American Politics Commons^™

High Automation, Fascism, And Our Social Revolution, Sean C. Staton

Honors College

The United States in the present day has experienced a rise of both incredibly productive automated technologies, approaching self-perpetuation, and fascism, entering and affecting significant social institutions. This paper aims to explain these phenomenon with the Marxist mechanics of the historical dialectic, conceptions of abstraction and material, and the behavior of capital – among other modes of production – and predict the broader development that is oncoming. It has been found that the rise of advanced and self-perpetuating automating technologies is indicative of an oncoming mode of production, ‘high automation’, and that fascism itself is a character, or subdialectical stage, …

Polarized By Design: Does The Structure Of Congress Eliminate Moderates?, James Hotham

Honors College

Over the last few decades scholars have noted the new structure of Congress has become much more leader centric, with them holding more power than they had in the past. This has helped to foster polarization within Congress as a body, by making bipartisanship a more difficult process and poses the question: why would a moderate member of Congress choose to pursue a career where their goal and insights are largely discounted by the rest of the body they serve in? In order to determine whether these new limitations on moderates impact their presence this thesis will analyze a number …

"This Winter Is Going To Be Awful": Challenges Facing Maine Domestic Violence Resource Centers Amid Covid-19, Catherine Keely Mcconville

Honors College

Few studies have considered the impact of COVID-19 on the domestic violence workforce in the United States, while none have focused on the state of Maine or the challenges experienced by advocates and organizations as the pandemic becomes endemic. To fill these gaps, this study examines the immediate and enduring impacts of COVID-19 on Maine’s domestic violence workforce using semi-structured interviews analyzed thematically using an inductive coding technique. This study reveals (1) the impact of the pandemic on Maine’s the domestic violence workforce, (2) the ways in which adaptations were made in the provision of services, for better and for …

Cancel Culture Conundrum, Hannah Marsh

Honors College

The term cancel culture describes a phenomenon in which people are effectively shunned from society for their actions or statements due to others’ dislike of those actions or statements. While this term has become widely used in politics in recent years, many of the reasons people are cancelled have no direct link to politics. However, there are several characteristics, some politically-linked, that make people more apt to engage in cancel culture. Statistics show that the two characteristics which mark people as likely to engage in cancel culture are identifying as a Democrat and being part of the millennial or GenZ …

Voting At Umaine: An Empirical Study Of Student Turnout Trends And Motivations, Abigail Despres

Honors College

Thomas et al. (2016) estimates that around 10 million currently enrolled college students did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. Unfortunately, this statistic is representative of a national downward trend in youth voter turnout rates where those in the youngest (and largest) voter age bracket are turning out at the lowest rate compared to any other bracket. Previous research on this phenomenon has focused on procedural and institutional barriers like registration, residency requirements, and voter ID laws to describe what physically stands between a prospective young voter and the ballot box. This research looks to study that issue from …

Domestic And Foreign Policy Priorities Of Maine Voters, Caitlyn Rooms

Honors College

Understanding the political priorities of a population is key to unravelling the ways that people engage in local, state, and national politics. National polling organizations do studies in every election cycle on the domestic priorities of national voters, and every few years on the foreign policy priorities of the American public. These polls help academics and policymakers understand the motivations of the American populace and help to guide the public narrative surrounding contentious issues. Polls like this are, however, rare at the state level. This study aims to fill that gap for the state of Maine, providing state-level data on …

Political Polarization And The Dissemination Of Misinformation: The United States Pandemic Response As A Cautionary Tale, Mary Giglio

Honors College

This thesis discusses the failings of theUnited States response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it has been shaped by the nation’s intense political polarization and the widespread dissemination of misinformation. In this thesis, I critically examine the government’s initial response to the pandemic, including its lack of preparedness and the ineffectiveness of its eventual policies. I also attempt to explain the influence of political polarization on the states, resulting in congressional gridlock, as well as wildly varying policies regarding lockdowns and mask mandates. I connect the increasing prevalence of misinformation today to the historically recent rise of postmodernism, a …

“Things Are Going To Get A Lot Worse Before They Get Worse”: Humor In The Face Of Disaster, Politics, And Pain, Sierra Semmel

Honors College

From the Holocaust and slavery victims to medical professionals to firefighters, coping humor has been used throughout history even in the darkest of times. While it is common among victims of unfavorable situations, it is also utilized by late-night television shows to package the news of the day in a format that both addresses the issues and eases the emotions surrounding them. This thesis critically analyzes selected clips from late night shows and sketch comedy surrounding three different news events: Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate Confirmation Hearings, the Boston Marathon bombing, and Hurricane Sandy. By studying a political event, a domestic terrorist …

2016 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Celebration, University Of Maine Student Life

Cultural Affairs Distinguished Lecture Series

Alison Beyea is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Maine, where she oversees the organization's legal, legislative, public education and development activities. With 3,000 members, the ACLU of Maine is the state's oldest and largest civil liberties organization.

The state of the union from the Citizen's Perspective delivered by Alison Beyea will be the focus of a keynote address at the 20th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast on Jan. 18, 2016 sponsored by the Greater Bangor Area NAACP and the University of Maine. Keynote Speaker Alison Beyea will speak on current national affairs and trends, education, …

Media Portrayal And Public Opinion On The Supreme Court, Patrick Hall

Honors College

Because the power of the Supreme Court rests on its acceptance as a legitimate institution by the people of the United States, understanding why people accept the Court is critical for maintaining the institution. This study explored the relationship between how media covers Supreme Court rulings and how public opinion of the Court changes afterward. A selection of cases, Griswold v. Connecticut, Roe v. Wade, Lawrence v. Texas, Hollingsworth v. Perry, and U.S. v. Windsor, articles from the New York Times, were analyzed to gauge whether the case and the Court were portrayed in either a political manner or in …

Polarizing Issues In The American Political Parties: Women In Party Platforms, Hannah Vail

Honors College

This thesis is designed to investigate the relationship between the rise of cultural issues in political discussion and growing levels of polarization in the American political system. Current research within the field proposes many causes, forces, and tactics behind this growth of polarization. The corresponding increase in the prevalence of cultural issues in American politics is one such proposed cause or symptom. This thesis will provide an expansion on existing research through an exploration of the relationship between increased polarization and increasing prevalence of cultural issues in the United States.

The focus of this thesis is on the relationship between …

Electioneering Across The Ages: Examining The Application And Implication Of Media-Based Mobilization In American Presidential Campaigns Post-Radio, Cameron C. O'Brien

Honors College

This work follows the evolution of media-based mobilization strategies employed by presidential candidates and their campaign teams. Assessing how this practice has changed over the centuries involves examining the technologies and philosophies that underlie specific mobilization methodologies. Part of the discussion is compiled from uncovering national newspaper articles printed around Election Day each year from 1980 to 2000. Another section explores more deeply the two presidential campaigns that have occurred since the turn of the millennium.

The Democratization Of The Democratic Party: An Analysis Of Democratic Party Reform 1972 - 2008, Benjamin D. Goodman

Honors College

Frustration over the undemocratic nature of the 1968 Democratic Party presidential nominating contest set forth a reform movement that forever changed the Democratic Party and America’s political system. The resulting Committee on Party Structure and Delegate Selection (better known as the McGovern-Fraser Commission), at the direction of the 1968 convention, opened the Democratic Party to those outside of the Democratic establishment. The next 14 years would see a struggle between the Democratic Party establishment and “outsiders” over who would control the Democratic Party and its nominating process.

This study examines the four major Democratic Party nominating process reform commissions over …

War Of The Words: Political Talk Radio, The Fairness Doctrine, And Political Polarization In America, Jackson R. Witherill

Honors College

This thesis looks at political talk radio in the United States before and after the removal of the Fairness Doctrine. It examines how, following the end of FCC enforcement of the Fairness Doctrine, the number of stations broadcasting political talk increased, as well as how and why there has been such dominance in the talk radio format by conservative hosts such as Rush Limbaugh. Finally, it examines the increasing trend of political polarization in the United States and what role ideologically charged talk radio may have in the increasing polarization of the American public. This examination is done with four …

A Study Of The Effect Of The Economy On The Outcome Of Presidential Reelections: 1992 And 2004 Examined, John F. Cox

Honors College

This study analyzed the varied impact of the economy in the 1992 and 2004 United States presidential elections. Initially, it was my contention that the economy is always the most important factor in deciding the outcome of a presidential reelections. Conventional wisdom states that a poor economy spells trouble for the incumbent candidate; this was the case in 1992. 2004 did not follow conventional wisdom, the economy was struggling but to a lesser degree and the incumbent candidate was victorious. However, as the study reveals elections and the campaigns that precede them are not merely matters of dollars and cents …

From Vietnam To The Persian Gulf; The Decline Of Objective Television Media In American War Reporting, Kathleen C. Sprague

Honors College

No abstract provided.

Washington County Republican Roster, Maine, 1954-1955, Washington County Republican Party

Maine History Documents

A directory of members of several Washington County Republican organizations and vote for Governor in 1952. Includes a summary of the Republican platform in the categories of International Affairs, National Affairs, State Affairs, State Constitution, Development, Agriculture, Labor and Industry, Education, Institutions, Welfare, Highways and Finance.

Washington County Republican Roster, Maine, 1950-1951, Washington County Republican Party

Maine History Documents

A directory of members of several Republication organizations for Washington County and the vote for Governor in 1948. Includes a summary of the Maine Republican Platform for 1950 with headings of Party Responsibility, Welfare and Security, Education, Highways, National Resources--Conservation and Development, Agriculture, Labor and Industry, Constitution, Finance and Taxes, State Valuation and Equalization, Commendation, Quoddy Survey, Veterans' Hospitalization, National Affairs, and Party Unity.

Washington County Republican Roster, Maine, 1944-45, Washington County Republican Party

Maine History Documents

A directory of members of Republican organizations in Washington County for 1944-45 and the vote for Governor in 1942.

Washington County Republican Roster, Maine, 1938-39, Washington County Republican Party

Maine History Documents

A directory of members of several Republican committees and clubs. Also includes a breakdown of votes for governor by county for 1936, and summaries of the Republican and Democratic platforms for 1938. The Democratic platform is broken into categories including the Quoddy Project, Fisheries, and a Federal Air Base.