UNIT III Discussion Thread – Chapter #11 “Interest Groups”
Post any questions or answers to posted questions pertaining to Chapter #11 “Interest Groups” in this thread.
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I feel extremely bad for the next few presidents. It is very unfortunate that they will have to deal with the Social Security crisis. While the crisis is not their doing, I am sure that many Americans will want to put the blame on them. People are going to be angry with the president whether or not he can come up with the funds needed to support social security. Raising taxes will create a mob of unhappy citizens and allowing it to go completely bankrupt will make many senior citizens angry. Not only do I feel bad for the incoming presidents, but the people who will want to receive their benefits. Many people rely on their benefits for an extra boost in money, but they might not be able to anymore. It would be horrible to work for something for so long and then have it disappear. I think that the 16 member bipartisan committee sounds like a good idea for the social security problem solving. The government is responsible for the problem and they need to come up with a solution. I think that Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi need to come to terms with the fact that we need a committee to resolve the crisis. Without a group whose sole purpose is social security, nothing will be fixed.
These are my questions I wrote down when going over pgs. 39-45 in the unit notes-
What is FDR’s grand coalition? (pg. 39 roman numeral V A.)
Answer: It is also known as “The New Deal Coalition” See page 250 in your textbook. Basically, Urban dwellers, Labor unions, Catholics, Jews, the poor, southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals. With the exception of southerners, this group has remained largely intact since 1932 and the begining of the Democratic Era under FDR. Southerners, especially white southerners have become a core constituency of the Republican party (ref. The Solid South) and have been since the late 60s.
What does the V-B stand for in the line “Same critisism as V-B” in the unit notes on page 39 roman numeral VI B.
Answer: It just means refer to the previous crticism – it applies equally to both points – parties must avoid taking strong stances on controversial issues in order to appeal to the most people and do what parties seek to do = win elections.
I had trouble understanding page 42 roman numeral III C. What does that mean? What is the status quo bias and how is it related?
Answer: It means that parties are not apt to change dramatically. They take on the mantra of “Why rock to boat” or “This is the way we have always done it in the past” and for that reason they are less likely to be willing agents of social reform. This is usually where third parties will come in, take an idea and run with it. If it proves to be popular, the major parties will take it and make it their own.
Is the “6 party systems in American History” or “the party eras” a “big-ticket item”?
Answer: YES – you have to know this for so many reasons, not just a potential FR topic.
On page 44 roman numeral V #2 c. #2 “Super Tuesday to give more clout to the South”. What does that mean, and what is a Super Tuesday?
Answer: Super Tuesday is always a day where there are the most amount of primaries and caucuses on the claendar during the nominating stage of campaigning, so it is a big AKA “super” day that falls on a Tuesday. The south gets a lot of attention especially for the Republicans because this is the day when their strongest region gets to have some national exposure.
Also I have a question about the blog. Can one of these posts on the blog count for week #9 blog assignment?
Answer: No, sorry.