teaching exercise. what is a bill? what is a law? how does a bill become a law?
Post on 21-Dec-2015
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TRANSCRIPT
Teaching Exercise
• What is a bill? What is a law? How does a bill become a law?
• What does the president do?
• How would you evaluate a candidate who claimed that “when I’m elected, I’ll get rid of red tape”?
• What does stare decisis mean, and why is it important?
• What is the rule of law? Why is this an important concept for citizens to understand?
• How does the Electoral College work?
• In what ways can judges change the Bill of Rights?
• Why did the colonists fight the British?
• Does the Constitution guarantee a right to privacy? Why or why not?
• What is a federal system? Why do we have one?
• Why do some states have lots of representatives in the House and some states have only one?
• Would you rather be Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid? Why?
• What is a regulation? How do they get written?
• What are some powers only that the states have?
• Name all of the 14 states that border the Atlantic Ocean
• Do bureaucrats make important policy decisions? Explain your answer.
• Why would the president prefer to have unified government?
• What does a Congressional committee chair do?
Back to political parties…
Electoral rules affect party strength
• The golden age of parties 1828-1912
• Declining party strength 1912-1972
• Era of weak parties 1972-1994
• Stronger parties? 1994-???
The golden age of parties 1828-1912
• Party conventions
• Patronage/Spoils system
• No secret ballot
• Politics as entertainment
• Grass roots parties
• High voter turnout
Declining party strength: 1912-1972
• Australian (secret) ballot• Civil service reforms• Primary elections• Direct election of senators• Nonpartisan local elections• New Deal welfare state• More candidate-centered campaigns
Era of weak parties 1972-1994
• TV• Campaign finance• Deep ideological divisions within parties
– (Particularly the Democratic party!)
• Weak party discipline in Congress• Candidate centered elections• Rise in number of “independents”• Split ticket voting
Stronger parties? 1994-???
• Southern realignment• Ideological polarization• Strong party discipline in Congress• Highly partisan, competitive presidential
elections• Increased turnout
• New restrictions on party-building?
Which side are you on?
Democrats to the LEFT
Republicans to the RIGHT