{Chapter 5 Pictures

Because I know you all have missed them… but seriously, I think I’m spoiling you all.

• Political Party: a group of like-minded people who join together to achieve common political goals

o Requirements Shared Beliefs: same goals Program: agree on turning beliefs into laws once elected Chance of Success: Needs to be realistic… or does it?

o Pressure Groups- Minority Parties o The U.S. has had a 2 party system since 1796,

despite the fact that George Washington warned against it.

So you’re saying there’s a chance…

Political parties have to have shared goals and they need to have a “realistic chance to win”.

•What do political parties try to accomplish? Organize a majority

Join what reflects their ideas about economics, foreign policy, social welfare, personal freedom… power goes to what the majority of people wish for.

Provide Electable Candidates Screen for best candidate for elections Public, media, and party leadership weed out candidates who

hold unpopular, unworkable, or extremist views Educate Voters

Platform: sums up stance on national priorities… hopefully people are edumacated by the time they get to the polls.

This is why they screen?

Byah…

Kind of like the way the Miss America Pageant screens out those who give terrible answers… (Special note: I do not blame her. She can’t give the answer she really wants to.)

Dear Mr. Schmitt,

I am sending you this email in response to your showing of the On Stage pageant question of the teen last Thursday. It was from the Miss Teen USA competition, which is a very different pageant that puts more of an emphasis on outward appearance. This video is unfortunate and is not a good representation of many young women participating in scholarship pageants, just as I think the re-playing of a NCAA Final Four basketball player performing an “air ball” over and over again is not a true representation of his talent and abilities. My exposure with pageants is only with the Miss America organization, so it is only to this organization that I may address.

The Miss America and Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageants encourage girls to develop a talent, to serve in their communities, to achieve high academics, to stay current on events, and to stay physically fit.  We are scored approximately in the following way:

 Talent --- 30%, 8 minute Interview --- 25 %, Formal --- 20%, Fitness --- 20%, On Stage Question 5%. Therefore, 60% of the competition is an accumulation of talent and one’s ability to converse, without incorporating outward appearance or “beauty” as many people would believe.

In my experience, the on stage question is the most nerve wracking portion of the competition, simply because the question is unknown until the specified moment and is performed in front of a large audience. This task is very difficult to complete with confidence and intelligence, even for adults.  It takes a lot of preparation to articulate one’s response in front of others, on a stage with lights, and at the spur of the moment.  I think the students in our class would realize the difficulty of this process if they were to answer a difficult question in front of their peers. Sometimes nerves overwhelm us, just like they do for a basketball player who has the game on the line, even though he usually makes his free throws during practice. 

Please find attached the On Stage questions and answers of the Miss America 2015 competition.  While I understand these answers are not perfect, I think this video is a much better representation of the Miss America competition than the video you showed in class. The winner of this competition, Miss New York, received $50,000 for her continuing education. I understand that there are numerous pageants available for young women, emphasizing different areas of competition. However, I believe the Miss America organization searches for well-rounded talented women who strive to be educated and high achieving.

Sincerely,Virginia Deig (Spring of 2015)

At her request, I will show the answers from the 2015 pageant. These are a much more accurate representation of the Miss America pageant and the caliber of young women that represent this contest.

Also, if you write me an email, that’s how it should be written: intelligently, coherently, and articulate with correct punctuation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG_UaB5vCrE&safe=active

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Optional Assignment for Chapter 5

Google for Democratic or Republican Party Platform

1. Choose two (2) issues that you either support or disagree with and write a small paragraph response.

2. Turn in.

Finance Election Campaigns: this is huge! Winners Get to Run the Government

Spoils System under Jackson: no longer in place, can’t just come in and eliminate people from jobs… keeps things running smoothly, also leads to regret.

When bad things happens, the party in charge usually loses… See: Great Depression, Vietnam, DotCom Bubble Burst, Housing Market Collapse

I love the way they're talkin' to you. 'Cause they're winners. Winners get to do what they want.

PGO: +5 if you can find the cost of the past

presidential campaign...

Why do we keep a two party system? Stability

With a lot of parties, not usually a majority. This leads to a coalition between smaller parties. If one or two leave a coalition you have gridlock and nothing gets accomplished

National Election Laws It’s hard to get national representation if you don’t win a

state’s elections… need 51% because we have a “winner take all” system of government.

Size of the Federal System Usually before a small party can win a national seat, its ideas

are absorbed by a larger party Tradition of Alternation in Office

No one party has ever dominated Washington D.C. completely Democrats originally (1800-1860) Republicans (14 of the following 18 national elections)

Gridlock

Usually before a smaller party can become too powerful, it is absorbed (hahahahah) by a larger party. (Republicans absorbed Tea Party Ideas… then spit them back out)

How did the 2 party system start? o Should we ratify the constitution?

Federalists say yes Anti-Federalists say no, want personal freedoms (Bill of

Rights) and more state power Democrats

Originally the Anti-Federalists, called the Democratic-Republicans

Modern democrats have ties to the “common people”, using government to solve a variety of problems that individuals and states can’t solve for themselves

Republicans Originally Federalists, then Whigs, then

Republicans Modern Republicans favor states’ rights and

freedom from government control See what we call “Irony”?

Republican Party descended from the whigs.

CT: What haircut are you most embarrassed to say you had?

How have 3rd parties affected our system? o Sectional Discontent

Represent a group of people’s views about issues (South in 1948 and 1968)

Radical Politics Socialist Party Peace and Freedom Party American Nazi’s of Today

Single Issue Parties

What do political labels stand for? (make us feel more comfortable, left wing and right wing date back to the French Revolution)

o Radical Problems of the country can only be solved through

extreme measures, and these need to take place immediately Radical Right- Militant, reactionary, denounce government Radical Left- Government should control means of

production

Anders Breivik- Norwegian RadicalWant to see video of this?

Want to see a video of this guy’s political party?

o Liberal (left wing) Look to the government for solutions to problems, accept

interference if it would take care of basic needs o Moderate (most people)

Accept government as it is, but favor new and better laws o Conservative (right wing)

“That government governs best which governs least”, give individuals as much freedom as possible, leave most decisions up to the state or local level

o But these labels don’t really cover everything…Depends who calls who what… for example, let’s draw the political spectrum line

Patterns of Voting Split Ticket- support both parties Straight Ticket- support their own party Cross Over Voting- support the other party… why?

How are political parties organized? PGO: Democrats_______ / Republicans_________/

Independent________ / Tea Party______ / Other ________ o National Committee

Most noticeable during election years Plan national convention Raise money Write the party platform Run the Presidential campaign

What happens at party conventions?

o Control of the Convention Used to be caucuses (closed

door meetings), now it is primaries (statewide party elections)

Platform Committee Come to agreement, choose

majority candidate and then everyone runs behind him/her to appear united

Steps Taken to Become President

THE Announcement • I’m running for President of the

United States… watch out for skeletons in the closet.

o Primaries Test out the water for who’s in the

lead Closed Primaries- only vote

for your own party Open Primaries- nobody

knows who you are until you vote Cross Over Primaries- You

vote for the other’s candidates… why?

Many say primaries are ridiculous…

Others say it allows them to be close to voters, get rid of weak candidates, and helps focus issues

Iowa student Brady Olson who convinced Public Policy Polling to test his fake identity against Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in North Carolina, even though he is 20 years too young to be President. He got 9% of the vote.

He ran under a pseudonym….

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Sometimes things don’t go according to plan at the National Conventions…

DNC 2012: God and the Capital of Israel

o National Convention Choose who they want… over and over and over

and over and… until someone’s chosen Dark Horse: we didn’t think he’d win the

nomination…. Oh well. o Campaigning

Mostly between Labor Day and day we vote o Election Day (FTAFMIN)

Computer, ballots, punch card (Chads) o Inauguration

Lame Duck: time in office after the election and you’re on your way out

Usually they help each other get adjusted to coming in to office

And now what I need is a representative from each class who you all feel could stand the test of skeletons in the closet and run for President.

{PGO: Primaries!

Quiz next time over chapters 4 and 5