American Politics Commons^™

'Dred Scott V. Sandford' Analysis, Sarah E. Roessler

Student Publications

The Scott v. Sandford decision will forever be known as a dark moment in America's history. The Supreme Court chose to rule on a controversial issue, and they made the wrong decision. Scott v. Sandford is an example of what can happen when the Court chooses to side with personal opinion instead of what is right.

Electoral Competition In Connecticut's State House Races: The Trial Run Of The Citizens' Election Program, Lesley A. Denardis

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

The Citizens Election Fund, Connecticut's version of a clean elections law, was established in 2005 in the wake of the corruption scandal during the administration of Governor John Rowland. Modeled after the public financing systems of Maine and Arizona, Connecticut's law has been touted as the most comprehensive in the nation. This paper will address whether the introduction of the Citizens' Election Program has increased the level of electoral competition by specifically focusing on state house seats in Connecticut during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles. Contestation for seats in the Connecticut General Assembly is a particularly salient issue due …

Political Hate Machines: Outside Groups And The 2012 Presidential Campaign Advertising Market, Martin Nader

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation explores the rise of outside groups and their influence in the 2012 presidential campaign advertising market. Unlike official candidates, outside groups are not vulnerable to the potential electoral risks of public backlash for being too negative; therefore, outside groups do not possess the same incentives as official candidates to regulate their use of attack ads. Compared to campaign ads produced by official presidential candidates, ads produced by outside groups are (1) overwhelmingly negative attack ads, (2) utilize a backwards-looking retrospective orientation, and (3) draw heavily on negative emotions like anger, fear and disgust.

Considering the role of outside …

Lakoff’S Theory Of Moral Reasoning In Presidential Campaign Advertisements, 1952–2012, Damien S. Pfister, Jessy J. Ohl, Marty Nader, Dana Griffin

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This study examines the presence and distribution of George Lakoff’s Strict Father and Nurturant Parent paradigms of moral reasoning in presidential campaign advertisements between 1952 and 2012. Results show that Republicans outpace Democrats in the general use of moral reasoning and that Republicans are far more likely to use Strict Father language than Democrats. The study found no difference in the use of Strict Father= Nurturant Parent morality throughout history, during times of war and recession, or if the candidate was an incumbent. The Strict Father and Nurturant Parent models of moral reasoning were also evaluated based on their relationship …

Powers, Caleb, 1869-1932 (Sc 2777), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2777. Letter, 6 December 1902, from Caleb Powers to Lovin Richards, Hillsdale, Kentucky, thanking him and other Republican residents of Simpson County Precinct Number 1 for donations toward his legal expenses in connection with his retrial on a charge of complicity in the assassination of Kentucky governor William J. Goebel. Includes the list of donors and amounts contributed; also includes a letter, 25 July 1903, from J. B. Howard to the postmaster of Hickory Flat, Kentucky, requesting a house-to-house canvass for donations to defend against the same …

Doris Kearns Goodwin Lecture At Uni October 2, 2013, University Of Northern Iowa.

Joy Cole Corning Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series

Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin is an American biographer, historian, former sports journalist, and political commentator. She has written biographies of several U.S. presidents, including Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream; The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga; Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln; and The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. Goodwin's book No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995.

Overcoming Legislative Gridlock In The U.S. Congress: How Procedural Rules Affect Legislative Obstructionism, Molly Jackman

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

More than 90 percent of bills introduced in the U.S. House never make it to a floor vote, and far fewer are enacted into law. Since legislative gridlock is much more common than legislative action, in order to understand policy outcomes, it is critical to know why bills are obstructed. Gridlock occurs when a legislator (or group of legislators) wants to block a bill, and has the procedural right to do so. Using new data on the procedural rules in the U.S. states, this presentation will identify the chambers in which legislators can block bills from the legislative agenda. Then, …

Pseudo Newsgathering: Analyzing Journalists’ Use Of Pseudo-Events On 'The Wire', Patrick Ferrucci, Chad Painter

Communication Faculty Publications

This textual analysis examines the role of pseudo-events in the newsgathering process depicted on season five of The Wire. The researchers found that the press and sources construct “reality”; sources present “masks” to conceal “reality”' and journalists acknowledge the absurdity of pseudo-events but cover staged events as genuine news. The overriding conclusion is that journalists fail citizens by constructing a false reality through a negotiation with powerful sources who are media- savvy enough to control depictions. These findings are then interpreted through the lens of cultivation theory.

Containment And The Shah: How Eisenhower And The Cia Brought Down Democracy And Encouraged Corrupt Leadership In Iran, Ellie Holliday

Ex-Patt Magazine

U.S. relations with Iran are beginning to thaw. Why were they frozen to begin with?

The Cia’S Past And Future, James Bohland

Ex-Patt Magazine

As the 100th birthday of Sherman Kent, the “father of Intelligence Analysis” approaches, Ex-Patt looks at the CIA and its direction.

New York Times V. U.S.: Implications And Relevance In The 21st Century, Maria E. Lombardi

Student Publications

In 1971, the New York Times released the first installment in a series later referred to as the Pentagon Papers that would eventually have significant political, social, and historical impacts that are felt even in the 21st Century. Following the first release, President Nixon’s administration sought an injunction against the publication of the remaining contents of the classified study, ultimately becoming an extensive legal process that culminated in the Supreme Court. In a per curiam opinion, the Court ruled that in accordance with Organization for a Better Austin v. Keefe and Near v. Minnesota that the federal government did not …

The Egyptian Islamic Group’S Critique Of Al-Qaeda’S Interpretation Of Jihad, Paul Kamolnick

ETSU Faculty Works

A specific branch of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh al-jihad) regulates the waging of the jihad of the sword (jihad bis saif). In this article, a detailed exposition is presented of the Egyptian Islamic Group’s (IG; Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya) use of fiqh al jihad against Al-Qaeda. The present author’s ‘jihad-realist’ approach is first briefly described; the IG’s critique of AQ systematically outlined; and in conclusion, implications are derived for counter-radicalisation strategies.

Graham, Robert Duke, 1900-1984 (Mss 473), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 473. Correspondence and scrapbooks of Robert D. Graham, Democratic mayor of Bowling Green, Kentucky from 1960-1963 and 1968-1971. The materials mostly document his public career, but some personal papers, including those of his wife Edith, are included.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 89, No. 6, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Holloway, Kaely. International Student Amendment Passes Student Government Association Senate Vote – Navitas
• Boyd, Kayla. Lambda Chi Alpha Raises Money for Hope Harbor – Watermelon Bust Beauty Pageant
• Marnon, Christian. Engineering Students Create Beech Bend Event – Cancer, Fund raising
• Downey, Casey. WKU Students Drink Wine for Class – Agriculture
• French, Jackson. Petition for 24-Hour Dining Option Heads to Student Government Association – Dining Services
• Burton, Kristina. Symphony at WKU to Give Free Concert at Jackson’s Orchard This Weekend – Music
• Bratcher, Nick. Soft Speech Still Works – Barack …

Poe Family Papers (Sc 1116), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) or Manuscripts Small Collection 1116. Chiefly letters to James E. Poe, a Warren County, Kentucky native, who later lived in Colorado and Washington Territory, from his family in Kentucky. They write of crops, weather, and their health. They also ask Jim to lead a sober life and consider returning home. Evidently Poe went west after a run-in with the law concerning the making of illegal alcohol. Also, data related to the collection.

What It's Like To Be A Radical Conservative, Stephanie K. Adamczak

SURGE

“What is your major?”

“Environmental Science.”

The snarky retort, “Don’t go joining GreenPeace now, you’re becoming a radical.”

I know there are many uses of the word “radical,” but in this context, I know that it is not meant as a compliment. Because I study environmental science and global climate change, this person associates me with radicals – those utilizing extreme methods to bring about extreme changes. [excerpt]

A Federalist George W. Bush And An Anti-Federalist Barack Obama? The Irony And Paradoxes Behind Republican And Democratic Administration Drug Policies, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

During President George W. Bush’s tenure in the White House, his administration stood clearly against state-level efforts in California and elsewhere to decriminalize soft drugs. Despite his loyalty to smaller government values and state sovereignty on other issues, the prospect of state-level drug decriminalization led Bush to pursue federal means of enforcing anti-drug laws. Years later, President Barack Obama, though known for his reputation as a federalist, shifted power over drug policy enforcement more towards the state level as a means to allow certain states to enact drug decriminalization policies at their will, particularly with respect to medicinal marijuana. The …

Agency Input As A Policy Making Tool: Analyzing The Influence Of Agency Input On Presidential Policy Success In Congress, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

This study posits a theoretical framework for understanding the role and value of agency input in presidential legislative policy making. I assert that by employing agency input for policy development, presidents instill their proposals with a degree of bureaucratic objectivity, expertise, process transparency, and agency support, which aids their legislative passage while lowering the extent of changes made to policy substance in the process. To test my hypotheses, I conduct binary and ordered logistic regression analyses using pooled cross-sectional data across twelve administrations from 1949-2010. I find that agency input serves as a key component for increased presidential legislative success.

Agency Input As A Policy Making Tool: Analyzing The Influence Of Agency Input On Presidential Policy Success In Congress, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

This study posits a theoretical framework for understanding the role and value of agency input in presidential legislative policy making. I assert that by employing agency input for policy development, presidents instill their proposals with a degree of bureaucratic objectivity, expertise, process transparency, and agency support, which aids their legislative passage while lowering the extent of changes made to policy substance in the process. To test my hypotheses, I conduct binary and ordered logistic regression analyses using pooled cross-sectional data across twelve administrations from 1949-2010. I find that agency input serves as a key component for increased presidential legislative success.

A Federalist George W. Bush And An Anti-Federalist Barack Obama? The Irony And Paradoxes Behind Republican And Democratic Administration Drug Policies, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

During President George W. Bush’s tenure in the White House, his administration stood clearly against state-level efforts in California and elsewhere to decriminalize soft drugs. Despite his loyalty to smaller government values and state sovereignty on other issues, the prospect of state-level drug decriminalization led Bush to pursue federal means of enforcing anti-drug laws. Years later, President Barack Obama, though known for his reputation as a federalist, shifted power over drug policy enforcement more towards the state level as a means to allow certain states to enact drug decriminalization policies at their will, particularly with respect to medicinal marijuana. The …

Spiller, Cora Jane (Morningstar), 1928-2020 - Collector (Sc 2762), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Small Collection 2762. Letter, 30 April 1898, to Colonel Robert Morningstar, Bowling Green, Kentucky, from Walter S. Forrester, Assistant Adjutant General of Kentucky, regarding the possibilities of Kentucky troops seeing combat in the Spanish-American War; letter to Mrs. T. J. Peay and notes of Jane Morningstar regarding Barbre cemetery, Warren County, Kentucky; notes of Elise Dulaney on members of the Covington and Dulaney families of Warren County, Kentucky; printed pamphlet titled “Supplement Mulkey Genealogy.” You may access the Forrester letter about Spanish-American War service by clicking on "Additional Files" below.

Natcher, William Huston, 1909-1994 (Sc 2761), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2761. Condolence letter from U.S. Representative William Huston Natcher to Mrs. Effi Phelps, Bowling Green, Kentucky concerning the loss of her mother.

Garnett, Joseph Fauntleroy, 1901-1973 (Sc 1106), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1106. Holographic copy of a radio speech, [1934?], delivered by Democrat Joseph Fauntleroy Garnett, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, seeking his party’s nomination as a candidate for the Kentucky state senate representing Christian and Hopkins Counties. Also, another radio speech [1934?], typed with holographic changes. Includes 14 June 1933 document from the Secretary of State acknowledging his declaration as a candidate, and receipt for printing 500 placards, 1935.

The American Ideal Of Representative Democracy: The Roles Of National Identity And Perceived Consensus And Homogeneity Among The American People, Frank John Gonzalez

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A “true” American takes pride in the democratic processes that grant power to the people, right? Some literature has shown that “power to the people” is actually quite far from being uniformly endorsed by the American people, largely because of the inherent conflict and disagreement that comes with it (e.g., Hibbing & Theiss-Morse, 2002). So are people more positive toward democratic processes when they perceive consensus among citizens? I utilize survey data from a representative sample of the United States in order to show that perceptions of consensus are positively related to support for the political power of the American …

Nine Presidents: Character Sketches From Personal Interviews, Thomas Vail

Cleveland Memory

It has been my privilege to know nine American presidents. These character sketches present my impressions of each of them. (From the Introduction by Thomas Vail, publisher and editor of the Plain Dealer 1963-1991). Original publication date 2002.

Lincoln: Reformer Or Revolutionary? An Analysis Of Lincoln's Legacy As Compared To The Political Ideals Of The Amerian Revolution, Hayley Elizabeth Patterson

Master's Theses

Despite the fact that his greatest legacies departed from American traditions, Abraham Lincoln coveted the political ideals espoused by the Founding Fathers. As president, Lincoln inherited the unprecedented challenges that resulted from decades of politicians tabling the insoluble problem of slavery. He operated within the realms of constitutionally allocated authority to meet those challenges. Where the Constitution provided no direction, Lincoln developed solutions that more closely resembled the political philosophies of the American Revolution than any of his political opponents' alternative solutions. The unprecedented circumstances he faced not only enabled Lincoln to reconcile the right to freedom as described in …

The Effects Of The Bi-Partisan Campaign Reform Act On The Process Of The Campaign Finance In The Presidential Nomination Process, Karen Sebold

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act increased the individual donor limit to $2,000 per candidate per election and indexed the limit for inflation every two years. The primary research question guiding this study is how has the increase in the donor limit affected donor behavior. Answering this question should allow a determination to be made about how donors have responded to the increased donor limit. Understanding how donors responded to the doubled limit is important because it provides evidence on the intersection of wealth inequality and political influence. To answer the research question this study considers how the increased donor limit …

Stanley, John Hart, 1808-1878 - Relating To (Sc 1091), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1091. Holographic copy of memorial comments related to the death of John Hart Stanley, a Henderson County, Kentucky, farmer, who represented the 5th District in the state legislature. He was a state senator when he died, having been elected in 1875. Includes holographic copy of a campaign flyer used in his senatorial race.

The Contextual Presidency: The Negative Shift In Presidential Immigration Rhetoric, C. Damien Arthur

Political Science Faculty Research

Party platforms from 1993 through 2008 show a positive approach to immigration policy. Presidential rhetoric, however, does not match the tone of the platforms. There are negative frames (illegality, criminality, terrorism, and economic threats) in nearly 50% of immigration speeches. We argue that social context motivates presidents to talk about immigration negatively. This analysis provides insight into rhetoric as responsive to context rather than a mechanism of power. We coded each speech on immigration from Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and found statistically significant results that show that immigration rhetoric is more negative when certain social …

Huddleston, Walter Darlington "Dee," 1926-2018 (Sc 1083), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1083. Letter, 11 July 1980, from Kentucky Senator Walter Darlington Huddleston, Washington, D.C., to Virginia P. DeVries, Bowling Green. He thanks her for her letter, details his views on immigration limits, and comments on President Jimmy Carter’s proposal to reinstate the military draft.