Politics, Potato Chips and Pregnant Chads, Oh My!

1. Politics, Potato Chips and Pregnant Chads, Oh My! Politics and Media POLS 2450 & CO/M 2480 Dr. Winberg Chai The Republican Group

2. Campaign 2000 Issues Elly Caress Megan Tallon Thomas Dahl

3. Campaign 2000 Issues • Taxes • Social Security • Internet Regulation • Environment • Education • Health Care • Defense

4. Replace the five current tax brackets with four lower ones. Double the child tax credit to $1,000. Eliminate the marriage penalty and the death tax. Create a permanent Research and Development credit. Promote charitable giving. Foster capital investments and savings. Successes: Everyone gets a cut of the money now. Encourage the economy to grow. Failures: Inflation Deficits Congress is already spending a fifth of the surplus. Taxes

5. Anyone receiving, or close to receiving, Social Security will not be impacted. There should not be a tax increase. Everyone should be free to direct a portion to personal investment. Investment alternatives All options should be voluntary Successes: Choice is the key. Voluntary Changes need to be made somewhere Failures: Already to high payroll taxes Reduced benefits Public debt for future generations. Social Security

6. Create stricter anti- pornography regulations Prosecute internet pornographers. Support legislation requiring schools and libraries to have filtering technology Regulate internet commerce to prevent illegal sales of pharmaceutical and alcohol Successes: Keeping children from being victims of filth Protects taxpayer privacy Failures: Stifling to web-based companies Infringing on the right to freedom of speech and expression Internet Regulation

7. Jobs must come before conservation to remain in the open market. Not responsible for environmental status of other nations and should stay out of enforcement policies of those nations. Create incentives for states Rely more on local government officials for enforcement Use the Superfund more efficiently Consistent enforcement Environmental regulations available for public consideration. Successes: Prosperity and environmental protection advance together. Market-based incentives help develop new technologies and environmental standards. Gives more power to local officials who understand local issues Failures: How can consistency be enforced? Market-base can be counter-productive Government controlled lands still have the highest level of environmental degradation. Environment

8. Return Control to Parents, Teachers, and Local School Boards Raise Academic Standards Empower Parents and Students Expand Parental Choice and encourage competition. Charter School Vouchers Ensure Safety/Prosecuting for Violence Increase Reading Programs Successes: Foundation of what works in education built on strong parental involvement, excellent teachers, safe and orderly classrooms, high academic standards, and a commitment to teaching the basics. Failures: Standardized Testing Issues Will money go to appropriate place after it reaches the state? Addressing violence issue by transferring, does that really address the issue? Education

9. Update Medicare Affordable, Quality Health Insurance Protecting Patients Rights Medical Errors and Malpractice Reform Women's Health Children's Health Biomedical Research Academic Medical Centers Medical Privacy Safe Clinical Trials Emerging threats and Bioterrorism Successes: America has the finest health care delivery system that is the envy of the world. A vision of health care adapted to the changing world and technologies of a new century. All Americans should have access to high quality, affordable health care. With a range of options that are suited to meet the needs of the individual and family Failures: HMO’s Rising cost of health care Creation of a class system from Medicare Health Care

10. Transform Americas Defense capabilities for the information age Align military powers with the strengths of American society Maintain strength of National Guard and Reserves Veteran obligations Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty negotiations Nuclear Free Expand Trade Increase Military Spending Examine over-commitment to peace keeping missions around the globe. Successes: Issues of peace keeping forces Advanced technology Increase education and training Freedom from Nuclear fears of high-alert countries Veteran remembrance Failures: Increased government spending Trade/Foreign relations Defense

11. Campaign 2000 Bush vs. Gore Second Debate Dustin Rees Maggie Davis Jake Schofield Reese Oetken

12. Bush’s Personal Strengths • Relaxed and Conversational • Proper use of power tie • Led the debate • Showed more aggressiveness than that of Gore

13. Strong Words From Bush • “Freedom” • “We can’t be all things to all people.” • “The world doesn’t want us to tell them what to do.” • “We don’t want to be the ‘ugly Americans’…” • “Equal rights, not special rights.”

14. More Strong Words • The U.S. should be friends with allies now so that when we need them, they are already there. • The world’s timetable for peace is not the same as the U.S.’s timetable.

15. Bush: Room for Improvement • Bush needed to defend his record as the Governor of Texas. • Bush needed to be more knowledgeable about the specific numbers in Texas. • Bush should have stressed his successes as the Governor of Texas. • Bush needed statistics of his own to verify his attack on the national issues.

16. Gore’s Strengths? • Stated his priorities right away…education is #1. • Found holes in Bush’s leadership skills by attacking his record as Governor of Texas.

17. Gore’s Weaknesses • Gore talked down to the American audience as if they are uneducated. • Gore didn’t talk about the economy and how well it is doing. • Gore should have taken more control of the debate instead of being passive. • Gore wasn’t an active listener in the debate.

18. Gore’s Weaknesses Continued • He admitted to being wrong about details in the first debate. • Gore asked questions directly to Bush. • “I agree.” • Gore should have had opinions of his own rather than agreeing with Bush. If he didn’t have original ideas of his own he should have restated Bush’s ideas in his own words.

19. Presidential Election System Phil Collins Stephen Theriault

20. Electoral College • Created at the 1787 constitutional convention in Philadelphia • Each state gets a vote for the number of senators(2) and representatives they have • Electors do not have to agree with the popular vote

21. Electoral College • There are 538 electoral votes altogether • Majority (270) wins election • 48 of 50 states winner gets all of the votes • In ME and NE votes are proportionally allocated

22. Proposed Changes • In the past 200 years, more 700 proposals to change the system have been introduced • Direct Vote • Percentage of Electoral votes • District Plan

23. Why Not? • Would have to amend the constitution • 2/3 majority in both houses of congress • ¾ of the states must approve

24. Florida Problems • Large number of electoral votes (25) • Butterfly ballot • Confusion, especially among the elderly • Unusually large number of votes for Buchanan

25. Florida Problems • No standard way to vote • Mechanical lever machines • Punch cards • Paper ballots • Optical Scanning • Touch screens

26. Proposed Solutions • Standardized ballots • Standardized ways to count • Internet voting • Touch machines

27. Florida Recount • Mandatory when close • Bush still won • Gore pushed for hand recounts • Court battle for Presidency

28. Media Perceptions • Gore a sore loser? • Bush afraid of recounts? • Nobody wins? • Foreign press mocks U.S. • Disenfranchised voters • No faith in the political system

29. Finance Reform Tyler Hollopeter Chris Bacigalupo Rajeev Patel Pennie Espeland

30. History of Campaign Reform

31. 2000 Election: Monetary Contributions • How Much Can You Give? • Party Dependence On Soft Money • President Bush’s Reaction to Reform • Bush’s Principles On Campaign Finance Reform

32. Incumbent’s Win Again • Incumbents Protected • 2 Points To Think About • Unconstitutional?

33. Do Americans Care? • McCain/Feingold Passed April 2, 2001 • 59-41 • For: 47 Democrats / 12 Republicans • Against: 38 Republicans / 3 Democrats • Legal Experts On Both The Right And Left Say The bill Challenges The 1st Amendment

34. Are We Banning Soft Money Or Are We Banning Free Speech? • TV & Radio Ad Prohibited 60 Days Prior To Election • Please Pass The Chips……

35. Media Success and Failureof Election 2000 A Republican Perspective Kylee Selby Sarah Simpson

36. Challenged Electoral System Consistent Coverage Bush’s Image Challenged Exit Polls Calling Florida Early Concession and Retraction Saturation Network Bias Candidate Image Success Failure

37. Successes

38. Challenged Electoral System • Can We Trust the System? • Chad Who?

39. Consistent Coverage • “Stay with us, we’re about to take you on an exciting and bumpy ride,” Tom Brokaw

40. Bush’s Image • “Compassionate Conservatism” • Rugged Ease • “I trust the people,” George W.

41. Challenged Exit Polls • Voter News Service • Questioned Process

42. Failures

43. Concession and Retraction • Viewer Confidence • News Ego

44. Saturation • 24 hr Cable News • OJ vs. Chad? • Making News of Nothing

45. Candidate Image • Nader Coverage • All Gore All the Time

46. Calling Florida Early • Major Broadcast News Channels • Prompted 1st Concession

47. But if Nothing Else… “Future voters should recall Election 2000 as a caution that no prediction from a blow-dried anchor or Internet gossip is reason not to vote.” TIME, November 2000