Teaching Exercise

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Teaching Exercise
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• What is a bill? What is a law? How does a bill
  become a law?

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• What does the president do?

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• How would you evaluate a candidate who claimed
  that when Im elected, Ill get rid of red
  tape?

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• What does stare decisis mean, and why is it
  important?

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• What is the rule of law? Why is this an
  important concept for citizens to understand?

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• How does the Electoral College work?

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• In what ways can judges change the Bill of
  Rights?

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• Why did the colonists fight the British?

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• Does the Constitution guarantee a right to
  privacy? Why or why not?

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• What is a federal system? Why do we have one?

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• Why do some states have lots of representatives
  in the House and some states have only one?

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• Would you rather be Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid?
  Why?

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• What is a regulation? How do they get written?

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• What are some powers only that the states have?

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• Name all of the 14 states that border the
  Atlantic Ocean

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• Do bureaucrats make important policy decisions?
  Explain your answer.

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• Why would the president prefer to have unified
  government?

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• What does a Congressional committee chair do?

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Back to political parties
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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-???

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The golden age of parties 1828-1912

• Party conventions
• Patronage/Spoils system
• No secret ballot
• Politics as entertainment
• Grass roots parties
• High voter turnout

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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

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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

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Stronger parties? 1994-???

• Southern realignment
• Ideological polarization
• Strong party discipline in Congress
• Highly partisan, competitive presidential
  elections
• Increased turnout
• New restrictions on party-building?

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Which side are you on?

• Democrats to the LEFT
• Republicans to the RIGHT

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