A Guide to Political Contributions

The New York Times has an interactive guide to understanding several typical types of political donations.  By looking at fiscal electioneering from the perspective a billionaire wanting to donate $10,000 to help Democrats win back the House of Representatives, a college student looking to donate $25 to a candidate in need, or anything in between, we can learn a lot about how the actual donation process - including limitation and loopholes - actually work.

The site, which is updated to reflect ramifications of the Citizens United decision, is well worth the time.

"Creative Cartography" - A Closer Look at Gerrymandering

It just so happens that gerrymandering - the politicized process of redrawing congressional district maps after a census - is still a lingering issue.  While the last census, which is done every 10 years, was done in 2010, the political battles over redrawing the maps in many states continues.  That, in short, is why the issue stays in the news.  The fight is especially intense in Texas, where the Supreme Court has decided to step in, Arizona, Florida, where they are just getting started, and even here in Wisconsin.



To best understand the current battles and likely outcomes, we need to rewind and take a closer look at the 2010 midterms.  While - like the upcoming 2012 election - unemployment and the economy in general were viewed as the most significant issues in the minds of voters, the opportunity to redistrict - the golden political opportunity that comes a long once a decade - also rested on that election.  When we look across the nation and we see that it is often Democrats crying foul about largely Republican-friendly maps, we remember that 2010 was a big Republican victory.

In considering the exceptional impact of these maps, it could certainly be argued that the 2010 midterms were much more important to national politics than was recognized by the electorate, as midterms traditionally do not attract the attention of a presidential election.

In 2010, The New York Times ran an article called "How to Tilt an Election Through Redistricting" that is especially helpful in understanding the strategies used by politicians and their consultants in gerrymandering.  Take a look at the article, especially the example maps that demonstrate "packing," "cracking," and other strategies.

Generation Gap

On November 3, NPR featured a story on the Pew Research Center's report on how different generations currently view politics.  As the story points out, older generations (such as the "silent generation") tend toward more conservative politics, and younger Americans (the "millennials," the generation including you) lean liberal.  A simple explanation, as we discussed in class, is that liberals tend to see change as progress and conservatives tend to view current policy as tried and tested.  The data provided by the study, however, adds to our understanding.

The following day, NPR followed up with a story suggesting how this might impact the upcoming presidential election.  As this story explains, the millennial generation - despite the general observation that younger Americans are disengaged from the political process - was significantly involved in Barack Obama's election.  Obama's support from the youngest group of voters was unprecedented and an important element of his success in 2008.  Not only did young voters tend to vote for Obama, they turned out to vote like never before, and they volunteered and supported Obama beyond their votes.

After listening to (or reading) both these stories, write a brief reflection on what it helps us understand regarding the role of age in politics.  In your response, consider the some of the following:

• Why do you think Obama was successful in motivating young voters when past presidents has struggled to gain their support or have even neglected them as a demographic?
• How will the current political agenda affect who turns out to vote?  What issues will Obama or the Republican candidate need to emphasize to motivate their base constituents?
• Based on your answer to that, who do you think will be more effective?
• How can we explain the significant differences between how the different generations view and trust government?  Why is their such a difference in how the generations view America in the world? (see American exceptionalism)
• Makes some predictions about the upcoming election.  Is there a Republican candidate who you see as best situated to capitalize on what these studies suggest?  Is this good news for either party?
• Any other observations or conclusions?  What in these studies is most important, interesting, or surprising?

Frontloading

If you have been following the news of the Republican presidential primaries, you may have noticed discussion about states moving the dates of their primaries.  Unlike the general election, states do not hold primaries on the same day; the separation of primary elections allows for a more drawn out nomination process, gives candidates a chance to work specific states critical to their overall political strategy, and gives all (or at least, most) states an opportunity to receive particular attention from the candidates.

These may be good reasons to separate the primaries, but there are some apparent downsides to organizing a presidential nomination process in this way.  For one, it makes the entire process resemble horse race coverage by the media.  Sometimes, it's almost as if you can hear the fast-talking race announcer shouting about how another horse just pulled into the lead!

In addition to the downsides of horse race coverage by the U.S. media, there are concerns about the current trend toward frontloading.  Frontloading - a procedure in which the states increasingly schedule their primary earlier in the campaign to receive more attention and have a greater impact in the overall nomination - is a trend that continues.  This year, South Caroline and Florida have already adjusted their primary schedules to assert greater control in deciding the nomination.

Based on the cartoon above and basic research on frontloading, write a response to your thoughts on the frontloading of presidential primaries.

• What is the motivation to move your primary?  What are the downsides?  What are some of the unintended consequences?
• What are the pros and cons of horse race media coverage?  Consider the implications for lesser-known candidates, candidates with more extreme position, and mainstream candidates.
• What effect do you think the schedule has on voter turnout? political efficacy? trust in political parties and the government?
• If you see this as a problem, what solutions might alter the situation?  If not, why do you think is the best scenario?

The Living Room Candidate - Campaigns and the Media

 For this blog post, we will be using the Living Room Candidate website.



For this blog post, you will be conducting an analysis of two presidential TV campaign advertisements from any election except 2008.  You will access these ads from livingroomcandidate.org.  Your post must include all of the following:

1. A brief historical background of the election.  Who ran?  Who won?  Is there a consensus on the major determinants of the election? (why did the future president win that particular election?)

2. Two embedded video clips - one from each major party.  To do this, copy and paste the embed code (visible when you select "share" from the bottom right-hand corner of the video.

3. An comparative analysis of the two advertisements.  A full analysis will consider the following:

• Which ad did you find more persuasive? Why?
• Who do you think was the intended audience for each of the ads?  What evidence supports this?
• Which ad did you find more aesthetically appealing?  Why?
• How important were images and music in the ads you chose?
• Other thoughts about what makes one political ad better and more effective than the other.

Rethinking Mt. Rushmore

 Its time to rethink our most famous multi-president monument.

In this blog post, you will be making a recommendation about your president for inclusion or rejection from the new monument, which will include a larger scope of American history.  Your task is not merely a reaction to the typical conventional  wisdom of the great American presidents, but rather a researched report on why a president should be considered for this honor or rejected.

To do this, you will use the textbook discussion of presidential character and the article provided in class from political scientist and scholar Fred Greenstein.  Your recommendation should include a somewhat comprehensive view of the president.  In other words, do rely on one point; consider the many hats of the presidency and analyze your presidential choice as chief legislator, commander-in-chief, chief executive, head of state, chief of party, chief diplomat, and guardian of the economy.  For each area you analyze, give the president an A through F grade to allow easier comparisons.

After all recommendations have been received by the Committee to Redefine Rushmore, members will vote and carving will begin.