Unit 2 – Rhetoric, Debate and Political Campaigns: the 2012 U. S Unit 2 – Rhetoric, Debate and Political Campaigns: the 2012 U.S. Elections!

Topics… Rhetoric: the use of language as a persuasive tool (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) Media: how political messages are conveyed. Money and Politics: $$$$$$$$ Fallacies: how errors in logic pervade political speech Polls: predicting outcomes, voter disenfranchisement Ethos, Pathos & Logos - The modes of persuasion are devices in rhetoric that classify the speaker's appeal to the audience. Aristotle's On Rhetoric Disenfranchisement = not interested or connected

Topics, continued… Art, artists, and protest: the role of artists in U.S. politics. Social and independent/alternative media and U.S. politics: new forms of political speech Advertising as major part of political campaigns. The Political Spectrum: how issues are framed and contextualized

TOK Questions! (Your favorite things in the universe!) What’s more important in political speech, style or substance? How should citizens analyze speech and debate? What should we focus on? What’s the effect of money on (U.S.) politics? Should it have any effect at all?

TOK, continued… What is a citizen’s responsibility in an election? How should they participate? Is advertising useful or harmful to the election process? How do our own political views shape and/or influence how we view other people’s views?

Cartoons!

Quotes! “True Terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber” - Plato

“If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.” - Mark Twain

“Half of the American people never read a newspaper “Half of the American people never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.” - Gore Vidal

“Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” -  Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”- Voltaire

“The Aim of an Argument. should not be victory, but progress “The Aim of an Argument ... should not be victory, but progress.” - Joseph Joubert

“Hitler and Joseph Goebbels understood that if you say something loud and long enough many people will believe it.”  - Bill O’reilly, The O’reily Factor, Jan 24, 2000 Joseph Goebbels - one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous orations and anti-Semitism.

Important Vocabulary Liberal - believing that government should be active in supporting social and political change Conservative - believing in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society Ideology - the set of ideas and beliefs of a group or political party A comprehensive list will be on the course website following today’s class

Factors That Determine Placement Two major factors shape political views. The first is how much change a person is willing to have within their society and government. The second deals with how much government involvement in the economy a person calls for. Others also bring in the question of how much freedom from government authority a leader is willing to give the people. Write on the board: The Political spectrum – Where do you stand? A person’s views on the issues help determine where they fall on the political spectrum.

Political Labels To see where you stand, you would have to figure out where you stand on a number of social (people-related), economic (money-related), and

Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King What is a Liberal? Liberals believe that the government should be actively involved in the promotion of social welfare of a nation’s citizens. They usually call for peaceful, gradual change within the existing political system. They reject violent revolution as a way of changing the way things are, often called the status quo. Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is generally seen as a moderate. What is a Moderate? Moderates may share viewpoints with both liberals and conservatives. They are seen as tolerant of other people’s views, and they do not hold extreme views of their own. They advocate a “go-slow” or “wait-and-see” approach to social or political change. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is generally seen as a moderate.

What is a Conservative? People who hold conservative ideals favor keeping things the way they are or maintaining the status quo if it is what they desire. Conservatives are usually hesitant or cautious about adopting new policies, especially if they involve government activism in some way. They feel that the less government there is, the better. They agree with Jefferson’s view that “the best government governs least.” There are far more categories Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) is widely regarded as the father of the modern conservative movement

There are far more categories, and no two spectrums are the same because of people’s beliefs and opinions, but this is a very basic spectrum.

Moderate Conservative Strong Liberal Moderate Liberal Moderate Strong Conservative Moderate Conservative 1. Create five columns on the board, labeling them as follows from left to right: “strong liberal,” “moderate liberal,” “moderate,” “moderate conservative,” and “strong conservative.” Ask students to characterize themselves as one of the five without your explaining the meaning of the terms and tally their responses under each column. 2. Distribute the Student Handout Ideological Survey. Ask students individually to respond to each of the statements on the survey by placing a “A” for agree or “D” for disagree in the column labeled “agree/disagree.” Students should write nothing yet in the column labeled “L/C.” After the students have completed the survey, go through the survey with them and reveal which statements are conservative and which are liberal using the list below. As you read through the list, have the students code their responses by placing an “L” for liberal and a “C” for conservative according to the nature of their response. For instance, if a student responds to a conservative statement with “A” then she/he should place a “C” in the last column. If responding to the same statement with an “D” the student would place and “L” in the column. 1. C 6. L 11. L 16. L 21. C 2. L 7. L 12. C 17. C 22. L 3. C 8. C 13. L 18. C 23. L 4. C 9. C 14. C 19. L 24. L 5. C 10. L 15. L 20. C 25. C

21-25 Liberal responses = Strong Liberal 16-20 Liberal responses = Moderate Liberal 21-25 Conservative responses = Strong Conservative 16-20 Conservative responses = Moderate Conservative 10-15 of either responses = Moderate 5. Chart the students’ responses on the board underneath the earlier tally. If there is a change, ask students to theorize about what may have caused the change. 6. Explain to the students that any ideological survey is imperfect in that it is not sophisticated enough to cover the entire gamut of a political belief system, and that they should continue to examine and hone their political beliefs.

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Representative Party Democratic Party Conservative Republican Party

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Business Some government regulation of business needed Agrees with the following: Affirmative Action Labor Unions Conservative Little government regulation Pro Business Does not agree with the following: Affirmative Action

Political Ideology: Liberals vs Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives: Taxes and Social Spending Liberals Increase Used to support social programs in the states like Welfare Medicaid and Medicare Homeless shelters Free clinics Shelters for battered women Soup kitchens Conservatives Decrease Social programs in the states should be supported through charities state taxes “Trickle Down Economics”

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Abortion Pro – Choice (For) Conservative Pro – Life (Against)

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Defense Spending Decrease Use more for social spending Conservative Increase or maintain

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Death Penalty Against it (Anti) Would like to see it banned by the national government Conservatives For it (Pro) “Eye for an eye”

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Government Size Big national government More government involvement Conservatives Small national government Less government involvement Bill Clinton Ronald Reagan

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatism Foreign Relations Negotiate first If U.S. in imminent danger, take action with allied support after all alternatives have been rejected Conservative Negotiate first If U.S. is in imminent danger, take pre-emptive action, even if allies do not support us

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Same Sex Marriage Believe it should be legal Not a moral issue, but an equality issue and it is protected by the Constitution Conservatives Believe it should not be legal Support a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage Is a moral issue tied to religion

Political Ideology: Liberals vs Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Attitude Towards Criminals Liberals Want rights of accused protected first and foremost Interested in finding out “why” person committed crime Conservatives Want rights of victims protected first and foremost Not concerned with “why” person committed crime

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Doctor Assisted Suicide Believe it should be legal and protected by the courts Individual rights issue Conservatives Believe it should be illegal and not protected by the courts Suicide not an individual right protected

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Minimum Wage For it – would like to see it increased Believe national government should set it to protect workers Conservatives Against it – would like to see it end Believe it is too much regulation on business

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Social Security Believe it should be left in the hands of the federal government Conservatives Believe it should be privatized

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Health Care Should be 100% provided by the national government Conservatives Should continue to be de-regulated and left in the hands of independent, competing heath care providers

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Personal Responsibility Believe government sometimes needs to protect us from ourselves Conservatives Believe people are responsible for their own misfortune Should not rely on government for handouts

Political Ideology: Liberals vs. Conservatives Religion Want to keep clear and strict separation of church and state No religion in government policy Conservatives Would like to implement more religion into government policy Views largely based on religion And for fun, a video…

What do you look for in the President? In your small group, brainstorm/discuss what you look for in the President Physical appearance? Age? Married? Experience? Etc. etc. etc.

What issues matter to you? In your small group, brainstorm/discuss what issues matter to you and why Education? Free education? National security? Etc, etc, etc If needed… create a brainstorm on the whiteboard of issues that are important to students