Chapter 8

Political parties in the United States engage in a wide variety of activities. Parties perform a number of functions for the political system.

1. From the book, list the 5 functions of political parties

1. What is the difference between a political party and a special interest group?

Why Has the Two-Party System Endured?

There are several reasons why two major parties have dominated the political landscape in the United States.

1. Using the text book, list reasons why the two-party system has endured. [there are 5]
2. Are you in favor of a viable 3rd party in this country and why? Or why not?

Chapter 9

Factors Influencing Who Votes

A clear association exists between voter participation and the following characteristics.

1. From the text book, list 5 factors influencing who votes

Chapter 10

The mass media performs a number of different functions in any country in the United States.

1. The six functions include [from the book]
2. Of the list from the book which one do you think should be number one and why?
3. Is the media biased or are they just trying to pander to their target audience to get advertising dollars and online clicks? [three points]

Chapter 11

Functions of Congress

The bicameral structure of Congress was designed to enable the legislative body and its members to perform certain functions for the political system.

1. The functions include [from the book]

Leadership in the House

The House leadership is made up of the Speaker, the majority and minority leaders, and the party whips.

Speaker of the House – The presiding officer in the House of Representatives. The Speaker is always a member of the majority party and is the most powerful and influential member of the House. For questions 2, 3 , and 4 Use the internet and cite your work if you fail to cite, no points

1. What are the 5 functions of the Speaker of the House?
2. Who is the current Speaker of the House? [Use the internet and cite your work]
3. From what state the Speaker come from? [ Use the internet and cite your work]
4. What party do they represent? [Use the internet and cite your work]

Your Congressional Representative

From the internet, find your United States Congressional representative and answer the following questions. Use the internet and cite your work if you fail to cite, no points

1. Who is your Congressional Representative [name]? [Use the internet and cite your work]
2. What district number do you live in? [Use the internet and cite your work]
3. Where is your Congressional representative’s home office? [Use the internet and cite your work]
4. What party to they represent? [Use the internet and cite your work]

Impeachment

The U.S. Constitution provides impeachment as the method for removing the president, vice president, federal judges, and other federal officials from office. The impeachment process begins in the House of Representatives and follows these steps: [not in book]

• The House Judiciary Committee holds hearings and, if necessary, prepares articles of impeachment. These are the charges against the official.
• If a majority of the committee votes to approve the articles, the whole House debates and votes on them.
• If a majority of the House votes to impeach the official on any article, then the official must then stand trial in the Senate.
• For the official to be removed from office, two-thirds of the Senate must vote to convict the official. Upon conviction, the official is automatically removed from office and, if the Senate so decides, may be forbidden from holding governmental office again.

The house has impeached only two presidents – Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon [resigned the Presidency before the Senate was vote on his guilt. 67 Senators are needed to reach the 2/3 necessary to find guilt

In today’s hot climate of politics, is it wise for the Democrats to move towards impeachment of the current President? Knowing that impeachment of a President is not favored by the American people. Case in point President Clinton was charged with lying to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. The house wrote the articles of impeachment and voted to move the process to have the trial in the Senate. His approval ratings went up and not down during this time.

1. From the book define impeachment
2. Should the Democrats move to impeach the President knowing this trend Yes or No why?
3. Is this a good tactic for the Democrats to recover the white house in 2020?

Chapter 12

The Constitution speaks briefly about the duties and obligations of the president. Based on this brief list of powers and on the precedents of history, the presidency has grown into a very complicated job that requires balancing at least five constitutional roles.

1. List the five constitutional roles of the President
2. Which one is the most important? explain

Section 2 of Article II of the Constitution gives the president the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States except in the cases of impeachment. All pardons are administered by the Office of the Pardon Attorney in the Department of Justice.

Define from the book

1. Reprieve –
2. Pardon –

Chapter 14

The practice of deciding new cases with reference to former decisions that is according to precedent. Became a cornerstone of the English and American judicial systems.

1. From the book define Precedent
2. What 2 court cases used precedent?
3. Which one set the precedent?
4. These 2 cases had what in common?

Define the key words from the book

1. Opinion
2. Affirm
3. Reverse
4. Remand

Chapter 15

The Policymaking Process

No matter how simple or how complex the problem, those who make policy follow a number of steps.

1. The policy making process has five steps – list the steps

The government’s health care programs – Define the following words from the book. Medical use the internet and cite your source

1. Medicare
2. Medicaid
3. Medical [Use the internet and cite your work]

All supporting data and information will come from the text books only!