Political Concepts Essay

1) Mass Media as the Fifth appendage of brassDefinition Mass Media is the fifth branch of government because it stick out shape public opinion and influence the national agendum. impressiveness It is burning(prenominal) because todays media is so assertive and liable to such adversarial, interdict reporting that they stub be guttleright obstructive of government policy2) Agenda SettingDefinition On a national level, this is a role usually reserved for the hot seat, such as when he makes his asseverate of the Union Address. grandeur As the attracter of the nation it is his duty to influence the Agenda for the coming year. Without a clear vision the nation pass on drift aimlessly.3) Electoral College (how does it hit?)Definitions A vote that will be counted purposes of electing a president from each one state has a set flesh of electoral colleges.  The term refers to a collegium or assembly of 538 President Electors who live up to after the popular vote and cast t heir votes for President and Vice-President.grandness A presidential candidate may put one over technically won by give riseting more of the popular vote overall but if he draw backs in too many States with a high fleck of Electors, he can still lose the choices.4) Who votes (what kind of mortal is MOST belike to vote)? Why has voter turnout in America dec personal line of creditd since 1960?A person who is involved in the campaign of some one running for election is most likely to vote. A charter member of the Republicans or the Democrats because they owe it to their group.  Those at the extremes of political opinion, who feel strongly for or against the candidates in question.Importance of voting Voting is an essential political right, a chance to communicate and be counted and an opportunity to affirm or reject state policy. It is a good deal the only political exercise that the average person will vex a say in.5) CongressWhat do they do? The Congress makes laws for the President to sign as well as attend to the involve of their constituency.Importance of what they do Congress also provides an principal(prenominal) check-and-balance to the power of the Executive, the President and the line departments because the framers of our Constitution did not wish the President to act arbitrarily without change laws from Congress. For example, he cannot wage war on Iraq without going to Congress to subscribe for appropriations that will cover soldiers salaries, aid to civilians, ammunition, fuel and support services.6) CongressWhat argon Standing, Joint, and Conference Committees? A standing delegacy is an ordinary permanent committee. By U.S. Congress rules, a conference committee is A temporary, ad hoc dining table composed of House and Senate conferees which is formed for the purpose of reconciling differences in canon that has passed both chambers. Conference committees ar usually convened to resolve bicameral differences on major and controv ersial legislation.This means differences between the Senate and House versions of a shoot down.  A joint committee refers to all other bicameral committees convened for some exceptional function or other except reporting legislation.  Examples of the latter are joint committee hearings on controversial matters or on impeaching the President.Importance of committee work Laws are not made arbitrarily, often at that place is a need to consult with others onward a bill is projectd in the floor. At the same time it is too chaotic present a half-baked bill to the general assembly of relative without refining it starting. This is the work of committees.7) CongressHow does a bill become a law? A bill must be authored, be deliberated on in committee thusly pass three readings in both houses of Congress. The President then signs the bill to make it law.Importance On paper a bill must first pass through one house before it is forwarded to the other house for its own three read ings there. But in formula a bill is often authored and filed simultaneously in both houses with each version differing little from the other.8) Presidential PowersThe president is the commander-in-chief of the army. He can bait the armed forces even without a formal declaration of war for up to 60 days. Domestically, he has the power to make or break a bill with the stroke of a pen. He can also propose priority legislation to Congress.9) PresidencyTo be a successful leader of Congress, the President must be able to read the pulse of congress well. He must know when to act and push for his agenda. He is important because Congress must be united under strong lead if it is to be an effective counter balance to the Presidents domination.10) court juridical Activists versus Judicial Restraintists. A Judicial Activist is a al-Qaida who tries to pursue social justice in his decisions. While a Judicial Restraintist is a conservative who tries to maintain the status quo.Importance The judiciary needs a balanced mix of both kinds of Justices in order for it to be a fair and just final adjudicator of legal disputes. If it were made completely of Restraintists or Activists, decisions would be biased.Section II Short Essays. Answer each(prenominal) parts of each question in as much specific and depth as possible.1)         Mass Media is referred to as the fifth branch of government because of the sway it holds on public opinion. Media can reach into every spirit of our lives and influence us in ways the other branches of governance can only dream off.Regretfully, media is biased these days. It is biased for the highest bidder and for its own overly-liberal agenda. Media is a commercial-grade proposition hence profitability is a concern. Since controversy names cash, media is known to lay out up scandals and negative aspects of life because the shock value is known to create high ratings, which then attract more advertising money. As a result news today appears to be a parade of bad news and shocking events because media mercenaries know that by showing these they will get more advertising money and social responsibility be damned.2)         In 2000 George W. Bush won as a result of the disaffection passel felt with the Democrats. Bill Clintons presidency was rocked by scandal (Monica Lewinsky comes to mind) and sparing depression (among other things, the frenzied dot-com bubble burst). People were devolve of what they thought was the misrule of the Democrats and were eager to try what the Republicans had to offer. In 2004 Bush was debauched high on the euphoria generated by his still successful struggle on Terror both Afghanistan and Iraq had fallen in just a few weeks of fighting. His bold fighting stance was still supported by many then.            However Bush, in my humble opinion did not drink down Gore in 2000. Based on the to tal number of voters, first of all, Gore actually won the elections. He lost in the electoral vote, though. This is another reason why the electoral college system should be abolished, it devalues the precept of one man, one vote. In the extreme example, Gore could have had an overpowering majority of the total voters but so long as he lost in enough large-college states like California, he would still lose the elections. Therefore, the electoral college system overvalues certain states if they have a large number of Electors. Kerry, for his part, lost during the 2004 elections because he could not present a strong utility(a) to Bush.3.)        The iron triangle is a corrupting influence in the American political process because it takes away from the sanctity of the political process enshrined in our Constitution. Congressmen are loved by their constituents for the benefits they can provide. A Congressman being a representative of his or her state ten ds to keep (and vote for) the top hat interest of the state in mind. After all if he votes or acts in a way detrimental to his constituents he will have to answer to them in the next elections. Also a Congressmans recommendation is necessary to enter West Point.            Congress is hated, almost universally, because of its miserable image. Recently, it has been unable to stem Bushs warmongering. The economy is slowing down and Congress is getting a share of the blame for not doing anything to proceed it. Also, Congress is seen as a breeding pit of vested interests and lobbyists who push their agenda to the detriment of legitimate concerns of the country as a whole.