers and fulfill its responsibilities. Article 1 section 8 is important to answer this

B. 1) The full faith and credit clause says that public acts, records and judicial proceedings are acknowledge in every state and upheld, no matter where they which state they were settled in. One exception to this is gay marriage. If a gay civil union is formed in one state, it can be disregarded by other states.

2) The privileges and immunities clause states that all privileges and rights of a citizen are the same in every state. One exception for this clause is the tuition to attend a public university. If a citizen attends a public university in the state which he lives in, he will pay less then citizens coming from out of the state to attend the school.

A. 1) A federal government decentralizes the administration of governmental services along with gives the states more power than in unitary governments. They also allow for more diversity and are usually democracies.

2) I would rather live in a unitary government because the U.S has already failed as a confederation. While a unitary government doesn't allow for as much freedom for the states as a confederation or federalism, a confederation allows for too much freedom of the states and would create much more inner conflicts. There would be no solid form of central government to keep the states together and in union, possibly creating multiple civil wars and eventually anarchy.

B. 1) A power enumerated solely to the national government is the power to declare war. This is better to be given solely to the national government because separate states can't go around declaring war. If they did this, then they'd also have to be given the power to raise an army, and each state owning it's own army would lead to greater domestic conflicts as well as foreign conflicts. The U.S would be involved in much more conflicts and each state would have to rally other states into the wars they'd be involved with to expand the size of their small army, spreading the battle.

2) One power reserved solely to the states is to conduct elections. This is better to be reserved for the states because a national government does not have the time to set up a government in each state and city. The national government has to focus on bigger worldwide issues and leave the states to the smaller problems within their own borders.

3) Both the state and national government have the power to tax. This works out because both need forms of collecting money to fund public projects and help improve society on both a national and local level. The national government needs taxes to fund projects nationwide such as highways while the states need taxes to fund public schools and other works.

a. An amendment can formally be proposed by congress to the constitution by a 2/3 vote in both the house of representatives and the senate.
An amendment can formally be ratified by state legislatures by a 3/4 vote of the states.

b. One informal way of changing the constitution is Judicial Review, where the supreme court can claim acts of the other branches of government unconstitutional. It can also declare certain laws applicable even if they are not specifically stated in the constitution. An example of this is the court case Marbury v. Madison. Another informal way the constitution has changed is through technology. An example of technology shaping the constitution is it gives the president an increase in power in the role of commander in chief with the creation of atomic weapons and new electronic communications.

c. Informal methods are used more often because their easier and much faster than formal amendment processes. It takes a significant amount of time to have a constitution voted on and ratified and usually the government doesn't have the time to go through this long procedure.

1. Government affected my life yesterday when i was told when to come home for dinner. Without government, i would not have to listen to any form of authority, and would have the right to govern myself and decide for myself when i came home.

2. Both of my parents pay close attention to politics. They both closely follow major political campaigns and regularly watch political television series such as This Week with G. Stephanopoulos and The Colbert Report. Both guardians have their own views and ideas on politics and political figures, and are able to have friendly arguments that express their opinions.

3. A common event that my generation participates in is watching the Superbowl. Whether people enjoy the sport of football or not, it is a very popular media event that is sure to have a large audience turnout. Almost everyone i know participates in watching the Superbowl and the traditions that come with it.

4. Don't have my textbook; Public Roads

5. The media- Colbert Report
Political Parties-Democrats
Lobby Groups- The public, businesses
Local Political Officials- Mayor Satyendra Huja

6. House of Representatives- Jo Bonner
Executive Branch- Barrack Obama
Judicial Branch- Sandra Lynch
Senate- Lamar Alexander