American Politics Commons^™

America’S Legendary Ignorance About Africa Persists, Julius A. Amin

History Faculty Publications

In an increasingly interconnected and technological global environment, ignorance of Africa is no longer acceptable. This, especially from major political leaders. Yet, examples of such ignorance are evident in the current American presidential campaign. Neither the Republican nominee Donald J. Trump nor the democratic nominee Hillary R. Clinton has articulated any concrete vision for an African policy.

Beyond Density & Diversity: Understanding The Socio-Cultural Geography Of Contemporary Presidential Elections, David F. Damore, Robert E. Lang

Brookings Mountain West Publications

In the aftermath of the 2012 presidential election, a good deal of commentary held that President Obama’s reelection resulted from the country’s changing demography and his overwhelming support among nonwhite voters residing in the country’s urban spaces. Less discussed was the fact that Republican Mitt Romney also carried many urbanized states with ethnically and racially diverse populations and that President Obama would not have been reelected without securing the Electoral Votes of a number of rural states with large white populations. In this paper, we argue that the combination of educated populations and a socio-cultural construct we call northernness allow …

Elected Presidency Changes: It’S Not Just About The Politics, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The debate about the elected presidency(EP) is driven not just by politics and the law,but by perceptions, values and notions offairness. Policymakers and the public need toengage on these for fruitful discussions.

What Goes Up Must Not Come Down: The Tweet Retraction Process Of Politicians, Paige Settles

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In 2011, Congressman Anthony Weiner demonstrated the risks politicians face when utilizing Twitter. While past scholarship regarding Twitter has focused on the impact of the tweets candidates share with their voters, academic attention has not been afforded to the tweets candidates delete. This thesis seeks to delve further into the analysis of Twitter as a political campaign tool by examining the practice of tweet retraction. To achieve this end, this research presents two studies. The first analyzes the deleted tweets of members of the 112th Congress between May and November of 2012 in terms of quantity of retractions and the …

Voter Turnout In A Low Interest, Off-Year Election: A Field Experiment, Zachary Miller

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis is an analysis on the effects of a low cost get out the vote (GOTV) effort through direct mail on a low interest, off year election. By conducting a field experiment divided into two stages, this project measures the effects of direct mail contact on voter turnout in the state of Kentucky. Postcards were sent during the final week of both the 2015 primary and general elections. The expectation is that those who received a postcard will be more likely to vote than non-recipients. Using data provided by the Kentucky Board of Elections, a data set was created …

Dublin Gulch’S “Tap ‘Er Light” Reveals Butte Soul, 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, September 8, 2016

Montana Standard, September 11, 2016

Menefee, Richard Hickman, 1809-1841 (Sc 3052), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3052. Letter, 16 December 1837, of Congressman Richard Hickman Menefee to attorney W. Rochester Beatty, Greenupsburg, Kentucky. Writing from Washington, D.C., Menefee asks Beatty to assume conduct of a lawsuit for a client in Salvisa, Kentucky. Referring perhaps to the Rebellions of 1837 in Upper and Lower Canada, he also declares the administration of President Martin Van Buren to be “astounded by the events of last month” and predicts its presentation of measures to the new session of Congress “timidly and irresolutely” in the face of strong …

Corporate Sponsors At Yosemite?: The Case Against Privatizing National Parks, John Freemuth, William Lowry

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

The centennial of the National Park Service is inspiring an impressive amount of soul-searching about the agency and the lands for which it is responsible. This is timely and appropriate, as the NPS faces serious challenges that affect the preservation of these precious lands.

Election Districts - Warren County, Kentucky (Sc 3050), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3050. Class action complaint filed by five voters in U.S. District Court, Bowling Green, Kentucky, alleging malapportionment of election districts. The complaint seeks declarative and injunctive relief against the current apportionment and against holding a primary election for justices of the peace and constables. Details of the previous and current apportionments are included.

New Trade, New Politics: Intra-Industry Trade And Domestic Political Coalitions, Mary Anne Madeira

Publications and Research

Why are industries highly active in some battles over international trade policies, but in other instances, individual firms are highly active and industry groups are subdued? I argue that rising intra-industry trade in the postwar period has undermined traditional trade coalitions and created new opportunities for individual firms to become politically active. Drawing on new trade theories from economics, as well as work on firm heterogeneity and lobbying, I argue that industry associations become less active as intra-industry trade increases due to competing trade preferences among member firms. At the same time, individual firms become more politically active. My results …

The Limits Of Liberal Planning: The Lindsay Administration's Failed Plan To Control Development On Staten Island, Jeffrey A. Kroessler

Publications and Research

Staten Island grew rapidly after the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened in 1964. Mayor John Lindsay introduced a plan to control and guide development there, and encouraged planned unit development. The Rouse Company, then building Columbia, Maryland, was contracted to plan new communities for the southern third of Staten Island to more than double the borough’s population. State Senator John Marchi introduced legislation for the South Richmond Development Corporation in 1971. The plan called for the city to use eminent domain to buy property and transfer it to the Rouse Company, which would also construct residential towers on landfill in Raritan …

Movements, Moments, And Movement-Moments: Generational Approaches To Organizing For Social Change, Carissa Tinker

Capstone Collection

Due to a recent upswing of college protests, and generational theory authors positioning Millennials as powerful players in building a new left to shift American politics, this research seeks to understand how different generations of organizers for social change approach their work. Emerging literature on social movements, political efficacy, and generational frameworks, combined with an analysis of the current political climate, illustrate the strong possibility of this new left being built.

This study asked participants of multiple generations about their experiences in the field to uncover perceptions of their role in the movement, differences in collective and external efficacy, and …

Quilici, O'Bill: Men In The Arena, Aiding Butte In Their Own Ways, 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 Standard, August 17, 2016

Faith In Politics, Teagan Sebba

Political Analysis

No abstract provided.

Barbara Norrander: The Imperfect Primary, Eddie Colombo

Political Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Need For Campaign Finance Deregulation, Matthew Kochen

Political Analysis

No abstract provided.

A Missed Cut, John Simeone

Political Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Distributive Benefits: The Rise Of Letter-Marking In The United States Congress, Russell W. Mills, Nicole Kalaf-Hughes

The Journal of Economics and Politics

THE RECENT MORATORIUM ON EARMARKS HAS GIVEN RISE TO A NEW AND LARGELY HIDDEN PRACTICE FOR SECURING DISTRIBUTIVE BENEFITS: LETTER-MARKING. LETTER-MARKING OCCURS WHEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ASK (IN WRITING) THE HEAD OF AN AGENCY TO RETAIN OR ALLOCATE DISTRIBUTIVE BENEFITS IN THEIR DISTRICTS. WHILE LETTER-MARKING IS COMMON IN WASHINGTON, THE SCHOLARLY LITERATURE HAS IGNORED THIS PRACTICE. WE USE A UNIQUE DATASET OF 101 CONGRESSIONAL LETTERS RELATING TO FAA FUNDING AND EMPIRICALLY ASSESS THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE LETTER-WRITER’S CHARACTERISTICS AND THE LETTER’S CONTENT IMPACT THE LIKELIHOOD OF ACHIEVING THE OBJECTIVES. IN DOING SO, WE OFFER A NUANCED UNDERSTANDING OF LETTER-MARKING.

Identity And Efficacy: Latinos In The United States, Ryan Salzman, Shauna Reilly

The Journal of Economics and Politics

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EFFECT OF IDENTITY ON POLITICAL ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR IN THE UNITED STATES ARE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT AS ITS POPULATION BECOMES MORE DIVERSE. THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF THAT INCREASED DIVERSITY IS THE EXPANSION OF THE LATINO POPULATION. MOST RESEARCH FOCUSES ON DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECT OF IDENTITY STRENGTH WITHIN THE LATINO POPULATION ON ATTITUDES ABOUT GOVERNMENT. USING THE 2006 LATINO NATIONAL SURVEY, THE ROLE OF IDENTITY ON EFFICACY IS EXPLORED. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT EFFICACY AMONG LATINOS IS RELATED TO IDENTITY. WE ALSO FIND RESULTS THAT REINFORCE THE PRESENCE OF …

Academic Unions In Recessionary Times, John Rothgeb, Katherine Mitakides

The Journal of Economics and Politics

THIS ARTICLE INVESTIGATES HOW UNIONIZATION AFFECTED THE WAY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HANDLED ISSUES RELATING TO FACULTY PAY AND LAYOFFS, DEGREE PROGRAM CANCELLATIONS AND TEACHING LOADS, AND STUDENT SERVICES DURING THE SEVERE RECESSION THAT HIT THE COUNTRY BETWEEN LATE 2007 AND EARLY 2010. THE DATA ARE FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY OF DEPARTMENT CHAIRS. THE RESULTS REVEAL THAT UNIONIZATION REDUCED THE LIKELIHOOD OF FACULTY PAY ACTIONS AND THAT CLASSES WOULD BE TAUGHT AT EXTENDED TIMES, BUT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A GREATER CHANCE THAT CLASSES WOULD BE OFFERED AT OFF-CAMPUS LOCATIONS. UNIONIZATION HAD NO EFFECT ON BUDGET CUTS, WHETHER FACULTY WERE LAID-OFF OR …

Has Gop Lost Its Soul Or Just Lost Its Way?, 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 Standard, August 11, 2016

Missoulian, August 17, 2016

Last Best News, August 22, 2016

Ware, Josiah William, 1802-1883 (Sc 3043), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3043. Letter, 9 July 1837, of Josiah Willam Ware to his cousin George W. Williams of Paris, Kentucky. Writing from Springfield, Virginia, Ware describes steamboat mishaps on his trip home from Maysville, Kentucky, and chides Williams good-naturedly on his religion and on his Whig sympathies, which he believes may gain Williams a seat in Congress but will prevent him from becoming president. He also refers to their family’s raising of livestock.

Tellin' It Like It Is: Politics And Donald Trump's Language, Aaron Barlow

Publications and Research

A lot about Trump’s success, and about the new verbal armament he wields (not to mention the old of the rest of the political field) can be learned from George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language.” Trump may be a naif when it comes to language but, as they say, “out of the mouths of babes…. ” Though his own language reflects more closely William Wordsworth’s ‘spontaneous overflowing’ than it does the considered speech and writing Orwell advocates, he has identified the weakness of his opponents much in the way Orwell did seventy years ago.

Hillary Clinton, The White House And The Trump Card, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

The former First Lady is ahead in the polls but a Trump loss will not spell the end of the Republican Party

Why Doesn't Worcester Vote?, Molly B. Kazin

Sustainability and Social Justice

This research presents findings from a study of voter turnout and registration in Worcester, Massachusetts and takes steps to examine possible reasons why turnout has been consistently low in municipal elections. Specifically, it assesses educational attainment, income, race and ethnicity, and types and function of municipal government as reasons for the minimal turnout. Drawing on literature, case studies throughout the United States, and census and city clerk data, this paper will discuss reasons for voters’ lack of involvement, a comparison of seven municipalities throughout Massachusetts, and recommendations for creating a more civically engaged community in Worcester.

How The City Of Indianapolis Came To Have African American Policemen And Firemen 80 Years Before The Modern Civil Rights Movement., Leon E. Bates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores a series of events that occurred in the spring of 1876. The relationship between the Indianapolis city government, the Marion County Courts, the Indianapolis Police Department, and the African American community came together to usher in changes never before envisioned. The Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) was formed in 1855, then disbanded 12 months later in a political dispute. From 1857-to-1876, the IPD was all white. These changes took place as the Reconstruction era was coming to a close. The first Ku Klux Klan was at its apex, terrorizing black communities, and Jim Crow was coming into its …

The Impact Of Presidential Visits On Midterm Gubernatorial Elections, Tyler James Holden

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Scholarship on the impact of visits by the president of the United States on midterm gubernatorial elections is limited. This paper will examine the effects of such visits by the president of the United States on midterm gubernatorial elections. Cohen, Kreassa, and Hamman (1991) analyzed the impact of presidential visits on senate races and discovered these visits are strategic; also, when the president gets involved in an election, the president has a positive impact. I also believe that when different visits are split out different types of visits will have different effects. This is based on the time commitment of …

Insights Summer 2016

Insights

Notes from the Dean; Alumna Promotes People as Our Greatest Resource; The Echo of Translation: LAS Faculty Translators Discuss the Challenges and Creativity of Their Work; Plugged-In Pedagogy; Access Art: Under a New DePaul-Art Institute Partnership, Undergraduates Get Unlimited Free Access to the Museum; Faculty Team Up for Innovative Research; Can Our Political System Be Saved?; Supporting Faculty Research: Social Science Research Center; Faculty Publications; New LAS Dean Named; Mowat Mellon Fellowship; In Memoriam: Ellin M. Kelly; Boren and Fulbright Scholars; French Language and Culture Award; DePaul Night at the Art Institute of Chicago; Byzantine Studies Director;

Counting Down On The Gop Senate’S Days Of Shame, 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, July 27, 2016

Montana Standard, August 1, 2016

Last Best News, August 4, 2016

Why You Can’T Count On Congress To Rein In A President Trump, Lori Cox Han

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

"Donald Trump has made many promises on the campaign trail about things he will fix (a broken immigration system), change (the way trade deals are negotiated), and build (a wall on the southern border) if elected president. Those who do not support Trump, regardless of political party, comfort themselves with the constitutional reminder that our government includes three co-equal branches designed to protect against the accumulation of too much power in too few hands. Those checks and balances aside, could President Trump accomplish any of his stated objectives through unilateral actions?"