T H E P O L I T I C S O F PA RT I C I PAT I O N

THE CIVIC MIND

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• The Bill of Rights contains the essence of the rights we are guaranteed.• Speech, religion, counsel, to bear arms, privacy

• But with rights, come responsibilities• What responsibilities do you think we have?• Civic duty to vote• Why?

• Obey the law• Why?

• Prepare to be a productive citizen• In what ways?• Why?

• Be willing to step up and serve• How?• Why?

• Preserve the Constitution• What will that take?• What if we don’t?

• Elect good leaders with sound character• Know the issues that matter most• An ignorant public is a blind public, willingly shackled and led

by the neck with the leash of manipulation

• Serve in the military

POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

• Passive participation• Learning, absorbing, preparing• Reading the paper• Watching the news• Learning the issues

• Active Participation• To engage in political activity meant to influence or

change things

• Conventional active participation• Voting (most common form of active political participation)• Volunteering to help with a campaign• Donating $ to a candidate• Law suits to change unjust laws• Putting up a lawn sign• Calling your Senator• Writing letters to you Congresswoman• Run for political office

• Unconventional active Participation• Less common forms of political activism (protest politics)• Protests• Marches• Sit-ins• Boycotts• Acts of violence

THE CONTEXT

• A free and open society is necessary • Why?

• What is necessary for a free society to remain free?• A free press (the media: newspapers, journalists, bloggers)• Why?

• Only a free press can keep the government in check• Inform the public• Uncover scandal and misuse of power• Reveal policy problems• Identify worthy candidates• We can only vote for change when the press reveals the

change we need and reports on the conditions openly and honestly

ASSEMBLY

• 1st Amendment right allows us to group together to increase the volume of our voices• Right to join groups and special interests and political

parties• ACLU, PETA, Young Republicans, NOW, Sierra Club, The

Communist Party USA• Gangs?

• Why is this right so critical to our freedom?

HOW TO VOTE (EFFECTIVELY)

• Register• Read up on the issues and candidates• Watch the debates• Listen to the “other side”• Wait for the mail• Sample ballot• Voting location• Other materials

• Go to appointed polling location at appointed time and stand in line

• Identify yourself and address• Enter “booth” and follow the instructions on the machine to

cast your vote• You do not need to vote for everything on the ballot• Get your “I Voted!” sticker

MEDIA UP CLOSE

• Is the media biased?

• Democrats: NO!• News organizations are owned by Republican

businessmen• The media covers important issues and can’t help it if

Republicans make a big hairy political deal of unimportant matters or makes Republicans look bad

• Some Democrats: Yes!• Journalists are people too and have opinions and are

biased and those beliefs and biases slip into the stories they cover

• Republicans: Yes!• Journalists are overwhelmingly Democrats and have

liberal positions on abortion, capital punishment, marriage and voted overwhelmingly for Obama

• The news they choose to cover reflects their politics• Obamas scandals largely ignored• Chris Christy’s bridges scandal covered more than

Obama’s scandals• Conservative organizations identified much more often

than liberal ones.• ACLU vs. The Heritage Foundation