Chapter 9: Political Parties

1. Which political party do you most identify with? Why? Are there things in the party platform with which you disagree?

         This is probably the most confusing question anyone could ever ask me. I am so on the fence about this topic that it is too difficult for me to choose. Religious issues sway me one way, while economical reasons sway me another, and to be honest I really haven’t figured it all out for myself yet. There are things that I agree with and disagree with in all party platforms. I am still young, and living under the wings of my family my entire life mostly just left me in the dark on political issues. I am still learning, and because I AM still learning, I do not see myself fit to blindly associate myself with a certain party. I actually picked this class over other humanities so that I could understand our government better. Maybe by the end I’ll have it all figured out!!!

2. Does America need political parties? The founders originally hoped that American politics would operate without need of parties. Would that work out today? Why?

Because America is so diverse, I do believe we need political parties. Political parties help to hold our government accountable, promote public debate about policy options, and get citizens involved in the public sphere. Some political scientists believe that parties are in decline and that the decline is causing a major problem. Other scientists believe that the parties aren’t declining, but merely changing, and that they are just as strong as they used to be. While researching, I found a lot of articles that dealt with the possibility of the creation of a new party. The idea is that after highly charged elections or in a string of such elections, big and lasting shifts occurred in how voters behaved. Because of this, some political scientist believe we are on the edge of a political revolution. Because people need that influence and back up of people who believe in the same things, I do not believe that America could ever go without parties. There are too many different opinions, with strong supporters behind all of them.

3. Please research lesser known political parties. Which one do you identify with? Why?

I was surprised at the length of the list of political parties. Most were serious, but there were some (such as the United States Pirate Party) that I was shocked actually made the list. I believe I identified the most with the America First Party.  The party is pro-life, opposes all gun control, seeks to end affirmative action, racial quotas, and illegal and unlimited immigration. The party opposes the idea that the Constitution bars expressions of religious faith in the public square. It supports allowing organized prayer in public places, especially in public schools, as well as allowing displays of religious icons (such as tablets of the Ten Commandments) by the government on public property. I agree with most of the beliefs of this party, but would have to deeper research them.

Chapter 8 Blog Comments

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Chapter 8: Interest Groups

1. From figure 8.1 in the text, select one of the interest groups and do some research on their issues and beliefs.  What did you learn?  What did you find interesting?  Do you agree/disagree with their positions on issues? Why?

I chose to research the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Some current campaigns that the group is pursuing include: Learning is More (restoring balance to public education), Making a Difference Every Day (highlighting the vital work of AFT members), Building Minds, Minding Buildings (promoting green schools), and AFT FACE (reversing the staffing crisis in higher education. One thing I found interesting is that the AFT is putting forth the effort to restore balance to public education. They believe that the growing fixation on high-stakes testing is damaging the effort to improve schools. I am so glad they are attempting to bring more attention to this issue because I agree that focusing nearly every part of the curriculum around a standardized test takes a lot of important factors out of education. This group does not only focus on teachers but others, such as healthcare workers, in the school system, which I think is awesome because they often go unrecognized even though they make a big difference.

 

2. Find an interest group with which you associate (positively).  What is the name of the group and what do you find persuasive about their position on issues?

I chose the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) because both my father and my grandfather worked in mines. UMWA has a diverse membership including coal miners, clean coal technicians, health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers, and public employees throughout the United States and Canada. The UMWA is achieving significant success in providing workers with a voice on the job and financial security at home. They are also continuing their fight for safe workplaces, good wages and benefits and fair representation in workplaces throughout North America. The UMWA provides Health and Retirement funds, pensions and medical care to 100,000 retired miners, widows and dependents. I think it is so good that these companies provide funds and healthcare to these workers because the mines not only a dangerous place to be in, but health problems contracted in the mines follow workers for the rest of their lives.

 

3. Do interest groups have enough/too much/the right amount of power in the political system?  Most believe it's a fine-line balance between freedom of speech for the groups and keeping unfair persuasion out of government.  Where is that line and when is it crossed?

Interest groups provide information to their members, the media, government officials, and the general public. Interest groups are a lot like the different types of media that were discussed in chapter 7, because they help to serve as a watchdog over our government. Most of the time I believe groups stay within their means and do a great job at expressing their opinions without going overboard. There are, however, groups who go beyond the barrier and get out of control. As long as a group can state and fight for their beliefs in a civilized way, I believe it is okay.

Chapter 7 Blog Comments

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Chapter 7: The News Media and the Internet

1.       Does objectivity still exist in the media's coverage of politics?  Of the major news outlets (CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC, NPR, NBC, etc.), which are the most objective and which seem to have the most bias?

The press claims to be objective, but even when selecting what stories to cover the press influences public opinion and bias may be inevitable. Washington Post columnist David Broder admits that “the process of selecting what the reader reads involves not just objective facts, but subjective judgments, personal values, and yes, prejudices”. A Gallup Poll measuring public’s belief about ideological bias in the news media indicates that about half the public believes the news media have liberal bias. Bias is evident, for example, in what news stations decide to cover. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Republican nominee John McCain was giving a speech, and in the middle of it Barack Obama secured the delegates that gave him the official Democratic nomination. While MSNBC broke away from McCain’s speech to announce this development, Fox News flashed the information on the lower part of the screen, but continued to cover McCain’s speech. As mentioned in Chapter 7, it is fair to conclude that individually, news outlets are biased, but collectively, the media provide a full range of ideological viewpoints.

 

2.       How does talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olbermann, etc.) affect your view of politics?  Why?

In 2008, most of the 50 million Americans who listened to talk radio listened to conservative programs. In 2007, conservatives hosted 91 percent of programming hours, while liberals hosted just 9 percent. Over 90 percent of stations do not even broadcast progressive, or liberal, talk radio. I do not listen to talk radio, merely because of the fear of falling asleep at the wheel, but considering these statistics it appears that a person who did may lean toward the conservative side of the fence. It seems that by listening to talk radio a person may be persuaded to think more conservatively, since that opinion is what dominates the radio media. If the station allows for listener participation, such as taking calls on air, they take a chance on allowing their audience to be misinformed by a person who may not know what they are talking about or who speaks merely on opinion instead of facts. With this in mind, talk radio seems a little “iffy” to me.

 

3.       Is media objectivity important?  Why or why not?

In my opinion, media objectivity is extremely important. When any type of media, whether it is the internet, television, radio, etc., publishes a story, it is seen by hundreds and thousands of people. If that story contained opinions or loaded statements that could persuade the reader to take one side over the other, it isn’t fair. I believe the media should take as much of a neutral and fact-based view as possible and let the readers or listeners form their own judgment. If the public is misinformed it could lead to misguided votes, and misguided votes could lead to destruction.

Chapter 6 Blog Comments

I commented on Ian Price, Chelsea Dunn, and Melissa Ray.

Chapter 6: Public Opinion

1.      Is American news media too dependent upon polls? Is it appropriate for news agencies to create polls and then report on them? Why or why not?

I think it is important for news agencies to create polls because it gives politicians and their agencies more insight on public opinion. I didn’t realize, however, just how many polls there are. After looking at the CNN link, I was amazed on how many specific questions were being asked. It seems like even though polling is a good thing and it allows the public to express their opinion, there are a lot of questions that seem irrevelent. Also, because most of these polls are conducted on the internet, most of the time people aren’t going to take the time to do them unless the topic is something they either feel extremely strongly or extremely negatively about. Another issue with news agencies reporting on their own polls lies in how they word their questions. Networks that reach out to people with specific views will word their surveys in ways that could sway a person to answer a certain way, which could offset results.

2. How important is political party identification to you (e.g. as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, etc.)? Was it more or less important to your parents & grandparents? Does it seem more or less important to your friends? Why or why not?

I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but party identification is not very important to me whatsoever. After reading this chapter and thinking about it, it makes sense to me though. I read that children are two-thirds more likely to identify as the same political party as their parents. Throughout my life, neither my parents nor my grandparents have shown very much interest in politics. I haven’t grown up in a family with very much money, so when I was growing up my parents were more interested in what was going on in their jobs and in our little town than what was happening on a state or national level. My friends seem to be a LOT more interested in politics than I am, but most of my friends come from families that have a lot more money than mine does. Also, most of their parents have college-level educations, where both of my parents stopped at high school. Based solely on my own life, I would say that income and education play major roles in political party identification.



 3. Do you feel that you opinion of politics is more influenced by economic issues or by social issues? Why?

My opinion of politics is definitely more influenced by economic issues. Growing up in a family where the biggest issue was money and wondering how bills were going to get paid, it is important to me that our economy prospers. For example I only work about 25 hours a week, but the little money I do make goes to help support my family. If the economy is doing badly and people are cutting what they are spending in the store I work at, then because of that my hours may be pushed back to 15 or 20. To some people that wouldn’t be a big deal, but for myself and my family that could mean a lot. Social issues are not as prominent in my life because they don’t affect me nearly as much as they do some. To me, most social issues are more based on beliefs rather than what is going on in my actual life so even though they are important, they are kind of just background noise in my life.