Each test question is worth equal points. Each answer should be at least one paragraph long (8-10 sentences). Please proofread your responses and make sure you use complete sentences.
Chapter 8 - The Judicial System in Texas
1. Judges in Texas are elected and must therefore run for re-election. Federal judges are appointed by the President of the United States (with the approval of the United States Senate) and then they serve for life or until they retire. They are not elected and therefore do not have to ever run for election. Which system do you think is better (judges elected OR judges appointed) and fully explain why.
Chapter 9 - Political Socialization, Political Behavior, and Public Opinion
2. Politicians study political socialization and the political behavior of their constituentsto direct their campaigns. Politicians may focus on different issues and messages during their campaigns depending on the audience they are speaking to at any given time.
For example, if a politician is speaking to a group of business people then the politician would know that and direct their messages to the interests of those people in that certain business industry.
If the politician is speaking to a group of farmers, the politician is going to direct their messages to the interests and needs of farmers. Before politicians speak to any group they will study and understand the characteristics of that group so they can direct their messages to that group's interests.
If you were a politician about to go and speak to a group of people, tell me the at least three (3) things you would want to know about that group of people that would help you direct your message. Fully explain why you want to know about these characteristics and how they would help you.
Chapter 10 - The Party System in Texas
3. Which existing political party do you identify with the most and why?OR Which existing political party do you NOT identify with the most and why?
4. Which political party posted by one of your classmates would you be the most interested in joining OR not joining and why?
Chapter 11 - Elections, Campaigns, and Voting in Texas
5. "The Daisy Ad" is still considered to be one of the most negative / controversial political advertisements. What did you think about it and why?
6. A major topic today in politics is the personal lives of the politicians that represent you. Some people care deeply about the personal lives of their politicians and may choose to vote or not vote for a candidate that has had controversy in their personal life. Others "do not care" what politicians do in their personal lives and only want to focus on their records in their professional life. What do you think? Do you "care" about the personal life of a politician that represents you in the government or not? Fully explain your answer.
Chapter 12 - The Mass Media in Texas Politics
7. Which form of media do you think is the most influential when it comes to voters today? Fully explain.
Chapter 13 - Interest Groups and Political Power in Texas
8. For your post on this Chapter, you wrote about what kind of interest group you would form if you were to form an interest group. If you were to JOIN an interest group, what kind of interest group would you join and why?
9. Do you think interest groups play a positive role or a negative role in our government? Fully explain your answer.
Chapter 14 - Contemporary Public Policy Issues in Texas
10. FREE POINTS!!! You all have worked on these issues throughout each chapter. Thank you for your hard work and for your very thoughtful responses to your classmates' posts on these issues. Great work!!!
Extra questions:
Chapter 8 - The Judicial System in Texas
This chapter is about the Texas judiciary. We have all seen television programs about the legal system and I find that when people read about the judicial system "for real" they find it fascinating and sometimes different than they have seen on television if they are not in the legal field. Have fun reading this chapter and let me know if you have any questions! I think you will enjoy this chapter.
For your post on this chapter, tell us three (3) things you learned in this chapter that you found fascinating and why.
Chapter 9 - Political Socialization, Political Behavior, and Public Opinion
In this chapter you will explore the process by which people gain their political values and learn their political viewpoints. You will also learn about public opinion and the role it has in Texas politics and with our government. For your post on this chapter, tell us the three (3) things that have shaped your political socialization / behavior the most and fully explain why and how.
Chapter 10 - The Party System in Texas
In this chapter you are reading about political parties. Although I am sure everyone has heard the term "political party," I think you will still learn a lot in reading this chapter.
For your post on this chapter, write about what sort of party you would form if you were to form a political party.
Determine what your characteristics will be and define your party platform. We live in Texas so you are forming this party in Texas. That said, all parties start somewhere so your goal may be to keep your party focused on Texas issues and effect change here or you can start it here and your goal may be to take it to a national level.
It is up to you but you are starting it here in Texas. Will you form a single issue political party here because you feel so strongly about one issue you think it warrants a political party to address it?
If so, what is your issue and fully explain it and what your party will do "for" the issue. Or will you form a political party that takes a stand on more than one issue or many issues. If so, explain that to us.
Some Things to Think About When Forming Your Party:
• What is a political party?
• Four major functions of political parties:
o Nominating candidates to office
o Structuring the voting choice in elections
o Proposing alternative government programs
o Coordinating the actions of government officials
• Will you form a large party that takes a stand on many issues or will you form a small party that has one issue that is meaningful to them?
o Large parties like the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have platforms that encompass major issues - in Texas members of larger parties have platforms that address, at least, the following - see page 106 in your book for examples of the Texas Democratic and Republican Party Platforms:
Stronger states' rights vs. stronger national rights
Education
Taxes - should taxes be more or less - should you put higher taxes on things like cigarettes and alcohol and lower taxes on food?
Abortion
Death Penalty
Immigration
Citizenship
Minimum Wage
Healthcare
o Smaller parties may take on one major issue like the following and hope to gain momentum in a certain issue area. Remember that smaller parties can actually impact major change - smaller parties may not survive themselves "forever" but they can make the larger parties have to contend with the issue they bring to the forefront of voters' minds. For example:
A party that is totally focused on the environment.
A party for the Animals (gained 2 seats in the Dutch Parliament in 2006).
A party totally focused on immigration and has platform for how to fix it.
A party totally focused on healthcare for all people and a plan on how to get it.
A farmer/labor party where the goal is to promote the interest of farmers and growers.
A "splinter party" that splinters off from a larger party because you disagree with an issue - i.e. you identify with the democrats but really want to be pro-life so you have democratic party ideals but are pro-life.
• EXAMPLE of a party that started on a grassroots level and has grown much larger: Green Party
o Example of a small party that started small and is growing in momentum.
o Grassroots parties that are created in classrooms just like this can gain momentum and grow and change the way people think and vote.
o Started in Denver, Colorado, in 2000.
o Focus overall on the environment, social justice, human rights, peace.
o Here is their platform now - taken from their website www.gp.org. Visit the website if you want more details on each of their "10 Key Values" below:
1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
4. NON-VIOLENCE
5. DECENTRALIZATION
6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Chapter 11 - Elections, Campaigns, and Voting in Texas
In this chapter you are reading about voting and elections in Texas. There is a lot of valuable information in this chapter about our election system and how it works. A discussion on voting and elections is not complete without forming an opinion on negative advertising. Some people think negative advertising works and reveals important facts about candidates that they do not want you to know. Some people think negative advertising distracts from the real issues in the campaign and frustrates voters. Form an opinion about negative advertising as you study this chapter and think about it in light of the information you are learning as you read.
For your post on this chapter go to www.youtube.com and do a search for "negative campaign ads" and/or "negative political ads" and watch some negative campaign ads. For your post - let us know what you saw and what you thought about it - how do you feel about negative advertising? Would you run a negative ad against your opponent if you were running, do you think they work, do you think they do not work (i.e. makes the person look bad so can "backfire" on the person who runs it), what are your overall thoughts on negative political advertisements.
I know this is a Texas class and you will not only see Texas ads but for purposes of this class I want you to get an idea of the ads that are out there - not just ones in Texas. Keep in mind - you are just seeing a 30 second "blip" of a campaign by watching the ads you watch - but many voters are not well-versed in the candidates and this could have been the only thing they saw - so your impressions of the candidates (both the one who ran the ad AND the candidate the ad is about) are important. In addition to your own research on ads, there are three ads I want you to go to YouTube and make sure you see:
1) The Daisy Ad - this ad is considered to be the most controversial political advertisement ever made. It was run by Presidential incumbent Lyndon Johnson against his opponent Barry Goldwater during the 1964 election. Goldwater was considered a proponent of using nuclear weapons and the Johnson campaign wanted to capitalize on that and the people in America disagreed with it. Make sure you watch this ad and see what you think about it.
2) Go to YouTube and type "Wendy Davis Wheelchair Ad" - this ad was considered by most political scientists to be the most controversial political advertisement shown in the last Texas gubernatorial race.
3) Go to YouTube and type in "Joni Earnst Squeal ad" - this is really a negative ad but a political ad you might find funny!