The Setup
Groucho Marx once said, “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it and then misapplying the wrong remedies.”
If only he knew how right he was…
January 2021. There is a new president in the White House.
2020 was an exciting election for sure. Trump? Biden? Sanders? Harris? Warren? All interesting. But not as interesting as the real surprise candidate. Who was this mysterious stranger? Mitt Romney? No. Michael Bloomberg? Hardly. Arnold Schwarzenegger? Getting closer. Your new President of the United States is:
Justin Bieber???
That is right. In a stunning move (and after a constitutional amendment for those who noted that Mr. Bieber is both Canadian and under 35 years of age), the country decided that if they were going to spend the next four years following someone’s every move, it might as well be an entertaining train wreck. Heaven help us all.
Only one problem. Mr. Bieber, for all his wonderful qualities, knows nothing of American government and politics. Fortunately for him, he has picked the right person as his new domestic policy advisor: YOU! So get to work, and don’t mind the screaming fans.
The Assignment
Now that we have gotten that out of the way, it is time to get down to the assignment. As the newest advisor to the most politically inexperienced president in American history, you will need to call on all that you have learned in POS1041 to help Mr. Bieber. Specifically, President Bieber has asked for your help in passing a new law. The details of the law, as well as the details of President Bieber’s party affiliation (if any) are totally up to you. President Bieber wants to know about the kinds of difficulties that his proposal will face, and the things he needs to do to get it passed (GO BACK AND REREAD THE PREVIOUS BOLDED SENTENCE as that is the main part of the assignment).
Specifically you should inform President Bieber of the following:
1) The structure of our constitutional form of government (separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism – you should talk about all three of these and each should be its own paragraph).
2) The role of specific actors within the formal branches of government (Congress, the bureaucracy, and the courts – you should discuss all three of these and each should be its own paragraph).
3) The role of other institutions and actors (the media, political parties, and interest groups – you should talk about each of these and each should be its own paragraph).
You’ll want to tie this all in with how a bill becomes a law.
Your final exam should be in the 1200-2400 word range. That’s a pretty wide range. Is it possible to do well if you write less than 1200 words? Yes, but only if you’ve been gifted with the brevity of Hemmingway. This assignment is asking you to summarize everything you’ve learned this semester so if you’re completing it in 500 words then that means you didn’t learn a whole lot and it’ll make me sad. You probably don’t want me to be sad while grading. Can it be more than 2400 words? Sure, if you feel like it. You probably won’t feel like it, though.
Important Tips
1) President Bieber, for all of his reputation as a bit of a flake, will not be in the least impressed with general or vague suggestions. Or for that matter with suggestions that are not based on textbook, modules or class discussion material. What separates and A-paper from a B-paper from a C-paper? The level of details, specificity and thoroughness employed in your answer. You do not need to consult any outside sources other than the book and the modules. Further, there is no need for citations in this paper if you are referring to the book or the lectures. If you do use any outside sources (which, again, you do not need to do to get a 100), please do properly quote and/or cite things – any format, such as MLA, APA, etc. is fine. But, again, I can’t stress this enough, you do not need to do any outside research other than what we’ve already done in the class.
2) I really can’t stress this enough but you should re-read the assignment again before writing. You’d be amazed how many people don’t do what the assignment asks them to do. Please don’t be that person!
3) Proper spelling and grammar is appreciated. If I have to puzzle through what you mean by each sentence then that’s not going to go well for either of us.
5) You can write this either as a formal essay or as a letter to the president – whichever feels more natural to you. Either is good.
6) This is your best opportunity to integrate all that you have learned this semester, which will help you remember it for the rest of your life. Too often we teach American government and politics as if each branch and actor operates independently of the rest. The truth is much more complex – and messier – than that. So dig in. Have fun. Good luck.
