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| Chapter 7: Political Parties and Elections |
| Questions for Discussion and Thought |
Political Parties |
| 1. Have you chosen a political party? If so, how has your parents’ party identification affected your choice of party? Is there a strong relationship between their party choices and your own? According to your religious affiliation, race, gender, residence, and social class, which party would you be expected to belong to? If you were to leave the party of your parents, would you go to the opposite party or become an independent? Why? |
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| 2. Today many politicians are hiring private investigators to check out their opponents’ credit reports, medical records, high school and college grades, neighbors where they grew up—in short, anything seems to be fair game. One politician was criticized for his wife’s failure to renew a dog license on time! Does this sort of scrutiny drive off many good potential candidates? If so, what can be done about this gross invasion of privacy? Or is this just the price one pays for seeking public office today? Do we really need to know so much about a candidate and his or her family? |
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| 3. Can democracy be sustained when so few people are involved in the political system? Voter turnouts at local elections sometimes run less than 10 percent, yet local governments are the ones that affect people closely on a daily basis. Why don’t more people vote? |
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Political Parties |
| 4. Should race be taken into account when congressional districts are redrawn after each census? For example, if 20 percent of a state is African American, should 20 percent of the districts have an African American majority? |
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| 5. Do you think it is okay for someone with a lot of money but no political experience to run for president of the United States? Which is more important for a candidate to have, ambition or experience? Candidates today like to define themselves as outsiders; do we want nonprofessional politicians in Washington? |
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| 6. When you vote, which is more important to you, a candidate’s personality and character or his or her stand on the issues? Would you rather vote for a candidate with character problems but with a strong vision with which you agree, or a candidate with excellent personal character but with whom you disagree? Do you vote for a candidate you really like, or for the candidate you dislike the least? |
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