The Constitution: Fixed of Flexible 1. The Death Penalty: Is It Constitutional? •
How should judges interpret vaguely worded phrases in the Constitution?
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Should public opinion dictate how the Constitution is interpreted?
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Should public opinion be ignored?
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If public opinion is relevant to the interpretation of the Constitution, how are we to know what the public wants?
2. When Congress Says Yes, and the President Says No…And Congress Says Yes • Why does the president have the veto power? •
Since Truman favored some portions of the Taft-Hartley Act, would the nation have been better served if he had possessed a line-item veto?
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How does the battle over the Taft-Hartley Act demonstrate the Constitution's version of checks and balances?
3. Seventy-Two Years to Success: Women Gain the Right To Vote • Why were women originally excluded from voting? •
Why was it so difficult to secure the right to vote for women?
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Has it always been this difficult to amend the Constitution?
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The Nineteenth Amendment is one of only 27 amendments. Have any of the others changed the principles under which our constitutional system operates?
Legislative: Laying Down The Law 1. Campaign Finance Reform After years of pushing for campaign finance reform, supporters were strengthened in their efforts by the scandal that erupted over Enron. Can you think of other times when unpredictable outside forces created the opportunity for major legislative action? The campaign finance bill was, in the end, passed because several legislators were willing to compromise and accept some provisions that they were not happy to support. What does this tell us about legislators and the legislative process? Is the bipartisan support for the campaign finance bill really that unusual? 2. Standing Up for a Cause You Don't Support What interests should a representative represent? What should a legislator do if the constituents' views clash with the representative's? Should legislators do what is best for their constituents or what is best for the nation? 3. My Door Is Always Open: A Profile of Representative Wayne Gilchrist What kinds of services should legislators perform for their constituents? Are there services that legislators should not provide? What is it that constituents want from legislators?
Understanding Media 1. Washington Post and DC Foster Care How typical is this type of investigative journalism? In pursuing stories, should journalists be given special access to materials? 2. The True Smoking Gun: How David Kessler and the FDA Used the Media to Fight the "Tobacco Wars" Journalists and public officials are often portrayed as locked in combat. What does this segment tell you about the relationship? How important are leaks to the press? Why do people leak stories? 3. Who Chooses the News? What is news? Can you identify criteria that make something worth reporting? What role does the interests of the audience play in the selection of news? How do the norms of professional journalism interact with the need to attract and keep an audience interested?
Interest Groups 1. The Battle Over Crusader Why did members of Congress come to the defense of United Defense? What kinds of tactics did United Defense use to fend off efforts to kill the Crusader? In the end, was United Defense successful? What is the iron triangle? 2. Organizing From the Heart: The Battle Over Reauthorization of the 1996 Welfare Reform Law Who does the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support represent? What motivated Ladon James to become involved in the campaign? Since this is a citizen action without large cash reserves, what tactics did the group utilize to influence policy-makers? 3. David and Goliath Go at It Again: The South Pasadena Freeway Fight How is the grassroots organization in this story different from a citizen action group? What kinds of tactics did the Anti-Meridan group use to fight the freeway? What do you think has motivated these people to keep up the fight over a couple of generations?