Mock Congress

Committees (includes Senators and Party IDs for all classes) Click for lists of committee assignments

**How to Run Your Committees - Chairs and Secretaries**
Committee Participation Chart
Floor participation Chart

Dates:
Period 6 Committees - 5/29, 5/30, 5/31
Period 8 Committees - 5/30, 5/31, 6/1
Mock Senate - Tuesday 6/5

Bill Template
Robert's Rules
Committee Session Rules
Additional info on writing bills

Current Events Roundup #1

UPDATE:  You must respond to the second question by Friday evening.

Using online news sources, you must respond to one of the following.

1 - "The First Gay President."  Bill Clinton was named "the first black president," and now Newsweek has named President Obama the "first gay president."  Read this story and the others below:
DC Churches....
Gay Marriage Debate...
Conservatives Mobilize....

Where do you see this issue in another decade?  Explain your response using evidence from above or other recent developments.

2 - Who is Mitt Romney?  Will he be effective in positioning himself for the presidential race?  What are his greatest strengths/weaknesses?
Shifting to the Center...
Romney on Russia..
Romney Woos Evangelicals..
 

 

First Post Due Wednesday 5/16 - PM 

Second Post Due Friday 5/18

Obamacare in the Courts

 
 Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. speaking in front of the Supreme Court Justices

You will be divided into 1 of 3 groups representing the 9 Supreme Court Justices, attorneys representing the Solicitor General's office, and attorneys representing the states filing suit against the Affordable Healthcare Act.


Links:
US Supreme Court
Washington Post

Justices
Research/review summaries of the case filings, arguments for and against presented in the briefs.  You should have extensive notes covering all testimony, and a knowledge of the questioning of each of the justices during the oral arguments.  You are responsible for:

1. Individually - 3 questions prepared for each of the sides arguing before you,
2. EVERY member of the court must ask at least 1 question to receive ANY participation credit.
3. Collectively - 2-3 page majority and dissenting opinions.  Opinions must cite constitutional basis and legal precedent when needed.  

Attorneys FOR and AGAINST the Affordable Healthcare Act

1. Each side will have 20 minutes to argue the case.  
2. One member should be selected to present opening statements.   
3. Every member must participate by responding to questions from the justices or delivering opening or closing remarks.  If a member does not participate, the entire team will lose participation points.  You may use notes. 
4. Each side must submit by the date indicated a 2-3 page summation of their arguments in the case, citing all relevant constitution and other relevant legal precedent. 

SCHEDULE

Period 6
Tuesday 4/3 - Questions from justices exchanged.
Wednesday 4/4 - Prep for Oral Arguments
Thursday 4/5 - Oral Arguments
Wednesday 4/11 - TEST
Thursday 4/12 - Draft Papers
Friday 4/13 - Papers Due

Period8

Monday 4/2 - Questions from justices exchanged.
Wednesday 4/4 - Prep for Oral Arguments
Thursday 4/5 - Oral Arguments
Tuesday 4/10 - TEST
Thursday 4/12 - Draft Papers

Friday 4/13 - Papers Due

In discussing national defense policy, we will be examining the Obama Administration's approach to conflict in Afghanistan, Iran and Syria.

Essential Questions to Consider:

• How has policy differed in these three areas?  
• Are there common principles applied, or is each a completely unique situation?
• What are the options being considered in each of these areas, and how do we move forward?
• What are the "tools" at the President's disposal?  

Afghanistan

Eleven years into the war in Afghanistan, where do we stand?  Have me made
progress since the 2008 Frontline Report?  What advice would you give
the the President as to the course of action from this point forward (2012)? 

Questions to Consider:

Who are we fighting?

What is our objective?

What is the role of Pakistan?

Obama's decision Making Process

We have discussed the role of the President as Commander in Chief, and the awesome weight of this responsibility.  Read the articles from 2010, taking into account what we learned from Frontline's Forgotten War (2008).  What options was President Obama presented with?  Who were the people giving him this advice?  How does he make his decision?

Readings All readings/videos located HERE
Obama's War Part 1 & 2
Obama Mulls Way Forward (video)
A Divided Team

Developing Stories.  How/have the most recent setbacks reshaped policy?
Amid anger over Afghan killings, U.S.  faces growing public weariness about war
Panetta in Afghanistan
More Stories on the Afghan War

Syria and Iran

The Arab Spring has demonstrated that there is no "One size fits all" approach to addressing conflicts.  (Why) is the Syrian uprising different from Libya?  What unique problems does it present for American diplomats?

We have discussed the increasingly tense situation with Iran.  Explore the the possible paths President Obama has to take in addressing this issue.   How do some of these options fit into the concepts of unilateralism and multilateralism?

Imperial Presidency

Analyze the arguments put forth by Schlesinger in his 1973 publication, The Imperial Presidency, as well as the subsequent readings.  Do recent administrations bolster or undermine his arguments?  Discuss. 

Due Friday 7:30am. 

Dysfunctional Congress???

Interesting article from Sen. Olympia Snow Why I am leaving the Senate. Echos of Evan Bayh's article by the same name. With a Real Clear Politics Ave. Approval Rating of 11.3%, (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/congressional_job_approval-903.html), is our Congress simply too dysfunctional to do it's job?

Due Friday 7:30am.