Election Reflection – Final Post!

To all participating government and politics students:

Thank you so much for spending much of your time reading various media and each other – often imparting your own ideas – to generate constructive political discourse related to the election.  I do believe there is great value in tools like blogs to democratize learning, and your involvement only reinforced that belief.  Beside completing this post, you will receive a written evaluation that I hope you complete to help me and other educators who make an attempt to create a similar forum.

For this final post, there will be no media to read/view, only your original thoughts.  The campaign season was exhaustive and unpredictable even for political junkies like me, but the results were somewhat anticlimatic despite the historic nature of the election (the polls were remarkably accurate).  With a decisive win, President-Elect Obama has a relatively clear mandate to govern with public support and a majority in Congress, yet, despite your political affiliations, there is no doubt that expectations are exceedingly high for Obama’s performance (i.e., I’ve seen articles beginning with..Franklin Delano Obama).

Discussion Questions:

Using common paradigms for other presidents:

What does Obama need to accomplish in his first 100 days?  What does he need to accomplish in his first term?

Looking into the future, what will historians/political scientists write most prevalently about with regard to the 2008 presidential election?

**Note: Although I am not an historian (more of a social scientist), one of the most impressive qualities of weblogs is that they are historic/social artifacts.  This blog will never disappear (unless I remove it, and I won’t), and you can always refer back to the ideas contributed to it, especially your own.  Twenty years from now, perhaps students will read the comments of peers their own age to learn about a critical election in history rather than reading about it from textbooks.

Share your voting story – Election Day!

Standing on line this morning, I was pretty amazed, as were the people waiting, how many came out for the opening of the polls.  I always vote before work, and since I live pretty far from where I work, that means that I need to arrive early.  Usually, there are three or four souls who just rolled out of bed (even in previous presidential elections).  Today, there were over 100 people lined up before 6am.  It was not just the sheer numbers, the anticipation and excitement was palpable.  This typical Northern New Jersey suburb, not particularly political or ideological leaning in one way or the other, certainly represented quite a different atmosphere than in past years.  I talked with mostly older voters, sharing some stories and spending time to decipher the ballot questions (about the methods/processes to elect municipal judges).

After voting, I always feel immense pride knowing that I’ve expressed myself in the most powerful way.  I know many of you are not eligible voters; I feel bad you are not able to vote – you certainly proved you are informed and sophisticated enough to cast your ballot.  For those of you who are 18 and do vote today, I invite you to share your story about what is most likely your first voting experience.  What was it like?  How do you feel now, after voting?

Many more thoughts, stories, and questions to share later…

Are you obsessed with the election? – post #8

For many, this Tuesday will mark a momentous, highly anticipated day, but election followers have begun to realize that the absence of the around-the-clock focus on the election may leave a serious void in their lives (including me).  Last evening, after watching this video, I began to question myself when I realized that I had been on weather.com the same day to check Tuesday’s forecast in Ohio, Virgina, Missouri, and other swing states.  This CNN video refers to the phenomenon (half-joking, half-serious) of election obsession.

Take a look: Election Obsession

Questions:

1. Why do you think this particular presidential election has caused people to be obsessed in the way the CNN video describes?

2. Are you one of the individuals depicted in the video?  How will you feel after Tuesday?

***NOTE: The next post (#9) will be an ongoing dialogue on election night for you to respond to events as they unfold.  I encourage you to check and respond to posts that evening to get updated information and to see/share responses with your peers.  Post #10 will occur one week after election night.

Bracing for Potential Voting Problems – Post #7

With some states already voting for the election, much debate has arisen about the challenges posed by permitting citizens of some, but not all states, to vote early.  Review the summary of early voting taking place across the U.S. (34 states) in the USA Today.

Beyond the question of early voting, problems are likely to occur with voters being unsure about specific election rules for their state, and there are likely to be failures at individual precincts in their handling of adverse conditions (large voter turnout, malfunctions with ballots, etc.).

NPR’s Pam Fessler answers questions about potential voting problems and specifically addresses early voting in her Q and A session.  Listen to her recent podcast to hear more: NPR podcast (click on “listen” right before article begins).

Discussion Questions: Answer one or both sets of questions.

1. Do you think it is fair and democratic to have an election where some states have early voting?  What impact do you think this year’s early voting will have on the national election?

2. After considering some of the voting problems officials are worried about and recalling the controversies from the past two elections, what are your greatest concerns about voting access or accuracy on election day?  Please post articles or sources you find that relate to this question.

Debating the “Bradley effect”: Post #6

With the polls heavily leaning toward Obama, political discussion has shifted once again to questions about race.   More specifically, people are talking about the troubling notion of people not accurately reporting their vote to pollsters or changing their minds about who they vote for purely based on an individual’s race.

A Time Magazine article, The Bradley Effect, describes the origin of voting decisions based on race and weighs in on the debate about what role, if any, it will have on the outcome of the election.  Quite interestingly, another report from fivethirtyeight.com, provides a contrasting view that shows how Obama actually exceeded predictions from polls about his success in the 2008 Democratic primary, effectively refuting the “Bradley effect”.

Discussion Question:

Do you believe the “Bradley effect” will: 1) be a game changer; 2) have a small effect on election results, but not change the outcome; 3) have no effect at all on the presidential race; or 4) be impossible to measure?

Navigating the Electoral Map – post #5

Each day, various polls are taken to predict voters’ decisions and attitudes related to the 2008 presidential election.  While national polls take the overall pulse of the race, it is the state polls, particularly in key battleground states, that voters, politicians, and the media watch closely to gauge the state of the race.  Realclearpolitics is a great place to get update-to-date polls from various sources.

The electoral map, as presently constituted according to the polls, can be retrieved from: RCP Electoral Map.

For this post, you will need to view the map and its various components to formulate your own judgments about your own expected outcomes for the election.  You will see clearly how the red states align with McCain, the blue states align with Obama, and the grey states are considered toss-ups.  RCP merges polling data from various sources, and it makes changes to the map every day.  To navigate the map, move your icon to states picquing your interest; a small box will open up where you can change the alignment according to who you think will win the election in that state.  The most recent polls from each state are also accessible from this box.

Discussion Questions:

1. After sorting through all of the information on the map and applying what you know about the states and current conditions in the presidential race, go through the process of calculating your own outcomes to the presidential race.  This means changing the toss-up states to a projected winner and possibly changing states that are leaning or solidly in favor of one candidate (there is valuable historical and current information on this site to inform your opinion).  Predict the outcome in your comment.

2A – If you believe the race is close: what 2 or 3 states are going to be decisive and closest?  Why?

2B – If you believe the race is not close: what happens on election night that turns the tide strongly in one direction?

3. When people look at the electoral map on November 5 (the day after), what is going to be most surprising to pundits?

Feel free to refer to articles/sources you read through RCP or other media sites.  Less than one month away!

The last day to register in NJ is October 14.

Reactions to the vice-presidential debate – post #4

For many, last night’s debate produced exactly the outcome people expected or hoped for, while others were quite surprised with the performance, tone, and style used by Governor Palin and Senator Biden.  In the short history of vice-presidential debates there have been some memorable moments, but these exchanges have caused minimal impact on the presidential election results.  There are some people who believe this race may be different based on the candidates involved at the top and bottom of each ticket.

Those of you who did not see the debate last night can watch it in its entirety or through individual clips segmented by topic.

MSNBC – OR – Washington Post

The rest of you who did watch the debate, go watch the two video clips in the links below.

Wall Street Journal

CNN

Discussion Questions:

1. Two competing perspectives are presented in the video commentaries.  Gerald Seib discusses how each candidate performed positively, while the CNN reporter shows how a group of young voters were turned off by the debate.  Which one of these perspectives is closer to your viewpoint?  In particular, does the sentiment captured by the Rock-the-Vote crowd reflect what you believe?

2.  Click on the two images at the top of the post.  You will see a visual representation of the language each vice-presidential candidate used (put together by Slate.com) to represent what each person said and how often these words were used.  Based on this visual and your general reflection of the debate, make a judgment about whether Biden and Palin were able to deliver his and her intended messages.

***Make sure to use the media to support your ideas in your comments!

Rescuing our economy?! – Post #3

All of the campaign fervor generated this election season has been momentarily derailed as a result of last week’s financial debacle and the massive bailout under construction by Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed Chairman Bernanke. Working directly with federal lawmakers around the clock to pass legislation, it appears inevitable that unprecedented action will be taken to restore credibility to financial markets and investment firms through government control of the mortgage industry. Members of both political parties have approached this issue with caution and skepticism, as E.J. Dionne states:

“Liberal Democrats are in agony over bailing out Wall Street. Conservative Republicans are in agony over massive government intervention in what they like to call the free market. Yet neither side wants to be blamed if the financial system implodes.”

Many Americans are shocked by the depth and magnitude of the financial crisis even though most people were aware of the declining housing market. In reacting to this crisis, people are first trying to gain a better understanding of the most effective remedy for this situation and then are looking at its impact on the presidential election. Read through the three articles linked to the post to weigh varying perspectives, and then answer the two discussion questions.

A Free Market Fix

The $700 Billion Question

Improving Paulson’s Cure

Discussion Questions:

1. What, if anything, should the federal government do in reaction to the collapse of the financial industry?

2. As the presidential candidates continue on the campaign trail, how would you like to see them respond to this situation as prospective executive leaders of the United States?

The art, science, and war of campaign advertisements – post #2

In a column published today, “2008 campaign attack ads hit an all-time low” (cnn.com), Darrell West (Brookings Institute) examines the changing tone, rhetoric, and content of campaign advertisements sponsored by each presidential candidate and independent special interest organizations. While acknowledging that this campaign tactic has been used by candidates since the inception of political parties and elections, he is concerned about the limited focus on issues from both sides, complaining that ads in “recent months have twisted the truth, lied about personal background, taken statements out of context, and clearly sought to manipulate voter sentiments”.

For those people who have not seen the attack ads on television, take a look at these two (one from each candidate):

While ads like these have not been aired too much in our area, they are being televised across the nation, particularly in “swing states”. Moreover, for those that watch mainstream media, you will often see commentators play clips of the ads for national viewers and share their comments. With the election heating up and polls tightening, there is no doubt that both sides feel a greater need to attack through campaign advertisements. For this post, your task is to visit The Living Room President.

Go to the bottom of the page where 20 different advertisements (most are 30 seconds each) are included for each candidate – take a look at some of them. When responding to the discussion questions, please make specific references to the advertisements you viewed and how they influenced your thinking (the title of the ad appears when you move your cursor over the window). You will notice that some of these ads are published on the web v. television.

Discussion Questions:

1. Considering the range of voters (age, partisan, independent, geographic region, gender, informed, less-informed, etc.), what are the primary tactics used by each candidate to target audiences?
2. Do you view the campaign ads as art, science, or political warfare?
3. After watching the ads, have your views changed?

**Be prepared – the next post is going to be devoted to substantive policy issues!

Announcement about 7th congressional district debate – Tuesday, September 16

As the site administrator, I can see my job is going to be challenging to find content and appropriate media that is going to stimulate interesting and new discussion related to the election.  You managed to bring so much to the forefront with the first post, and it is clear through your tremendously insightful comments that you have deeply examined the candidates and issues facing our nation in this monumental election (feel free to send me ideas for discussion topics – bsiegel@spfk12.org).

For those of you who have been following the race in the 7th congressional district between Linda Stender (D) and Leonard Lance (R),  you know that this has been pegged as one of the most hotly contested and important races in the entire House of Representatives.  An interesting note to you is that every school involved with this blog is represented in this district.  So, I would strongly encourage you to attend a moderated debate between the two candidates on Tuesday, September 16 (7:15 p.m., JCC, 1391 Martine Ave, Scotch Plains NJ).  It is free and open to the public.  More information about the event can be retrieved from: Jewish Federation of Central Jersey.

Following the event, I will encourage all students in attendance to share their views about the debate using this forum, although this post will not count as the weekly post on the national election.

Hope to see you there – thanks again for sharing views about “change” on the first post!