Mission Complete in Iraq? (Please respond by Friday, December 9)

In a recent interview conducted with the TODAY Show, Vice President Joe Biden was asked a variety of questions about the United States withdrawal of troops from Iraq in 2012. After watching the 6 minute video below, my question for all of you is pretty simple: did the United States of America succeed or fail in their mission in Iraq? Do you think the U.S. leaving Iraq in 2012 is a good idea? Do you believe leaving Iraq in 2012 is simply a campaign strategy by the Obama Administration? Please leave your honest opinions.

Iraq Interview with Vice President Biden

Who Should You Vote For in the Presidential Election? (Please respond by 3:00 PM on Friday, December 2)

For our blog this week, I found a creative way to see who all of you might vote for if the presidential election were this week. Please sign up for a free account on the link I have posted below. Once you sign up, the site will instruct you to follow some pretty simple steps about what issues might be important to you followed by a series of questions. Please use your school email when signing up. After you have been "selected" with your presidential choice, post your choice on here. Do you agree or disagree? Could you see yourself voting for this person if the election were today? Have fun!

http://www.electnext.com/

Political Endorsements (Please respond by Friday, November 18)

As far as most of us know, political scientists have not found any direct evidence that elected officials' endorsements make much difference with the electorate. However, this is a concept we must learn about in this class.  Take a look at the video I have included in this post from current Virginia governor Bob McDonnell (R). He released this campaign ad in support of George Allen (R) for senator of Virginia in the 2012 election. Allen will be running against Tim Kaine (D), former Governor of Virginia and director of the Democratic National Committee. This race will be one of the biggest in the country next year as Virginia will be heavily targeted in the presidential competition. After viewing this ad, do you see any correlation between endorsements and voters heavily using those ads when deciding on whom they will vote for? How effective do you believe this ad was? Could this ad help or hurt George Allen in his election campaign?

Open Blog Post (Please respond by Friday, November 11)

We are going to try a rather unique approach to the blog for this week. Here are your tasks:

1) Post a comment on a news story/issue/something you have found happening in the world of politics, United States, or the world stage. The goal in finding something to post on is to generate further responses from your classmates.

2) After you have posted your story, comment on another story which one of your classmates has posted. Simply give your feelings or reactions to what they have said.

This obviously will involve you having to do some research to look for a good story. Here is my only rule: ONCE SOMEONE HAS POSTED A STORY, YOU CANNOT USE THE SAME STORY! We are going to use the first come, first serve policy. This means you might need to find another topic or story. Please email me with questions.

Herman Cain Ad (Please respond by Friday, November 4)

This ad has been getting a lot of attention in the media for its simplicity.  Other than the recent Rick Perry ad in Iowa, it like the other candidate ones, has been only online. Of course, while Cain's ad is being ridiculed, he is ahead in the polls.  The link is a nice one as it explains how the poll was done and what the questions are. Take a look at these polls numbers from last week to help your response. What are your thoughts on this video? Helpful or harmful to Herman Cain? What type of chances do you give Herman Cain at this moment for winning the Republican nomination?

Future of Libya (Please respond by Friday, October 28)

Due to the recent death of former Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi, much debate has been circulating through the media about what kind of future the country of Libya will have moving foward. Please read the following article which will provide you with some background into his death as well as questions about the future.

Future Challenges in Libya

Now it is your turn to voice your opinions. What kind of future do you think this country has? Do you think we should be concerned about this country succeeding in their attempts to revamp their government moving forward? How much should the United States be involved in the rebuilding efforts? Should the rebuilding efforts be more in control of the Libyan people or NATO?

2012 Republican Field Pathetic? (Respond by Friday, October 21)

In response to some of the latest chatter about the 2012 presidential election, I want you to read a recent article published by CNN.


Republican Candidates


What are your thoughts? Is the 2012 Republican field that pathetic? Which of these individuals do you think could potentially defeat President Obama?