Assignment task:
After reading "We the People" and "Governing California in the 21st Century, " answer the following questions:
Question 1: Describe the difference between Liberals and Conservatives on the proper role of the national government. What is each of their principal political values - liberty, justice, democracy or equality? How does their favored political value influence their views of the proper role of the government?
Question 2: Various groups vote differently. For two of the following, identify their voting patterns - do they have a low or high voting turnout rate; do they normally vote for Democrats or Republicans - and explain why they have these voting patterns. Would it be possible for the Democrats or the Republicans to change the pattern you described - if so how?
- Women
- African Americans
- Latinos
- Youth
Question 3: What is a divided government? What is polarization? How important are these in American politics currently, and is this a big change from the previous generation, 1972 - 2000? In what ways were these expected by the framers of the Constitution, and in what ways would they have been deeply worried about these trends? Explain your answer.