Consider the sources we reviewed in class and information from at least two of the links posted below. Evaluate the effectiveness of the electoral college and respond to this week's framing question in a response of no less than 250 words. Your response may be posted, typed, written or developed into a visual project (poster or powerpoint).
Sources:
www.realclearpolitics.com
www.270towin.com
www.cnn.com/election/2008
Note End of 1st MP deadlines: all work except for extra credit assignments must be submitted by Friday 10/3. Extra credits must be submitted by Tuesday, 10/6.
Both Optional Extra Credits must be 350 words and may be a typed document, poster, powerpoint or other approved assessment.
All the President's Men (Watergate Scandal)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (commentary on political corruption)
Charlie Wilson's War (media, scandal, role of US in the Kabul War between USSR and Afghanistan)
Sources:
www.realclearpolitics.com
www.270towin.com
www.cnn.com/election/2008
Note End of 1st MP deadlines: all work except for extra credit assignments must be submitted by Friday 10/3. Extra credits must be submitted by Tuesday, 10/6.
Both Optional Extra Credits must be 350 words and may be a typed document, poster, powerpoint or other approved assessment.
- Extra credit option 1:
Summarize two issues discussed in last Friday's presidential debates. Evaluate McCain and Obama's positions and present your views on each topic. You may want to evaluate media bias in the presentation of the debate if you didn't view it in real time. Include citations of outside sources. - Extra Credit option 2:
Write a film review of one of the movies listed below. Include a plot synopsis, explanation of it's relevance to topics we've studied in class and an overall assessment of the film as both a piece of entertainment and an education tool.
All the President's Men (Watergate Scandal)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (commentary on political corruption)
Charlie Wilson's War (media, scandal, role of US in the Kabul War between USSR and Afghanistan)
6 comments:
greetings americanas,
By definition, a democracy is a government run by the people, and for the people. An electoral college, which basically filters the people's vote, compromises American democracy. Furthermore,the best way to understand the process in relation to the electoral vote is by example. I, the elector, go to Ralph's Ices, and narrow I choices to cookie dough, cappuccino, and tiramisu. I ask the party of people I'm with which one flavor I should get, and heed get their votes-the popular vote. However, I, being the elector, still make the end decision, and can cast aside the votes of the people to;ultimately, choosing any which one I want. In addition, some states have more electors than others, giving those states' final decision, more of an advantage. In addition, I must say that it is more convenient to bribe 538 electoral voters, rather then 300,000,000. Having an electoral college, takes away from the personal side of the president as well. As seen in the past, a candidate won't go to s state with a fewer population since he's aware their vote won't voice much. C'mon, what kind of person doesn't recognize the little poeple! Also, what about the people who disagree with their states decision? If a free country is going to have any form a leader, it should be a leader whom they want. They go completely unheard! I was totally deceived as a child, by thinking whomever the people voted for directly won! Perhaps it's time that the government steps it game up, and upgrade on the voting process to include every single vote. Overall, a direct popular vote is more honest, personal, and loyal-just what you want and need in a president.
xoxo
kg
Loretta Au
October 1, 2008
Block C
Electoral college is when electors from every state have the power to elect a candidate for whichever position, usually president or vice president. This means that the popular vote is not guaranteed to be the winner because the Electoral College has a say in the vote. In the 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush, Gore won the popular vote but Bush won the presidency because he had the electoral vote. The Electoral College compromises American democracy. In American democracy, everyone is equal, people and government alike. A democracy is a system of government where representatives embody the people’s issues, concerns and choices. If the popular demand has chosen fairly, then the government should allow that to be the result instead of possibly overturning it due to electoral votes. By allowing Electoral College be put into use, popular vote is needless because it doesn't always steer the electors a certain way, like in 2000. Although it might have some sort of impact, it can also have no effect as well. Therefore, Electoral College does not ensure American democracy, in fact, it violates it. The American body should have more power and more impact towards the government.
Justin Lefkowitz
C Block
US Government
The Twelfth Amendment of the United States Constitution created the Electoral College. The Electoral College is definitely a compromise for American democracy.
Based on the last two weeks of what we have learned in U.S. Government class, the presidential candidate with the most votes does not always win. It turns out, the presidential candidate with the most Electoral votes becomes the president. In the 2000 Presidential Election, Al Gore was the Democratic nominee and George W. Bush was the Republican nominee. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush won the 270 Electoral votes that were needed to take the presidency.
As a result of the 2000 Election, Americans from all over the country started to question the democratic process of picking our president. Is this a real democracy we live in, or is it more like an elite-democratic-republic? We do elect people into power, but do we really elect people into power, or is our government just trying to cover up a society that they run?
The Electoral College has the right to choose who our next president will be, although they do choose to listen to who the majority of citizens want the president to be in each state.
I feel that if the Electoral College did want to keep the elections in the United States “up to the citizens” they would split the votes in more than just two states. Living in a Democratic state like New York means that a Republicans vote does not really count. Since the majority of the votes in our state are usually for the Democrats, basically all of the votes from the Electoral College will go to the Democratic Candidate.
One way to fix this democratic compromise is by creating a new Amendment that does away with the Electoral College. Let “each” citizens’ vote count. After the 2000 Election, one can conclude that the Electoral College runs the election, and not so much the citizens of the United States. Maybe this will change in the future.
The Electoral Process does in fact compromise democracy. The Electoral Process can discourage people to vote because sometimes their vote does not even matter. Like in New York State, a very democratic state, a republican voter would have no point in voting because the democrats will out number him/her and his vote would not even count towards anything. Also the Electoral College is not even obligated to vote for the candidate the state favored. The election is really based on whom the Electoral College wants to win. Two states, Maine and Nebraska, are even permitted to split their votes among many candidates.
Popular vote should be the only true democratic way to select an elected official. This guarantees that every single citizen’s vote counts. This would encourage more people to get up and go vote. The Results of the 2000 election of Bush v. Gore prove my point even further. The outcome the election was completely heinous. The popular vote for Al Gore was much higher then of George Bush’s. Even though I am a strong Bush supporter, I feel that Al Gore should have won that election. More then half the country wanted Al Gore as president.
Anthony Fontana
Block C
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