Chapter 12

1. What makes a great President (not which Presidents have been great)...what qualities are essential to greatness? Why?

I think what mainly makes a great president is their being able to relate to the common person.  Presidents who act better than their country never do any good.

2. Other than Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, which two Presidents have been the greatest and why? 

My favorite Presidents were John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton.  Kennedy because he was a handsome devil and Clinton because he actually got us out of debt.

3. Research a President that you're previously unfamiliar with - list at least three things you learned.  Was this President effective?  Why or why not?

I did a random google search and came up with Franklin Pierce who was nominated as the candidate for the Democratic Party in 1852, Winfield Scott, and won with 254 out of 296 electoral votes.  

Chapter 11

1. Who are your Senators and your Congressman?

We have two Senators:

Bob Corker Class I (R)

Lamar Alexander Class II (R). 

We have 9 Congressman:

Phil Roe (R) Dist. 1

John Duncan (R) Dist. 2

Chuck Fleschmann (R) Dist3

Scott DesJarlais (R) Dist. 4

Jim Cooper (D) Dist. 5

Diane Black (R) Dist. 6

Marsha Blackburn (R) Dist. 7

Stephen Fincher (R) Dist. 8

Steve Cohen (D) Dist. 9

2. Research the areas they champion and find one you support.  What is it and why do you support it?

 I researched Lamar Alexander and his attempt to get a bill on the Presidents that would fix the No Child Left Behind Act. Alexander offered an amendment allowing states to establish an alternative, state-determined strategy to improve the bottom 5 percent of their schools, with approval by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The amendment was accepted by a vote of 15-7. This is great because education is key for our country’s success.

3. Find an issue that one of your Senators or Congressman Champions that you disagree with.  Why do you disagree? 

I had trouble finding anything that I disagreed with.  All of their ideas, like Lamar Alexander’s with NCLB, look to better our country.

Chapter 10

1. Read Bush v. Gore in the text.  Do you agree with the majority or the dissenting opinion? 

I agree with the majority that Florida's method for recounting violated equal protection of the law.

2. Is the ability to fundraise too important in elections?  In other words, are good candidates prevented from running because they cannot raise the needed funds?  Can/should something be done to correct this if it is a problem?

Yes I do believe that fundraising is too important in elections.  I’m sure there are many great politicians out there that can’t run because they do not have the funds to do so.

3. Why is there such voter apathy - in other words, why is there often such low voter turnout for elections?  Is there a way to rectify this problem?

A lot of people don’t vote because either they don’t have the time or they hate politics in general.  I know I myself don’t vote just because politics make me sick.  Most of the time all politics is is a popularity contest with the snake always being the winner.