Blog Post 2.10 "Obama & Congress"

Watch the following episode of PBS Frontline about President Obama trying to get health care reform passed back in 2010.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamasdeal/view/

Write a three paragraph summary of the documentary and answer the following questions.

THIS POST WILL ALSO COUNT IN BOTH YOUR BLOG AND HOMEWORK GRADE CATEGORIES


1. What was Rahm Emmanuel's job in the Obama Administration?  What are the roles of that job?
2. Why did the Obama Administration decide to go after health care reform immediately upon assuming office?
3. How were Bill Clinton's attempts at health care reform defeated?
4. What kind of people was Obama hiring to work in his administration to get reform passed?  How would this approach be useful?
5. What did the interests groups for private insurance companies demand that Obama include in his health care reform plan?  Why?
6. How was the Senate version of the health care bill written?  Using what you know from reading House and Senate, how was this allowed to happen?
7. Why did the Obama Administration have to ensure that the pharmaceutical interest groups were on his side?
8. During the "summer recess", how did public opinion turn against health care reform?
9. How did the death of Ted Kennedy change the debate over the issue?
10. What happened during the President's State of the Union address that increased the intensity of the debate?
11. How did Obama use his "bully pulpit" against the insurance companies?
12. What were the results of the first vote on the bill?
13. How did the death of Ted Kennedy change the makeup of the Senate?
14. Why is the 41st vote so crucial for Republicans in the Senate?
15. How did Obama respond after Democrats lost their super-majority in the Senate?
16. What new approach did Obama and Nancy Pelosi take with the House of Representatives?
17. What was the result of the vote in the House?  How did both parties vote?

18.  Using what you know, and what you saw in this case study, n ONE PARAGRAPH, explain the process by which a president gets major legislation enacted.

Blog Post 2.09 "Growth of Obama's Presidential Power

Read the following article from Newsweek about how President Obama has been expanding the power of the Executive Branch.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/10/21/president-obama-s-executive-power-grab.html

Write a three paragraph summary of the article and answer the following questions.

1. Why was Speaker Boehner unable to compromise with President Obama?
2. Why didn't Obama just want to solve the problem by himself?
3. If Congress would not pass the DREAM Act and Obama passed it unilaterally, what does that mean happened?
4. How did Congress react?
5. On what grounds can Congress criticize the Administration over not defending the Defense of Marriage Act?
6.  FDR expanded power to solve help fix the Great Depression, & Bush expanded power to combat Terrorism.  What is the problem Obama is expanding his powers to try to solve?
7. How is Congress dealing with the president's appointees differently than in the past?
8. How has the Senate operated under the Obama Administration?
9. Why does Congress have a hard time explaining to the electorate that the president is abusing his power?
10. Why is Congress upset that Obama is taking unilateral action?
11. What is Obama's plan for dealing with Congress in his second term?

Blog Post 2.8 "Women in the 113th Congress"

Read the following article from The Atlantic about women and their roles in the newly elected Congress.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/percentage-of-women-running-major-house-committees-in-2013-zero/265657/

Write a two paragraph summary of the article, and then answer the following questions.
1. What are "Democratic wave years" and why are they more likely to produce gains for women in Congress?
2. Why will all of the leaders of committees be white males?
3. How many Republican women Congressmen are there?  How many Democratic women Congressmen are there?  (actual numbers for the 113th Congress.  You'll have to do math or look it up)
4. What are the three reasons the author gives for the lack of female Republican Congressmen?

About the article, not necessarily in the article....
5.  How are committee chairman selected?
6.  How is House leadership chosen?
7. Who is the most powerful woman in Congress?
8. What is her position in the 113th Congress?

Blog Post 2.7 "Redistricting & Gerrymandering"

Read the following article from The Washington Post about the impacts of redistricting on this most recent election.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/harold-meyerson-gops-gerrymandered-advantages/2012/11/13/4785e4d6-2d2f-11e2-a99d-5c4203af7b7a_story.html

WRITE A TWO PARAGRAPH SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE and then answer the following questions.

1. Why were the House districts changed for this election?
2.Why were Republicans able to draw the district lines?
3. If the Democratic Senators were winning statewide elections by such large margins, but the House seats were lopsided wins for Republicans, what do you know has happened during the redistricting of those states?
4.  What is the disparity in Democrat vs. Republican seats in the states that Meyerson discussed?
5.  How does the author defend Democratic gerrymandering in Illinois?
6.  How does California's plan eliminate gerrymandering?
7. Why does he finish by saying that House Republicans do not have "a mandate" to carry out their policies?

Blog Post 2.6 "The 113th Congress"

Read the following 2 info-graphics from Time magazine.

http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/07/the-senate-after-33-races-a-few-new-faces/
http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/07/the-house-election-2012/

Then read the following editorial from The New York Times.  
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/opinion/a-new-chance-for-the-senate.html?hp

Write a 2 paragraph summary of what to expect from the 113th Congress and answer the following questions.

1. Why would Harry Reid had the chance to get filibuster reform done earlier than 2011?
2. What was the original intention of the filibuster?
3. How has the role of the filibuster changed in the Senate?
4. What is the way filibuster reform may get done with a simple majority vote?
5. What had Republican Senators achieved with the filibuster in the last term of Congress?
6. In the last 50 years, how often have the Democrats controlled the Senate?
7. Which presidents had to deal with an opposition Senate?
8. Why were Joe Connely and Claire McCaskill elected so easily?
9. What is unique about Wisconsin's new senator?
10. What does it mean to say the independent senators may caucus with the Democrats?
11. Which presidents have had to deal with an opposition House?
12. Which states had the largest gains for Republicans in the House?
13. Which states had gains for Democrats in the House?

Post 2.5 "Demographic Changes and the Future of the GOP"

Read the following article from the New York Times about the shifting demographics of America and how the Republican Party will have to react.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/us/politics/obamas-victory-presents-gop-with-demographic-test.html?hp&_r=0

Write a two paragraph summary of the article and answer the following questions..

1. How would you describe the demographics of the voters that made up the Obama coalition?
2.  What is the problem with the Republican's "Southern Strategy"?
3. How did Obama do among white voters and older voters?
4. How will Republicans have to change their policy stances to appeal to groups they generally do not have the support of?
5. What is the typical Republican stance on immigration? Why is that a problem as the party looks to the future?
6. What approach to campaigning did Romney take in minority-majority communities?
7. How will Republicans likely change the types of people they run for office?
8. Why are Republicans saying that it's not time to panic yet?
9. What do you think the Republican Party will do to try to be more successful in future elections?

2.4 'Interest Groups & Climate Change Follow - Up"

Check out the following websites that  follow - up to the documentary from PBS's Frontline.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/environment/climate-of-doubt/timeline-the-politics-of-climate-change/

1. What was the Kyoto protocol?
2. How did Exxon help convince George W. Bush to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol?
3. Which tactics were used by the "Carbon Dioxide is Life" campaign and The Inconvenient Truth film?  Why is it this tactic?
4. How did Exxon change its position in 2008?
5. Once bipartisan consensus was reached by Former Speaker Gingrich and Former Speaker Pelosi, how did critics of climate change alter their tactics?
6.Why did Obama's carbon limiting plan fail?
7. In 2011, when the majority in the House switched, what happened to climate bills?
8 What did each party convention have to say about climate change?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/environment/climate-of-doubt/how-does-climate-change-factor-into-decision-2012/

9. What went wrong with Obama's first investment in clean energy?
10. How did the cap and trade program get "spun"?
11. Why would it be dangerous for Obama to use the EPA to control plants?
12. Which policy makers are the major players in any potential climate change bill that could come?
13. What interest groups are involved in the issue now?


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/environment/climate-of-doubt/steve-coll-how-exxon-shaped-the-climate-debate/

14.  How was Exxon's initial approach different than other groups?
15. What was Exxon able to do with all of its money?
16. What kind of people helped advocate Exxon's agenda?
17. What finally convinced Exxon that it should take a new approach?
18. When did Exxon stop funding research that cast doubt on climate change?
19.  How did Exxon work with the Heartland Institute?