American Politics Commons^™

Trump’S Electoral Speeches And His Appeal To The American White Working Class, Michele Lamont, Bo Yun Park, Elena Ayala-Hurtado

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

This paper contributes to the study of social change by considering boundary work as a dimension of cultural change. Drawing on the computer-assisted qualitative analysis of 73 formal speeches made by Donald Trump during the 2016 electoral campaign, we argue that his political rhetoric, which led to his presidential victory, addressed the white working class’s concern with their declining position in the national pecking order. He addressed this group’s concern by raising their moral status, that is, by (1) emphatically describing them as hard-working Americans who are victims of globalization; (2) voicing their concerns about ‘people above’ (professionals, the rich, …

"A Babe In The Woods?": Billy Graham, Anticommunism, And Vietnam, Daniel Alexander Hays

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on famous evangelist Billy Graham's role in the Vietnam War, both as a public supporter and private advisor. It argues that, contrary to his self-depiction, he was no "babe in the woods," no mere neophyte or bystander. Rather, America's most famous preacher was an active participant in promoting and even planning the war. Graham's evangelical theology, with his premillennialist beliefs, led to his intensely anticommunist worldview, where communism was the Antichrist. His public support buttressed the presidents prior to and during the Vietnam War and, sometimes, Graham even delved into policy recommendations for the war.

Graham's role …

The Tea Party Versus Planning: A Study Of Tea Party Activism And Its Impact On Local Government Planning, Spencer A. Norman

Theses and Dissertations

The Tea Party movement’s effect on local and regional planning in Virginia has received little study. This work identifies how conservative political activism has impacted planning in the Commonwealth and how planners have responded. The study relies on a qualitative approach involving 22 semi-structured interviews with activists, planners, and citizens, as well as textual analyses of planning documents, local and regional news reports, and Tea Party social media. The resultant findings show that Tea Party activism is rooted in deep seated ideals about private property rights and individualism. It also reveals that planning processes that increased the amount of public …

Welcome The Stranger? Recent History Of American Christianity And Refugee Policy, Brenda Edith Cuellar

Masters Theses

Immigration is a controversial and complex issue. The United States has a history of welcoming millions of immigrants and refugees. Recent political rhetoric surrounding immigration has been negative and associated with danger and terrorism. Religious leaders along with their congregations have a history of advocating on behalf of the marginalized as well as combating against a broken immigration system that leaves eleven million people undocumented. This research paper uses a case study to explore the Sanctuary movement, a religious and political campaign that provided shelter for thousands of Central American refugees fleeing war. Interviews with seven religious leaders in Arizona …

The Fcc And Quasi-Common Carriage: A Case Study Of Agency Survival, Brent Skorup, Joseph Kane

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Intersecting Disadvantages: Race, Gender, And Age Discrimination Among Attorneys., Todd Collins, Tao L. Dumas, Laura Moyer

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This article explores the impact of race, gender, age, and intersectionality on attorneys’ perceptions of unfair treatment by other lawyers and on satisfaction with their legal careers. Using an original survey of over 2,000 attorneys, ordered logit is utilized to analyze attorneys’ perceptions of disparate treatment based on race, gender, and age and to test whether minority female attorneys face unique barriers within their professional relationships. We find that minority women are more likely than others to perceive unfair treatment based on race, gender, and age. This also contributes to lower career satisfaction for attorneys who are women of color …

Navigating The Post-Shelby Landscape: Using Universalism To Augment The Remaining Power Of The Voting Rights Act, Jesús N. Joslin

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Party Polarization, Political Alignment, And Federal Grant Spending At The State Level, William B. Hankins, Gary Hoover, Paul Pecorino

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Research on the distribution of federal expenditures has provided mixed evidence showing that states with more legislators who belong to the president’s party and states with more legislators in the chamber majority tend to receive a larger allocation of federal funds. We add to this research by considering how political polarization and political alignment impact these presidential and congressional determinants of how the domestic US budget is distributed to the states. Our results show that states with a larger percentage of senators in the majority can secure a larger share of federal grant expenditures per capita when political polarization is …

The Civic And Political Engagement Of Latinos In Omaha, Nebraska, Christian Israel Espinosa Torres

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Prior to 2006, Latinos in this country were virtually disregarded as an active political group. However, on May 1, 2006, thousands of immigrants and advocates across the United States marched in major cities to protest proposed immigration laws. In Omaha, Nebraska, alone, it was estimated that community groups energized 15,000 people to march in protest that day. Since the marches, both the number of Latinos and public participation of that group has grown dramatically. But, that growth has not been without its setbacks. While that first display of unity was striking in 2006, many factors have combined to prove that …

The Katyn Massacre: Cover-Up, Suppression, And The Politics Of War, From An American Perspective, Joe Grundhoefer

Departmental Honors Projects

Abstract

In the spring of 1940, roughly twenty two thousand Polish officers, the cream of Poland’s intelligentsia, were executed in Katyn forest. While the Soviet Union blamed Nazi Germany for the massacre, in the past seventy years all gathered evidence including documents from the Soviet archives, point out to the Soviet Union as responsible for the killings. However, the British and American governments, who had knowledge of the Katyn Massacre, were engaged in a suppression of the truth, during the war and into the early years of the Cold War, even while they confronted the Soviet Union over Poland’s independence. …

Community Land Trusts: A Help Or Hindrance To Community Development In The United States, Andrew Kuka

Student Research – Stevenson Center

The availability of affordable housing in the United States continues to be an issue for Americans who are on the brink of homelessness, rely on housing subsidies, or struggle to pay their mortgages or rents. These issues, as well as the gentrification threat that community development poses to low-income residents can have deleterious effects on democratic participation and community development efforts. One proposed solution to these problems is the implementation of more community land trust programs nationally. This paper will assess the practicality of CLTs, and what such an implementation would mean for individuals, government entities, community members, and community …

The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, Colleen Arthur

UROP Posters

The aim of this paper is to look into the human rights violations committed by the United States against the black men during the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment as well as touch on the broader concept of racial medicine. In addition, my goal is to dismantle the pretense society may hold about the United States and the moral high ground it claims to stand on. In order to accomplish this goal, I will make parallels about atrocities committed by the United States on the African-American population to those committed by the Nazis on the Jewish population in Germany. I will first …

Is There Money Behind The Trump-Putin Love Affair?, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A newspaper column by Evan Barrett.

Published newspaper columns written by Evan Barrett on this topic, which vary somewhat in content from this commentary, appeared in the following publications:

Montana Cowgirl, January 3, 2017

Burroughs As A Political Writer?, Alexander Greiffenstern

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Burroughs as a Political Writer?" Alexander Greiffenstern discusses political elements in William S. Burroughs's work. Greiffenstern looks at Burroughs's text "The Coming of the Purple Better One" written for Esquire about the Democratic National Convention in Chicago 1968. By writing a surprisingly personal text, Burroughs might have captured something about the significance of the convention that many later historical accounts miss. In the end, Burroughs leaves the critical reader no other choice than to attempt a historical and political analysis.

Time To Invest In Infrastructure, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A newspaper column by Evan Barrett.

Published newspaper columns written by Evan Barrett on this topic, which vary somewhat in content from this commentary, appeared in the following publications:

Missoulian, Dec 28, 2016

Helena independent Record, Dec 28, 2016

Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Dec 29, 2016

Daily Inter Lake, January 08, 2017

Military Cyber Professionals Have An Important Part To Play In The Obama-Trump Transition, Michael V. Hayden

Military Cyber Affairs

Over the course of decades in service, I have experienced multiple presidential transitions. Each new Commander in Chief updates policies, personnel, and priorities…especially when the transition involves a new political party. In this respect, the current transition from the Obama to the Trump administration is no different. While this periodic exercise of our democracy may seem disruptive to some, it is a true opportunity for military cyber professionals to help shape our future national security posture.

Interior Department And Army Corps Announce Restoration Of Tribal Lands For The Three Affiliated Tribes Of The Fort Berthold Reservation; Transfer Restores Nearly 25,000 Acres Of Tribal Homelands Lost To The Garrison Dam Project, Department Of The Interior, Assistant Secretary Of The Army For Civil Works

US Government Documents Related to Indigenous Nations

This news release, dated December 20, 2016, from the United States (US) Department of the Interior and the US Assistant Secretary of the Army announces the return of 24,959 acres of land on the Fort Berthold Reservation to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. The returned land was part of the 153,000 acres of land taken by the United States Government for construction of the Garrison Dam. The authority of this transfer is granted by the Fort Berthold Mineral Restoration Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-602). This press release provides some background on the Garrison Dam Project …

Commentary: Justice Who Follows Scalia's Path Would Hurt The Working Class, Bruce A. Larson

Political Science Faculty Publications

During the campaign, Donald Trump released a list of 21 conservatives from which he promised to pick Supreme Court justices, should he win the election. With President-elect Trump apparently nearing a decision on a nominee to replace the late Justice Scalia, Senate Republicans are no doubt eagerly awaiting the chance to confirm Trump's pick and restore a conservative majority on the court. [excerpt]

Difficult Questions For The Senate Minority, John M. Greabe

Law Faculty Scholarship

This column is the first in a biweekly Constitutional Connections series that will examine the constitutional implications of various topics in the news. The author, John Greabe, teaches constitutional law and related subject at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. He also serves on the board of trustees of the New Hampshire Institute for Civics Education.

Behold, Steve Bannon’S Hip-Hop Shakespeare Rewrite: 'Coriolanus', Daniel Pollack-Pelzner

Faculty Publications

In this opinion piece originally published in the New York Times, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner examines The Thing I Am (a contemporary rewrite of Coriolanus, as envisioned by Steve Bannon and Julia Jones) in the context of Shakespeare's original play. Pollack-Pelzner argues that Bannon's political playbook is evident in the script for The Thing I Am — namely, a violent macho conflict to purge corrupt leaders and pave the way for a new strongman to emerge.

Libertarian Party Grows...And So Do Its Critics, Nicole Andrea Ashley

Capstones

The Libertarian Party, which calls itself “The Party of Principle,” seems to have had a special appeal during the 2016 presidential election—a campaign in which the two major party candidates started out with historically low approval numbers.

Supporters of the party, such as Doug Braff, a film student from NYU, remained loyal to the party even after the election season was over. These supporters have received backlash from disappointed Hillary Clinton supporters who believe that Clinton could have won the presidency if she had garnered the votes that, instead, went to Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate.

Here is a link …

A New Era Of Islamophobia: Muslim Women Fight To Find Place After Trump Fueled Hate, Doha Madani

Capstones

"A New Era of Islamophobia: Muslim Women Fight to Find Place After Trump Fueled Hate" focuses on the trend of violence and harassment against Muslim women from 2015 to 2016. The story weaves personal stories and expert opinions about the trend, which seemingly sparked from Donald J. Trump's campaign rhetoric regarding Muslims and minorities.

https://dohamadani.atavist.com/a-new-era-of-islamophobia

The Assault On Medicaid Could Endanger Millions Of Americans, Jeremy S. Smith

Capstones

Since 1965, Medicaid has been the forgotten child of the federal entitlement programs, even though it costs less and covers more people than Medicare. And in 2010, the Affordable Care Act expanded the program to give millions of more people coverage. But Republicans in Congress, and Trump, are on the precipice of radically altering the program in a way that could cost tens of millions people their health insurance.

http://jeremysilksmith.com/the-assault-on-medicaid-could-endanger-millions-of-americans/

Woof, Joseph D. Jaafari

Capstones

About 10 percent of Americans identify as polyamorous, defined as having multiple love affairs within a single relationship. Those relationships are as diverse as they are complicated with some ranging from having multiple people within a relationship to a couple having outside individual relationships.

Within the gay world, polyamory and open relationships has become a norm, and within the gay fetish scene it’s almost a requirement.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_MnWyJVYJneYVAzXzcxU2U3bFE

But polyamory has its own set of complications legally. Because in America we have a system where only one person can receive benefits (be it through marriage or blood), there are complications if, …

The 11 Percent: Black Conservatives In America, Janae M. Hunter

Capstones

For years, most African-Americans have voted democrat in presidential elections. But this year, Republican and president-elect Donald J. Trump got 8 percent of the black vote. And as of 2014, 11 percent of black Americans identified as a republican. Who are some of America's black republicans and conservatives, and did they vote for Trump? For this project, I spoke with several black republicans and black people with conservative ideologies about whether or not the voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election, and what it's like to be in the minority among other African-Americans.

https://medium.com/@janae.hunter/the-11-percent-black-conservatives-in-america-a57e37c02691#.5xs5my5mh

A Grand Game: Sino-American Relations In The 21st Century, Cameron Mccauley

Student Works

This paper provides an overview and analysis of Sino-American relations, focusing primarily on the South China Sea and the implications of China’s rise on both the region and US national security. International relations theory provides the framework for the analysis and multiple viewpoints are included. This paper draws attention to the importance of properly understanding China’s ambitions in order to prevent a war in the Pacific. While not inevitable, the potential for conflict is addressed and likely scenarios are included. This paper concludes with a quick look at how the Trump administration’s policies could affect the turbulent balance of power …

A Valid Analysis Of A Small Subsample: The Case Of Non-Citizen Registration And Voting, Jesse Richman, David C. Earnest, Gulshan Chattha

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The development of large sample surveys creates new opportunities for analysis of subpopulations that would hitherto have been impossible to examine systematically. But it also raises key challenges. Low level measurement error can potentially lead to substantial biases in estimates drawn from small subsamples. This study details strategies researchers may take to make inferences in the context of this subsample-response-error problem. In the non-citizen voting case, which recently has received substantial attention, we show that attention to any of these strategies -- group-specific response error estimates, correlated higher-frequency events, test-retest validity, or analysis of associated hypotheses – produces significant evidence …

The Korean War Through The Eyes Of Ray Deweese, Yulissa Y. Lara

Korean War

Ray DeWeese was born in Cleveland, TN on May 10, 1928 and has lived in Cleveland most of his life. He enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 years old and fought towards the end of World War II and went off to be a pilot and officer during the Korean War. This interview depicts Mr.DeWeese’s experience during World War II but digs deeper into the difficulty of being a pilot during the brutal Korean War. As Mr. DeWeese recounts his traumatic experience he emphasizes how his diligent training, hardworking comrades, and his Faith in God got him through the …

Contributing Factors To Perspectives On Gun Regulations, Syd Kotar

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

With a rising amount of gun violence, issues of stricter gun regulations have been brought to the government’s attention. Location, gender, and ideology all contribute to how one perceives the individual use of firearms, and believes how much the government should intervene. This paper will explore the different variables such as the three listed above that affect one’s opinions on government intervention concerning stricter gun regulations. The results of data analysis from the ANES 2012 studies conclude that the more conservative one self identifies as, one would want either the same or less government intervention concerning stricter gun regulations. Data …

American Voter Attitudes Towards Divided Government, Tyler Ferrari

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Divided government has been a major part of American politics for decades, and it has made governing often difficult at times. Recently, this type of government has proven to be especially frustrating for many voters, so why do they vote to keep this government? Are there partisan reasons for voting for a split ticket, or is the answer more fundamental? This paper highlights the facts and reasons for polarization, ranging from ideology to trust in the federal government as a whole. This paper utilizes the ANES 2012 Study to illustrate that it is not just political ideology that plays a …