APGov A and B Comm Svc

Post your Community Service Web Site links here for your "Digital Scrapbooks"

Make sure you include your name with your link

APGov-B Weekly Blog Post

OK, so as we discussed in class- what do you think about the WikiLeaks? What should the media do? Or, do you, as a citizen have the right to this information? What is the legal line? The ethical line? How will this impact foreign affairs-

Open Dialogue on this HOT topic

APGov-B Special Interest Groups

Post your links here!

APGov B: Media Week! Good Times

I love this assignment! Find an ad that impresses me :)

First, find the best campaign ad for either a governor's race or the 2010 midterm elections
Post the link to the video here

Then, with your link discuss the following items
1. is the ad poitivie or negative in tone
2. Why does the ad "work"? What makes it a good ad?
3. Who paid for or created the ad? (candidate, DNC/RNC, or a PAC/Interest Group)
4. What are they trying to accomplish with this ad- what do they want you, the voter, to know or realize?

Remember, You cannot use the same ad as anyone else in the class

APGov- B Issue Papers

Students,
Please place your individual links here so we can go view and comment on your issue paper sites .

Then you need to visit one paper from each team and give them meaningful feedback.

For your own site, reply to any questions asked of you.

APGov-B Polling Blogs

Teams,

Please place your links for your poll result blogs here.

You then need to visit EACH team and post a comment.

For your own site, respond to questions posted to your poll blog site as well.

APGov B- "New Congress" Gets a New Budget

It is current conventional wisdom that despite campaign promises, the newly elected Republicans cannot actually "repeal" the healthcare plan that was passed this fall. And under opinion polls, the title of the health care gets low approval, but when people are asked if they support individual provisions, polling is much higher. In the end, it may be that a slight majority of Americans approve of the reforms.

While they may not be able to actually 'repeal' the law- one definite possibility is to not fund the provisions they like in the budget that will pass in October 2011 for the 2011-2012 budget year.

Please read these two articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/health/policy/07health.html?_r=1&ref=politics

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/07/republicans-look-budget-maneuvers-prevent-spending-new-health-law/

So, what do you think?
Should Congress try to get a real gauge on what Americans want before they decide?

Should they use budget options to effectively cancel components they don't want?

Should they respect that the law was passed and let it go into effect?

To help you form your opinions, here is a summary of what the reform law did:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/myths-and-facts#healthcare-menu

APGov B- Political Culture

Welcome back.

We live in a society that prefers negative ads and a lot of them. How we develop our political ideology is based on these primary factors:

Family
Education
Peer/Media Influence
Region


To get started this week please take this political ideology quiz:
http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

Make sure to scroll down and see where you fall and what that compares to.

Here are some common trends:
over 50% of families share the same ideology
age 18-30- more likely to be to the "left"
over 65- more likely to be to the "right"
South/Midwest- right
coasts- left
higher education levels- left
but higher incomes- right
Christians- right
Catholics- left
Blue Collar workers- left


So, here's what we are discussing this week:
**NOTE** Sharing your ideology is personal and is OPTIONAL.

1. What influences your own political socialization?
2. Are you similar or different than your parents?
3. People usually have social values and fiscal values. How do you balance these in choosing a political party....? (this is the real discussion here)

Special Interest Group Blogs

Post your links here!

Media Week Blog Post

OK, Here's the highly anticipated topic.

First, find the best campaign ad for either a governor's race or the 2010 midterm elections
Post the link to the video here

Then, with your link discuss the following items
1. is the ad poitivie or negative in tone
2. Why does the ad "work"? What makes it a good ad?
3. Who paid for or created the ad? (candidate, DNC/RNC, or a PAC/Interest Group)
4. What are they trying to accomplish with this ad- what do they want you, the voter, to know or realize?

Remember, You cannot use the same ad as anyone else in the class

APGovA Issue Papers

Students,
Please place your individual links here so we can go view and comment on your issue paper sites

APGovA- Blog Posts

Teams,

Please place your links for your poll result blogs here so we can all go check them out

AP Gov A- Congressional Campaigns

We are in the heat of Congressional Campaigning. In years past, re-elections are almost a "lock" for incumbents....making many of them life-long public servants. This makes some desire term limits for senators or congressmen.

Senators run for election every 6 years, meaning 33 of them get elected every 2 years.
In the House, the congressmen serve only a 2-year term so all 435 are up for election/re-election every 2 years. That means right now there are about 470 congressional seats up for grabs.

We've already talked about the roll of the Tea Party in this year's primaries and now general election. Another key player is the media..... but to run for office people need money. period. Campaign funding is a MAJOR issue in politics. As you read this week you will be exposed to campaign finance rules.

But for this week's blog I want you to find a "hot" congressional campaign from around the country. There are tons to choose from.

Here's what I want you to do:
1. identify the Dem and Rep candidate
2. what is their story/type of government service.
3. What are the key issues in that campaign
4. who supports them- which types of interest groups endorsed and donated to their campaign.

For this week's blog- you do not need to reply to each other. Just scroll through the posts and check out the different types of contests going in the country.

I will give you until Thursday since you have to do some online searching this week!

APGov A- Political Culture

Welcome back.

We live in a society that prefers negative ads and a lot of them. How we develop our political ideology is based on these primary factors:

Family

Education

Peer/Media Influence

Region

To get started this week please take this political ideology quiz:

http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

Make sure to scroll down and see where you fall and what that compares to.

Here are some common trends:
over 50% of families share the same ideology
age 18-30- more likely to be to the "left"
over 65- more likely to be to the "right"
South/Midwest- right
coasts- left
higher education levels- left
but higher incomes- right
Christians- right
Catholics- left
Blue Collar workers- left


So, here's what we are discussing this week:
**NOTE** Sharing your ideology is personal and is OPTIONAL.

1. What influences your own political socialization?
2. Are you similar or different than your parents?
3. People usually have social values and fiscal values. How do you balance these in choosing a political party....? (this is the real discussion here)

APGov B Week 2- The RIse of the Tea Party and It's Purpose in America Today

This week we were going to do a reading on Gay Marriage but that issue is evolving quickly right now so we will wait until we get to Civil Liberties unit.

We are going to instead look at the evolution and hopes of the Tea Party. Please first look at ALL of these sources:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/38805749#38805828

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/us/politics/23rubio.html?_r=1&hp

http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/senate/florida?ref=politics

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/22/sunshine-state-political-shift-establishment-candidates-favored-win-0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/22/AR2010082201288.html

An important key to politics and political parties is to remember that all politics are LOCAL. But we have "National" political parties:Republican and Democratic parties. a rising sect of the Republican party, the "Tea Party" started by Libertarians who wanted smaller government budgets and a smaller overall government involvement- fiscal conservatives.

Social conservatives quickly joined in and now the beliefs of the "Tea Party" are almost as diverse ans that of the straight of D and Rs.

In every midterm election the party in power loses seats. This is a 100% fact. How many seats is up to campaigning and relative party successes or failures.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How are voters supposed to identify with candidates and make informed decisions? Can they rely on party label? Does party label mean anything? What is the role of the Tea Party. Think about the Bull Moose Party, the Progressive Party....... How do they pick a party if issues are so diverse from state to state......all politics is local.... what do the Tea Partiers give to the Republican Party....?

APGov-B Week One Blog- Roles and Responsibilities

Hey Gang,

This week I want you to reflect on the role and responsibility of Government. Why do we have Government? Why do we leave a State of Nature? What do we rely on our Government for? What are the advantages of a democracy over other forms of government...... hereditary kingdoms, theocracies, parliamentarian monarchies, dictatorships?

Let Machiavelli, Mill, and Locke inspire you here, but do NOT simply spout them back to me. I know what they say.....I now want to know what your INFORMED input is!

As always, respond to classmates as well.

APGov-A Blog for Week of August 23rd

This week we were going to do a reading on Gay Marriage but that issue is evolving quickly right now so we will wait until we get to Civil Liberties unit.

We are going to instead look at the evolution and hopes of the Tea Party. Please first look at ALL of these sources:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/38805749#38805828

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/us/politics/23rubio.html?_r=1&hp

http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/senate/florida?ref=politics

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/22/sunshine-state-political-shift-establishment-candidates-favored-win-0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/22/AR2010082201288.html

An important key to politics and political parties is to remember that all politics are LOCAL. But we have "National" political parties:Republican and Democratic parties. a rising sect of the Republican party, the "Tea Party" started by Libertarians who wanted smaller government budgets and a smaller overall government involvement- fiscal conservatives.

Social conservatives quickly joined in and now the beliefs of the "Tea Party" are almost as diverse ans that of the straight of D and Rs.

In every midterm election the party in power loses seats. This is a 100% fact. How many seats is up to campaigning and relative party successes or failures.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How are voters supposed to identify with candidates and make informed decisions? Can they rely on party label? Does party label mean anything? What is the solution to being a smart voter? And what about candidates? How do they pick a party if issues are so diverse from state to state......all politics is local....

APGov-A Week One Blog- Roles and Responsibilities

Hey Gang,

This week I want you to reflect on the role and responsibility of Government. Why do we have Government? Why do we leave a State of Nature? What do we rely on our Government for? What are the advantages of a democracy over other forms of government...... hereditary kingdoms, theocracies, parliamentarian monarchies, dictatorships?

Let Machiavelli, Mill, and Locke inspire you here, but do NOT simply spout them back to me. I know what they say.....I now want to know what your INFORMED input is!

As always, respond to classmates as well.