Summer '22 - Intro to American Government & Politics

1. In your experience with political campaigns, do they matter? What sorts of influences do they have?

Political campaigns matter a lot because they let the voters know what exactly the candidates think is important and what their morals are. Campaigns allow you to see the true colors of a candidate and get a good idea as to whom and what you are voting for.

2. In the next unit spend some time talking about who turns out to vote and why. But, before you view the lecture, what do you think it is that makes someone more or less likely to turn out to vote? Can campaigns affect this?

I think having issues presented by candidates that actually have to do with the issues that voters face is what calls people to vote. If campaigns run on a platform that has absolutely nothing to do with the issues of their community, not many people are going to vote for them because they seem disconnected from the community and they seem like they don't care. This can really make or break a campaign for someone.

3. If you were advising Donald Trump about running again in 2024 and Joe Biden about running for re-election, what advice would you give to each of them on how to win? 

If I were advising Donald Trump, I would advise him to lead with compassion and empathy. In his last campaign, we saw that he said whatever to whomever whenever he felt like it, and that made him out to be an unpredictable loose cannon who doesn't care about anyone but himself. If he changes up his approach and appeals to the groups that he lost the last time around, he could gain the popular vote and win the campaign. If I were advising Joe Biden in his next campaign, I would advise him to lead less with his grace and tenderness and more with his more dominant, more business savvy, more aggressive self. A lot of people see him as a passive, old man who doesn't know how to put his foot down. If he shows a more aggressive side to himself, he could gain the vote of those who thought he wasn't competent for the job.

2. I think that people are more likely to vote if an issue that is being addressed effects them. For example, gun owners who are against gun control will be likely to go out and vote if there is a candidate who is passionate about gun rights. Campaigns effect voting because that is how the people know what each candidate represents. Politicians make promises in their campaigns that make people want to go out and vote. 

3. If I were advising Donald Trump about running again in 2024, I would advise him to stay off of social media. I would also advise him to stop bragging about himself in all of his speeches and to be more civil with the other candidates in his debates. If I were advising Joe Biden about running for re-election, I would tell him to make a decision on how partisan he is going to be. I would also tell him to address the inflation issue in the U.S. However, I would not advise either of them to run for re-election.

1.   In my experience, I do think political campaigns matter. Political campaigns can no doubt be super corny and also very annoying. However, I think campaigning is an effect way to get voters’ attention. Campaigns allow you to see the differences between candidates and can sometimes persuade people to vote. For statewide, county and city elections, signs, flyers, billboards, etc. will help put a name with a face. Also, this might encourage people to look further to find out their beliefs and intended policies. Furthermore, it might also inspire voters to come to events held by candidates in order to get to know them better. 

2.   People will turn out to vote if the candidates are very likable and also if one or some candidates are a lot worse than the others. If someone is just absolutely terrible people are more likely to show up so that person does not win. If there are no good options people are less likely to vote. Also, if they fear their vote will not make a difference or count towards the race they will most likely not show up for voting.

3.   If I were advising Donald Trump about running again in 2024 I would advise him to stay off social media. His social media presence only adds fuel to the fire. Also, I would advise him to emphasize his four years of low unemployment, low gas prices and and low inflation and show the difference in Biden’s administration in those same areas. If I were advising Joe Biden about running for re-election, I would advise him to base his campaign on the belief that abortion should be legal. Also, I would advise him to blame Trump on the inflation we are seeing in the country now and to claim Trump left office with the country in these conditions. Highlighting the Biden Administration’s proactiveness against COVID-19 would also be smart to do. 

1. In my experience, political campaigns do matter. They can inform voters what the candidate stands for and strives to achieve, while also giving voters an overarching sense of what the administration will prioritize. I think campaigns have a huge impact on the voter’s attitude towards a candidate and therefore, whether they vote for them or not. Campaigns can also manipulate people into believing a candidate stands on one platform, but really has an alternate agenda. Campaigns bring more awareness to a candidate as well, and people are more likely to vote for someone they are familiar with.

2.  I believe more older people vote than younger people. Those who are retired and have past experiences with politics have more time to pay attention to politics and more motivation to elect someone they like. I think campaigns can affect this by appealing to a younger crowd and depicting the candidate as more moderate than extreme to appeal to more people. I also think income and education influences voter turnout as those who are wealthier and highly educated are more likely to vote.

3. First of all, I would advise neither of them to run for the good of the country. But in order to win, I would advise Donald Trump to adjust his attitude to become more respectful and reflective. I think many people do not like Trump because he has offended them or their community in some way, and possible taking responsibility for his actions and going on to act more mature may change the public’s opinion. For Joe Biden, I would recommend he take aggressive stances on issues and make real plans to make change. He also should appeal to conservatives by focusing on the unity of the country and not defeating Trump, and he could be more susceptive to their views.

1. In my limited experience, political campaigns matter. A well run campaign is essential for letting the public know what your values and ideas are and why they should vote for you. I think they are beneficial as they engage the country in voting for a candidate based on what they want their candidate to do and what values he or she has. They can have an influence not only on who votes for who, but also voter turnout as a whole. Political campaigns end up getting more citizens to come out and vote than if there were none. 

2. I think that someone is more likely to vote if the values or campaign promises a particular candidate is running on directly impacts them. For example, if a candidate was running on an idea like eliminating all fossil fuels, it would be more likely for individuals impacted by this, like coal mine workers or gas station owners, to vote against them. Additionally, people are going to be more or less likely to vote based on how appealing or unappealing one or both of the candidates is. The way campaigns are run can affect this by how well they paint their candidate as likeable to the public. 

3. If I were advising Trump on running again in 2024, I would tell him to avoid any questionable comments on social media and to run on things that he did well in his first presidency. Highlighting failures of the Biden campaign like inflation, the incoming recession, and the shut down of the pipeline and rising gas prices would be good things to focus on. Try to stay away from just name calling and pointing out Biden’s strange behavior and mental lapses and focus more on policy. For Biden, I would run on a specific plan on how to fix our inflation issue. Additionally I would try to just avoid any public hiccups. Avoid anything publicly embarrassing (ex: the bicycle incident) that would give Trump or his followers more ammunition. If he can steer clear of any big mishaps and show that he has policy in mind to fix our economy, he should be the favorite for reeelection.

1. In your experience with political campaigns, do they matter? What sorts of influences do they have?

- A political campaign, in my opinion, is crucial for a candidate seeking office because it raises awareness of the candidate among the general public. Politicians and their policies are brought to the public's attention through campaigns, but in my opinion, campaigns are only significant to a certain extent because the media disseminates information about candidates. Voters will learn about the candidates' ideologies and political platforms through their campaigns. The public's perception of a candidate may also be positively impacted by personal looks. Additionally, it can encourage voters to attend candidate events so they can choose to understand them better.

2. In the next unit spend some time talking about who turns out to vote and why. But, before you view the lecture, what do you think it is that makes someone more or less likely to turn out to vote? Can campaigns affect this?

- If the candidates are all incredibly charming, as well as if one or more of them are far worse than the others, voters will come out in large numbers. People are more willing to attend if someone is simply awful, ensuring that they do not prevail. People are less inclined to vote if there are no viable possibilities. Additionally, they are likely to skip the polls if they believe their vote will not count or have any impact on the outcome of the election.

3. If you were advising Donald Trump about running again in 2024 and Joe Biden about running for re-election, what advice would you give to each of them on how to win? 

- I think most people will agree with,  how I would tell Donald Trump to be less social media active. Not everything of what you believe needs to be expressed. In light of this, I believe he ought to express regret for some of the incorrect material he posted online. Additionally, I believe it would be prudent for him to highlight the errors committed under the Biden Administration. By doing this, I believe Trump would have an excellent chance of winning reelection. For Biden, I believe he would either need to resolve the inflation situation we are now in or outline his proposed solutions. It should be a top priority since the middle and lower classes cannot continue to survive on these costs.

1- Personally, I think that political campaigns do matter. I can honestly say that I do not usually enjoy watching them but sometimes they can be beneficial. I think that they do have an influence on a voter’s opinion and can ultimately influence their voting decision. In addition to influencing a voter’s decision, they can persuade a voter’s attitude to shift or align with that of the political candidate. This type of attitude change can lead to more research on certain topics or overlooking other issues. Allowing the voter to either go against or with their personal beliefs.

2- I think there are many things that can lead to a low or high voter turnout. Personally, I think that voter turnout is higher when the candidates are either all very likable or some are very unlikable. This is because the voter is more compelled to vote for or against the other candidates. Overall, I think the use of media can cause voters to feel overwhelmed and lead them to not participate in voting. Also, I believe that a voter will be more compelled to run if they have a candidate that really caters to their personal beliefs.   

3- I think most people will agree with me when saying that I would advise Donald Trump to be less active on social media. Not everything that you think needs to be shared. With that I think he should apologize for some of the information he put online that was inappropriate. Also, I think it would be wise for him to point out the mistakes that have been made through the Biden Administration. I think in doing this Trump would have a good shot at reelection. For Biden, I think he would either need to fix the inflation mess we are in right now or discuss how he plans to fix it. The middle and lower class cannot continue to live with these prices and it should be a priority.

1.     In my experience with political campaigns, they do matter. Campaigns provide information on what the candidates stand for. This allows the public to get a sense of the best candidate to vote for. More specifically, campaigns are important for the primary elections at any level because it influences the voter’s choice on candidates running within their political party. Campaigns also have influence in elections by uncovering flaws in their opponents.

2.     From personal experience, this past summer when I went to vote in the primaries at my local church, I was the only person under the age of 50 the entire time I was in the voting booth. It honestly made me a little upset, but I believe people are more likely to turn out to vote when they have passion for a candidate. Campaigns can definitely influence voters by honing in on what specific change citizens are passionate for.

3.     I would advise Donald Trump to be more sensitive in public speeches to avoid offending others. Because inflation and rising gas prices are what’s driving Biden’s unpopularity right now, I would advise him to emphasize solutions on current problems to appease the public rather than obstacles in the future.

1. In your experience with political campaigns, do they matter? What sorts of influences do they have? With looking at and watching political campaigns, I believe they do matter. Politicians who are running against another pearson want to say that is going to put them ahead of their opponent. Some influences that politcal campaigns have are showing what type of person you really are and what you are going to provide to citizens. People want to vote on the best candidate that is going to give their best for the people. Political campaigns also put down their opponents to get them leverage in a political race. 
2. In the next unit spend some time talking about who turns out to vote and why. But, before you view the lecture, what do you think it is that makes someone more or less likely to turn out to vote? Can campaigns affect this? Some factors that I believe that make it more or less likely to turnout to vote are age, income, and education. I believe also that your knowledge of what is going on in the country to figure out who is going to provide in the best way plays a role too. Going back to question number one, citizens want who is going to provide incentives or policy changes that is going to make their offices better. Campaigns are a great way to promote what you are trying to implement and get higher vote turnouts. Not having campaigns or showing what you can do for the specific office or people can make the turnout for votes less likely. 
3. If you were advising Donald Trump about running again in 2024 and Joe Biden about running for re-election, what advice would you give to each of them on how to win? Some advice I would give to both politicians is, implement policies that you say you will for the people. Be truthful honest about what you wanna change and give reasoning behind it. I would also say to not put your openent down and talk yourself up more. Politics have become to where politicans will just say the right thing at the right time to win the vote, instead of saying what they are actually going to do for the country.
   

2. The people who turn out to vote are the ones who feel as though they are in the majority and want to solidify their party's vote, but they can also be the ones who are the political minority in an area that hopes to have their voice heard during an election. The feeling of hopelessness or feeling as though their vote will not change the outcome of the election often sways people to not come out and vote. Many people do not come out to vote  People who are passionate about wanting their political party to win a vote are also a large motivation for people to come out and vote to ensure their voice is heard. 

3. If I were to advise either one of these nominees, I would tell them to try their best to not divide the nation any further with political party differences. I would tell them to listen to the people on large-scale issues, especially with the cases that are up for voting in the supreme court, and to protect their people at all costs. I would tell Donald Trump to stop encouraging outrage, riots, protests, and hate crimes within the masses in favor of his party. I would tell Joe Biden to act more on his promises to the nation and protect the rights he promised rather than dabbling in foreign affairs. For both candidates, I would tell them we need to focus on our nation and uniting our country, and ensuring safety for all. 

2. People will turn out to vote if they believe their vote matters, they have strong opinions about the election or just because they believe voting is their civic duty. If you are a red voter in an overwhelmingly blue state you may feel like your vote does not matter and may not feel inclined to vote. Also if you feel strongly for a candidate or against an opposing candidate you will be more likely to go vote. This can be influenced by campaigns because you opinion could be swayed over the course of a politicians campaign and interaction with others. Campaigns also influence votes because the more a candidate puts there name out there like on signs and billboards the more likely they are to be voted in. If a voter does not know anything about two candidates, they are more likely to vote for the candidate whose name they recognize. 

3. I think it would be beneficial for Trump to focus on the positive accomplishments of his presidency and also attack the negative aspects of Biden's presidency. I think the same goes for Biden, he should focus on his accomplishments and attack Trump's negatives. I also think that it would be beneficial to focus on the voters that are in the middle and focus on swing states because the people on either end of the political spectrum are secure votes and will vote for their respective party. There is a large number of Americans who are in the middle of the spectrum and the candidates should focus on using less extreme campaign claims to win the vote.