Reflection on Running for National Office

Reflection on Running for National Office

TOPIC

Running for National Office

QUESTIONS

Compare and contrast the movies in Section I. What does it take to run a successful campaign for Congress or the White House? Should the candidates’ personal lives be fair game? Does anything go in a presidential or congressional campaign? Do candidates have to sell their soul to get there? Can they get there without the help of professional campaign consultants? Explain. Be sure to draw on all the movies in this section, the assigned readings, and any others you can think of, in answering these questions. Remember: there are no “right” or “wrong” answers to these questions—simply opinions which are either well-defended or not.

* All students have freedom of speech in my class. Please write openly and honestly—no particular personal opinion or political belief will result in a grade being lowered or raised.

I. Getting to the Hill & the Big White House

  1. Knife Fight (2012) [100 min.] {May 20} {{Topic: Running for Anything}}
  2. The Candidate (1972) [110 min.] {May 21} {{Topic: Running for Congress}}
  3. The Ides of March (2011) [101 min.] {May 22} {{Topic: Running for President}}
  4. Recount (2008) [116 min.] {May 23} {{Topic: The 2000 Presidential Election}}
  5. Game Change (2012) [118 min.] {May 24} {{Topic: The 2008 Presidential Election}}

 

Answer preview:

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