SOLUTION: Politics and trumps election - Political Science

Question Description

Respond to FOUR of the following five scenarios/situations. Your responses should 1) Define the Concepts that are bolded in each question, and 2) use them to discuss the central problem of each question/scenario. Be specific and brief. Clearly number each response.

1. You and a friend are watching a replay of the final presidential debate for this year’s election and hear that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton pointed out that the National Rifle Association (NRA) is running millions of dollars in campaign ads against her. Your friend comments: “That’s interests groups for you. That’s why the country is so corrupt. Politics is just run by special interests.” Define the concepts of interest group and pluralism and explain how interest groups can be both potentially beneficial and harmful to democracy. Provide at least one example discussed in lecture.

2. On November 9, 2016, The Washington Times reported that Kamala D. Harris, the new senator for the state of California, represents a “…a state where millions struggle in poverty, where extremes of wealth and destitution can be witnessed by walking a few blocks in downtown Los Angeles.” Harris went on to explain that such extremes in wealth and poverty have inspired her to “…do the work that was about being a voice for the vulnerable.” Define the concepts of an elected representative as a delegate and a trustee of the people and use these concepts to explain how Harris conceives of her work as a U.S. Senator representing Californians.

3. During an interview with 60 Minutes after the 2016 presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump promised to be “very restrained” in the use of his controversial Twitter account, which he credited for winning the White House. At the same time, Trump stated: “I find it tremendous….it’s a modern form of communication. There should be nothing we should be ashamed of.” Define and use the concept of the Media as an industry and an institution to explain the importance and potential dangers of Trump’s use of Twitter to the future of the news and politics (Hint: think of the percentage of people in the U.S. who now get their news almost exclusively from social media).

4. You and a friend visit CSUCI’s Broome Library special collections room to look at the Robert J. Lagomarsino Federal papers as part of a class project. While at the library, you learn that Lagomarsino was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee during his time as a U.S. Congressman (1974-1992). Your classmate remarks on Lagomarsino’s service in the Foreign Affairs Committee: “Standing Committees are indeed the heart of Congress.” Define the concept of a Standing Committee and contrast it to a Congressional Caucus and use the definitions of these two concepts to explain why your classmate’s believes standing committees are the heart of Congress (Hint: excellent responses will consider the function of committees to the process of how a bill becomes a law).