Please answer each
question fully. Remember that you have
access to your textbook (and anything else you may want to use) to answer these
questions, so I expect well-developed responses. That
means use BOTH the text and your ideas/opinions to write your answers.
In other words, just giving me your opinion is not sufficient AND just giving
me a textbook answer is not sufficient.
Please answer each
question fully. Remember that you have
access to your textbook (and anything else you may want to use) to answer these
questions, so I expect well-developed responses.
Please number
your responses the same as I have numbered this assignment. (1, 2a,2b, etc….)
1. In
2008, Obama pledged to run only positive campaign messages in order to usher in
a new era of “Hope” and “Change.” By mid-2012, with poll numbers tightening,
Obama began to launch a barrage of negative ads against challenger Mitt Romney
in critically-important “swing states.” Although some Democrats complained that
Obama was breaking his previous positive-only pledge, supporters were quick to
point out that the negative ads seemed to work. To assess the effectiveness of
past campaign ads, select a presidential campaign year between 1952 and 2008
featured on the “Living Room Candidate” website (www.livingroomcandidate.org).
Watch the commercials from the
Republican candidate and the commercials from the Democratic candidate for the
presidential campaign year you selected.
a.
Give
the historical context for the election (you can find this on the living room candidate website).
b.
Identify
the candidates, with a brief summary about their campaigns. (also on the
website)
c.
Discuss
the major topics or themes for each candidates’ commercials.
d.
Assess
the effectiveness of the commercials.
Discuss which commercials you found most effective and least
effective. Explain why.
e.
If
the only information you have before you place your vote is these eight
commercials, which candidate would you vote for? Explain why.
f.
What
were the results of the election? Using
what you have seen on this website and your textbook, analyze whether you
believe the television commercials had a large or small impact on the election
outcomes.
2. Factcheck.org:
(http://www.factcheck.org/). Factcheck features analysis of statements
by candidates and officials. Flackcheck.org reviews the deceptive tactics used
by politicians and third-party groups in the democratic debate.
FlackCheck.org
(a companion site to our FactCheck.org) will use humor and parody in videos to
expose deception and manipulation in political speech and political ads in the
2012 campaigns.
The worst of the political ads will be deconstructed and debunked, calling out factual inaccuracies and pointing out the visual cues and music and sound effects that enhance deception and manipulation. Political ad consultants’ tools of the trade will be explained so students can understand how to dissect these ads. Hyperbolic political language will be skewered. Broadcast and cable news coverage of political ads will be praised and shamed.
The worst of the political ads will be deconstructed and debunked, calling out factual inaccuracies and pointing out the visual cues and music and sound effects that enhance deception and manipulation. Political ad consultants’ tools of the trade will be explained so students can understand how to dissect these ads. Hyperbolic political language will be skewered. Broadcast and cable news coverage of political ads will be praised and shamed.
Go
to the Flackcheck website. http://www.flackcheck.org/
. Click on the link for Patterns of
Deception (found at the top of the page).
Select one of this issue debates.
Watch the videos for the issue you selected.
Write a response (2
paragraph) explaining your findings. For
example, discuss the key deceptions utilized in regard to the issue you
selected. What are the cues that
average voters can use to detect deception in campaign/issue ads? Explain the
impact this information may have on informing democratic citizens (voters and
their decision making process).
3. Media
and Politics: Using the print or online
version of a three major newspapers,
evaluate the political content of front page news stories.
a.
List
the three newspapers you selected.
b.
Specifically,
identify the particular institutions being covered (e.g., Congress, the
presidency, the federal court system), the policy issue being discussed, and the
purpose of the article (e.g., inform, promote debate).
c.
Next,
identify the source material for this particular story. Did the story come from
a wire service, such as Associated Press, or was a staff reporter credited in
the story? Did the reporter include any first-hand observations? Were any
government officials quoted in the article? Were there any gaps in the coverage
that left you confused about the issue?
d.
Now,
look at how this story is covered by other news organizations, such as cable
news sites or television news. List the news organizations you viewed. Is the
coverage the same? If not, how does it differ? Discuss whether one news organization does a better job at promoting public deliberation
on this particular issue?
4. Examine
the following party platform. Then,
answer the questions below.
·
Democrats: http://www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform
(you do not need to give your email to view the platform and issues)
·
Republicans: http://www.gop.com/2012-republican-platform_home/
(you will need to click on the PDF)
a.
Identify and discuss five key components of
each party’s platform.
b.
Compare
and contrast the platforms of the two major parties with the two third
parties. In particular think about how
their issues may or may not appeal to the American public.
c.
Discuss
whether you believe the two major parties are successful at winning elections
because they have platforms that appeal to more people OR whether the two major
parties benefit from the rules of the US political system. (Or, perhaps it is
some of both).
d.
Examine
the political platforms of the two major parties and discuss how they may have
contributed to Obama (Democrat) winning the 2012 Presidential election.
5. Review the third party section of your
textbook and watch the following video clips.
The clips are from a 2 hour award winning documentary titled The Unreasonable Man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw1Aji8FzJc
(Part 1 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVRevKOtSh0
(Part 2 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC8g7YNmCpM
(Part 3 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zece3k884R0
(Part 4 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szBugsr7bls
(Part 5 of 5)
a.
Identify and discuss one idea you found
interesting, surprising or important from each of the five video clips.
b.
Explain
why it is difficult for minor party candidates to get elected. Discuss whether
you believe a third party candidate will be successful in winning the
presidency?
c.
Discuss
the ways in which a third party can be successful without winning elections.
d. Read
the following article
http://www.systemsthinker.com/writingscreative/speeches/thirdparties.shtml. Given your reading and the video above -- Write your response (2 paragraph) to
whether the United States should alter the rules of the election process to
open up opportunities for third parties.
Which rules would you change to help third parties in the election
process?
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