AP Gov Questions

1. Why did the "You-lie" guy become so famous?

2. Why does Obama switch in his second campaign from bipartisan?

3. Why does John Boehner not follow through with his deal with Obama?

4. Why would Obama try and talk to the banks on Wall Street?

5. Did Obama really think Obama Care would work as Bi-partisan?

6. Did the media make it look like everyone agreed on it or was that just a lie?

2nd Semester Progress

My second semester in Ap Gov is harder than the first semester because Mrs.Lawson is making it like an actual college class. I have been most challenged with the FRQ's and the multiple choice questions that will appear on the Ap Gov Exam. My goal for this class is to make an A for the second semester because I feel like an A would reflect how much work I have put in to this class second semester and how much knowledge I have retained. The congress test was a definite difficulty for me, but I liked taking it because I felt like I was pouring out my knowledge on the test, and it was fun to answer the ones I knew. For the upcoming Presidency Test I am more prepared for that because my study guide is and has been complete for several days and I have been reviewing parts of it on a daily basis. I have learned a lot of things second semester, like the powers of congress and how the House is different from the Senate and why. What an earmark is and the history behind why it is called that. I learned about voter ID and voter fraud and what those entail, and did research on an Interest Group and presented that to the class. I have not only learned about the history of our country, reading textbooks, but also reading historical excerpts from novels. I was also looking up information on the internet to keep me up to date on what is happening right now, and I think the combination of all of those things has challenged me to not only focus on the textbook- that there are other resources out there for me to use to study, and that I should be using. I have enjoyed being challenged this semester!

Political News

Captured U.S. Soldiers

Iran releases 10 captured US Sailors.

     Two U.S. Navy Sailor boats were captured by the Iranians, with 10 sailors on board. They are not hurt physically they are just tired and upset that this happened. Apparently one boat had engine problems and the other two were off course and found the other boat and by then it was impossible for them to back off/ escape. It is unclear why they were off course but they were very near the Farsi Island of Iran. When they got close to Farsi Island that is when the Iranian officials approached them. Supposedly, the Iranian territory in the water extends three miles off the coast of Farsi. We were not supposed to be there because Farsi is home to the Iranian Naval Component of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is also incredible sensitive. When a boat wasn't on time for its delivery they checked to see where it was and noticed it had gotten off track and was in Iranian Waters. They had sent another boat to go and rescue them concerned there were people in the water, but when 10 Americans made it to shore, the Pentagon got involved. I am just glad everyone is safe and not hurt. 

Isis Stikes Indonesia 

Indonesian officials trying to fight off Isis.

     Jakarta, Indonesia is an Islamic state and is claiming that they were responsible for the terrorist attack on the capital of Indonesia (good, attack your own state's capital). Most of the reason for violence in Indonesia is the Syrian Civil War. At least 7 people were killed included all of the 5 assailants and there were 23 people injured. A terrorism expert says that they have seen a spike in violence in Indonesia recently and she, Sidney Jones, believes this to be the case because of the jihadi groups in Indonesia want to prove they are alive and they should be on the Isis agenda. The Chief of the Jakarta Police and the former head of the country's elite national police counterterrorism unit said that the people who attacked are linked to Syria. They are concerned about their bombing techniques. What they used to attack was a small hand grenade or bomb- much less powerful than what they previously would have used. The place they attacked was where Obama came in 2010, and they attacked where he grew up, Jakarta.

What is Trump saying now?

"I am actually better than Reagan."

     Trump claims that he has a bigger movement than Reagan. (just because you have a movement doesnt mean that everyone on this movement likes you...). He does however claim that these people are committed. He had a rally in Pensacola, Florida with a crowd of 10,000 and says that they were not just their to see another campaign rally, they were really there in support of him. Critics are saying that the people who are following him the most are people who will not vote, and I agree because studies have shown that the people who show up most to vote are the older people and Trump is just too radical for the old folks (in my opinion). But, Trump also makes a good point that people who are going to stand in line for 7 hours are going to vote for him. On top of this Trump and Cruz have had some disagreements and Cruz seems to be in an awkward place with Goldman and Sach's thing and Cruz's wife on unpaid leave, etc. To be honest, Trump is getting better about his responses when people attack him or say something to make him get worked up. 

G.E. Scandal 

The G.E. company is moving to Massachusetts. 

     Democratic Governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy, is getting a lot of criticism because the General Electric Company, who has resided in Connecticut for 4 years, is relocated their business to Massachusetts. Of course the Republicans are blaming this solely on the Democrats, saying that there might be more big businesses to follow in G.E's footsteps. G.E. says the move will help them play a bigger role in the "digital era" (foxiness.com). They also say they are moving because of Connecticuts "big tax hikes on large corporations." Many thought their statement to leave was a joke, but clearly it was not. G.E. is not the only thing leaving Connecticut, so are hundreds of peoples jobs. Boston put in a pretty sweet deal with G.E. offering them 120 Million dollars in "grants and other financial incentives, and added an extra 25 Million dollars for tax relief. That is an unfathomable amount of money to me!! Republicans saying to the press that everyone needs a personal apology from the Democrats for causing G.E. to leave and raising the tax budget so high. I say more power to G.E. for making a statement that the taxes were too high!! 

O'Malley is Under Investigation

Martin O'Malley might be in trouble for what he took from
the Governor's mansion.

     Democratic Martin O'Malley is being investigated for buying taxpayer-owned furniture from the Maryland Governors mansion, at a huge discount. Why this is such a problem- I am not sure. His campaign manager said that it was sad Republicans are wasting our time to make something stick and they are sorry we are using our taxpayer resources. Funny that they think we are trying to make something stick when O'Malley is not even close to winning this thing. He barely even made the cut for the debate on Sunday. O'Malley is 3% nationally, so not doing so great in my opinion. It was said that he paid 9,000 for this furniture when it was really 62,000, and everyone on his campaign is claiming this to be stupid and not true. I do not understand why this is a big deal- it is obviously not that serious because I feel like they would have looked this up and truly found sources that claim it is or is not true.

Exploring Congress; How it Works

AP GOV CLASSWORK DIRECTIONS:

1.     Imagine that you are someone who is SUPER INTERESTED in understanding how Congress actually works as an institution that produces policy (legislation/laws)! Begin thinking about what you’d like to know.

3.     In a new tab, Go to https://www.govtrack.us/  

4.     Take time to familiarize yourself with this website, observing the categories available to you for research, and the different ways you can explore the way Congress works.

5.     Keep in mind three primary goals:

a.     Investigate a bill:  Read a summary of an actual bill, review its history, and read at least some of the text of a bill to get a sense of its length and language.  You should also learn who sponsored the bill, and what committee it came out of, as well as its current status.

b.     Get to know a member of Congress (House or Senate), so that you can characterize their congressional work. Learn about his/her “report card” and discover how members are evaluated/ranked in terms of their effectiveness.

c.     DEMONSTRATE INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY. 

6.     After you’ve learned some things, write (on your blog) a summary/description of your exploration of congress. Include discussion of what you found out, things that surprised, and new questions that occur to you. 

7.     Include an image, and publish your post, with links.

My Bill:

     S.Res. 109: A resolution acknowledging and honoring brave young men from Hawaii who enabled      the United States to establish and maintain jurisdiction in remote equatorial islands as prolonged      conflict in the Pacific led to World War II.

Sponsor: Brian Schatz 

- Senator in Hawaii 

- Democrat

- serving for 5 years

- only missed 50 votes out of 657 as a senator freshman (highest missed votes- 7.6%)

- very progressive

- very low with bipartisan bills

- gets bills out of the committee fast but he also doesn't have big bills- the one he got through quickly was something everyone would have wanted- resolution to basically salut the hawaiian armies

- not a leader and he is not a cosponsor

- he is the highest senator to cosponsor bills

- doesn't do a lot of work in the house

- not very good at getting laws passed 

This is Senator Brian Schatz
of Hawaii

Bill was introduced in March 24 and it was agreed on May 21 in the same year.
What the bill says:

That the Senate—

(1)

acknowledges the accomplishments and commends the service of the Hui Panala'au colonists;

(2)

acknowledges the local, national, and international significance of the 7-year colonization project, which resulted in the United States extending sovereignty into the Equatorial Pacific;

(3)

recognizes the dedication to the United States and self-reliance demonstrated by the young men, the majority of whom were Native Hawaiian, who left their homes and families in Hawaii to participate in the Equatorial Pacific colonization project;

(4)

extends condolences on behalf of the United States to the families of Carl Kahalewai, Joseph Keliihananui, and Richard Whaley for the loss of their loved ones in the service of the United States;

(5)

honors the young men whose actions, sacrifices, and valor helped secure and maintain the jurisdiction of the United States over equatorial islands in the Pacific Ocean during the years leading up to and the months immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II; and

(6)

extends to all of the colonists, and to the families of these exceptional young men, the deep appreciation of the people of the United States.

AMA (American Medical Association) IG Research

- either make a flyer or create a powerpoint slide to let the class know what your IG is about
- introduce the class to your group by explaining what its about and researching its activities:
Lobbying, Electioneering, Litigation, Going Public
-explain what your group is about and how it goes about achieving its goals
-find out how it has spent money in support of candidates and issues!

4 CATEGORIES:
1. Lobbying:

• influencing officeholders/ policymakers (provide info about the IG's needs and concerns, ideas about legislation the group would like to have or to get rid of)
• ideas about the enforcement of current laws (regulation, monitoring, etc)
• IG's spend money hiring professionals (lobbyists), whose job is to make the case (to policymakers and staff) 
• what about the IG's policy goals?

2. Electioneering (PACS)

• influencing the selection of officeholders/policymakers 
• outcomes of elections

3. Litigation- NOT legislation, to means going to court even if the group is not suing or being sued. "Filing a friend of the court" (amicus curiae) are briefs in lawsuits to help win specific ruling favorable to the interest group. When an interest group files an "amicus brief" they are not themselves a litigant in the case- although a member of the group might well be, but they are there to influence the outcome of the case because they like the precedent it could set

• Give an example?

4. Going Public

• advertising, social media, website, etc. (communicating with the general public to shape the public's opinion of the industry/interest group itself with the ultimate goal of influencing policy outcomes 
• by influencing the choices voters make in elections, and by influencing the types of policy they will expect, demand, and request from a member of congress
• going public is a step towards getting an IG's issue on the "policy agenda"
• allows the IG to frame the issue 
• example of "framing the issue": a gun rights lobbyist will frame the issue as a matter of fundamental rights and freedom, while an activist for restrictions or regulations on gun ownership will from the issue as a matter of public safety. 

AMA (American Medical Association):

1. Lobbyists 

2. Electioneering

3. Litigation

4. Going Public 

Research for CW and HW

Research:  What are the rules and regulations governing the financing of political campaigns?

Define each of the following and explain how each is intended to protect the integrity of the electoral process:  (You may use this source or any other that seems useful and reliable.)

1. DISCLOSURE

“The most common means of regulating political spending is through various disclosure and reporting requirements.”

Intended to protect the integrity: regulate spending money

People who are elected to be leaders are actually leading and forming their own opinons, limited in its impact because who is listening when you are slavishly trapped by a company who is giving you money  

2. PUBLIC FINANCING

“A third method states use to regulate spending in elections is by providing a means by which candidates can accept public funds to conduct their campaign.”

Intended to the protect the integrity: candidates can accept the public funds to conduct their campaign

3. CONTRIBUTION LIMITS

“The second most common means of regulating money in elections is through the imposition of limits on the amount of money any group or individual can contribute to a campaign.”

Intended to protect the integrity: limiting amount of money that anyone can give to a campaign

Read over this list of key court rulings having to do with campaign finance. 

Explain the circumstances and significance of each of the following Supreme Court decisions.  Include answers to the clarifying questions.

Buckley V Valeo:

•        Contribution limits are constitutional, expenditure limits are not.

First National Bank of Boston V. Bellotti

• ·      States cannot prohibit corporations from contributing money to ballot proposals.

Citizens against rent control V. City of Berkeley

• ·      There can be no contribution limits to ballot initiatives.

Austin V. Michigan Chamber of commerce

• ·      Corporations must keep a separate account from which they can make political contributions, usually by establishing a PAC.

Nixon V. Shrink Missouri Government

• ·      States can also limit the amount of money that any one individual or group can contribute to a state campaign.

McConell V Federal Election Commission

• ·      This case was the first to recognize the link between “soft money” and corruption.  

Randall V. Sorrell

• ·      States cannot limit independent expenditures, and must ensure their contribution limits are high enough to enable the candidate to run an effective campaign.

Davis V. Federal Election Commission

• ·      “Triggering” provisions found in many public financing statutes are unconstitutional.

Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission

• ·      States cannot place limits on the amount of money corporations, unions, or PACs use for electioneering communications, as long as the group does not directly align itself with a candidate.

McCutcheon V. Federal Election Commission

• ·      States can place a limit on how much any individual or group contributes to any one campaign, but cannot impose aggregate limits on how much and individual or group contributes to all campaigns during an election cycle.

Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976)

-What’s the difference between a “contribution” and an“expenditure”?

·      An expenditure is the action of spending funds and contribution is a gift or to a common fund

McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, 540 U.S. 93 (2003)

-What is a PAC (pronounced, “pack”)

·       Political Action Commitee

-What is soft money?

·      a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.

HW

HW:  Read about the proposed on fairvote.org  Rank them from most to least viable, (ones that won't work the best or successfully)  from your perspective, and explain your answer. Your explanation should make it clear that you have indeed read and understood each of the proposed reforms. 

http://www.fairvote.org/reforms/

5. Ranked choice voting (HP, me, hollie, marina, claudia, windham as 5)

4. [Least Viable] National Popular Vote for President (windham, claudia as 3) (me, hp, marina, hollie as 4)
- causing candidates for presidency to focus all of their attention on one section of the electorate which makes the american population irrelevant in elections

I think this one is the least viable, because not having Americans involved in the Presidental election will not go over too well with any Americans, since this is America and we have a democracy and the people have a say in voting on their leader and being involved in who gets to run our country. 


3. [Second Least Viable] Universal Voter Registration (mg, windham had as number 2) (marina, hp, me, hollie as 3)
-system that automatically registers all citizens to vote
-government automatic process eliminates the complexity of voter rolls

I am not sure if this is a very viable thing because they are involving the government in registering voters, but it is eliminating all of the complexities to voter rolls which is a very good thing and something that America needs, I am just not sure how successful this will turn out. 

2. [Not Sure]Fair Voting/ Proportional Representation (hp, marina, hollie, me for number 2)
-proportional:  systems help ensure that constituencies have representation in government bodies that reflect their share of the electorate
-fair voting: research points to ranked choice voting in multi-winner elections as the best proportional method for U.S. elections, because it honors majority rule, allows for fair representation and maximizes the effectiveness of a voter's ballot.

I honestly have no idea what this one is talking about so I am not sure how viable/ not viable it is. 

1. [Most Viable] Right to Vote in the Constitution (windham, hollie, mg, claudia, marina, me and hp for 1)
- voting system is flawed
-to address this problem it will be put in the constitution that everyone has a right to vote so that neither state not state laws can restrict the ability of citizens to cast a ballot- this ensures that our voting system is equal and fair to everyone.

This one will be one of the most viable ones because it has been shown that there are a ton of problems with our voting system and if every American is constitutionally allowed to vote equally and fairly, then that solves the whole dilemma about voter id laws and voter fraud. 

For my group: Marina, HP, Hollie, Windham, Claudia, MG, and me
Right to Vote in the Constitution: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Fair Voting/ Proportional Representation: 2, 2, 2, 2, 1

Universal Voter Registration: 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

National Popular Vote for President: 1, 1

Ranked choice voting


For whole class:
Right to Vote in the Constitution: 32

Fair Voting/ Proportional Representation: 17

Universal Voter Registration: 16

National Popular Vote for President: 6

Ranked choice voting: