Chapter 12

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

I think satisfying the public is what makes a President great. The qualities essential to greatness are accountability, willingness to take risks, willingness to listen, and assertiveness. Accountability is important because a President needs to be responsible for his actions and recognize that. Willingness to take risks is important because I think that's the best way to make changes. Willingness to listen is essential because that's how ideas and issues can be discussed. Assertiveness is important because it's necessary to make changes.

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

My first choice is John F. Kennedy because he was one of the most popular presidents to have ever taken office. He appealed to all classes and unified the American public. My next choice is Franklin D. Roosevelt. He brought the country through the depression and implemented the New Deal, which brought jobs to Americans. He helped them get back on their feet without giving them handouts.

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?

A President I previously didn't know much about was Andrew Jackson. I learned that he was a little bit crazy. He liked to duel and lived with a bullet lodged in his body for the rest of his life after allowing himself to be shot at first in a duel. He also threw crazy parties in the White House. He once got so drunk at one of these parties that brought a horse inside and threatened to shoot anyone who removed it and then didn't remember it in the morning. Jackson was also the first president an assassination attempt was made upon. Both of the assailants' guns misfired though, and Jackson then proceeded to beat him up with the hickory cane he carried around. That's how he got the nickname Old Hickory.

Chapter 11

1. Who are your Senators and your Congressman?
Our two Senators are Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander. Tennessee has 9 congressmen: Phil Roe, John j, Duncan, Chuck Fleischmann, Scott DesJarlais, Jim Cooper, Diane Black, Marsha Blackburn, Stephen Fincher, and Steve Cohen.The congressman for my district is Chuck Fleischmann.

2. Reserach the areas they champion and find one you support.  What is it and why do you also support it?
 I support Chuck Fleischmann's stance on the economy. Obviously, the economy isn't great right now. Most people have turned to the government to correct the problem, but Fleischmann believes that this is the wrong approach. He thinks that there should be less government involvement and more emphasis placed on helping and supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners. I also think the government is not able to pull the economy out of the rut it is in on its own. We need to start doing something to help ourselves. 


3. Find an issue one of your Senators or Congressman champions that you disagree with.  Why do you disagree?
I found that Bob Corker "supports the sanctity of marriage." I'm very pro gay marriage. I find that kind of conservative, closed-minded kind of thinking really off-putting. No one has the right to tell anyone they can't legally commit themselves to another person. The government has no place in our personal lives. I have not found one satisfactory reason to prevent two people from marrying. Gay or straight, it's not anyone's business. Least of all the government.

Chapter 10

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

I can't really say which I agree with because I don't understand the case at all. We know that George W. Bush lost the popular vote. In the 2000 presidential election, Florida had twenty-five electoral votes. How hard can it really be to re-count twenty-five votes? Or were they counting the votes to elect the representatives in the electoral college? This entire case makes absolutely no sense to me, and I can't really seem to find anything that clarifies what went on for me.

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?

I don't think it is too important. If candidates are truly good and have good ideas then I believe they will get enough financial support to be able to run. Marketing yourself is part of being a politician too, and if you can't do that or get support from someone who can do it for you then you probably shouldn't be the president. 

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?

I think there is such a low turnout for elections because politics just aren't very entertaining. The majority of people aren't going to be willing to sit through a thirty minute speech full of flowery words they only half understand. This is why I think there are so many negative ads today. A lot of people are more interested in the gossip about candidates than their policies. There isn't really much else you can do spice up politics. It's just a boring subject.