Marissa Pittman’s Government Blog

1.  What was Mayor Pete's background before running for president? He was the  former mayor of South Bend, Indiana,  2. What was the high point of Mayor Pete's campaign for president? The high point of his campaign was when he  won the Iowa caucuses. 3. What progressive positions did he adopt in the early stages of this campaign? In the beginning, he adopted things, such as :  abolishing the Electoral College, creating an  automatic voter registration  system, and giving statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. He signaled openness to abolishing the  Senate filibuster and packing the Supreme Court with new justices. 4. When Buttigieg became more moderate, what two groups of voters did he struggle with? He struggled with those on the  ideological left and among black voters. 5. Why did his campaign struggle after Iowa and New Hampshire? Since Pete did not have support from a diverse group of people, he struggled in more diverse states...

1. Who made up the "universe" or polling population of this particular poll? People associated with the AARP in Nevada were polled. 2. If 25% of people say they are supporting Bernie Sanders and the sampling error is 4.8%, what is the actual range of Sanders's support? It is between 29.8% and 20.2%. 3. Using the margin of error, describe a possible scenario in which Sanders would not win, but still fits the polls data. If Senator Sanders was actually at 20.2%, and if former Vice President Biden was ahead 4.8%, Biden would have 22.8% support and beat Sanders. 4. What were the results found in earlier polls taken in Nevada this year? According to the article, “  the state seemed to be torn between Biden and Sanders”. 5. What changes took place in Nevada's candidate selection after 2004? The  state switched from holding primaries to caucuses, and was pushed much earlier on the primary calendar as part of an effort to make the primary system more inclusive o...

1.  What was Lt Colonol Alexander Vindman's job in the bureaucracy?  He was an  Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. 2. What did Vindman testify during the impeachment investigation? According to the article, “  He testified that he found the call inappropriate and that he saw it as “improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government  investigate a U.S. citizen and political opponent .” 3. What did the White House do to Vindman and his brother? Vindman was  removed  from his post in the White House , and his twin brother was reassigned. 4. How is the White House justifying this action? The White House is selling their removal as an attempt to shrink NSC staff. 5. Why does the author argue that this creates a danger for other civil servants? In the article, the author argues that “  officials will be even more fearful to speak out or testify against the president if he acts inappropriately agai...

1. What's the difference between Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the primary calendar? Phase 1 consists of four early states. However, Phase 2 is the briefest but the most important as almost half of the delegates are decided between March 1-17.  2. Which four states get to vote first, separated roughly into one each week? Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina get to vote first. 3. There are few delegates available in these four states, why are the primaries so important? As the article suggests, these state primaries “ c an have enormous impact on perceptions of the overall race”. They can help define a front runner or hurt a campaign’s momentum , 4. How many delegates are available in Phase 2? According to my math, 2,286  delegates are available in Phase 2. 5. Which regions are holding most of their primaries on Super Tuesday? The South, Midwest, West, New England, and the American Samoa all hold most of their primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesd...

1. The seven most recent polls they looked at measured opinion about last weekend (Those covering Jan 19 in the polling dates).  How many showed more support for removing Trump than opposition for removing Trump?  All of the seven most recent polls indicate that there is more support for the President’s removal than opposition to his removal. 2. Which of these 7 polls found the most support for removing Trump? Which found the most opposition to removing Trump? FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos found the most approval (54%).  The  Monmouth poll found the most opposition (48%). 3. In FiveThirtyEight's polling average, what percentage of Democrats support removing Trump from office? What percentage of Republicans support removing Trump from office? In their polling average, 54 percent support the removal of the President, and 42 percent oppose the removal of the president. 4. What difference did the most recent Monmouth University poll find in the people who say they ...

1. What issue is at the center of both the  Trinity Lutheran  and  Espinoza  cases? According to the article, "Both  Trinity Lutheran  and  Espinoza  involve state constitutional provisions that prohibited those states from spending money to 'aid'  churches and other religious institutions". 2. How does Justice Kagan argue that banning ALL funding to religious institutions would be ridiculous? Justice Kagan gave the example that, "to prohibit the state from providing 'police protection or fire protection' to churches. That is, if a church caught ablaze, the fire department would be required to let it burn".  3. What choice do the plaintiffs argue that these bans force on students? The plaintiffs argue these bans force students to   choose between " attending a school that accords with her beliefs or receiving thousands of dollars in government benefits". 4. According to the Census, what's the average amount that st...

1. Why was General Soleimani an important target for the airstrike? General Soleimani led Iranian covert operations and intelligence and was one of the country’s most revered military leaders. 2. How did the Department of Defense (the Pentagon) justify this attack? The Department of Defense stated that “  General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.” 3. How have Iran's leaders responded to the US attack? They have vowed for “revenge”. Furthermore, there were large public displays of mourning across Iran. 4. How has President Trump responded to Iran's promises of "revenge"? He has responded by promising to attack 52 sites across Iran. He said that some of the sites have cultural significance. 5. Why have some said that Trump's response would be considered a war crime? His response includes targeting cultural sites, and some consider that a war cr...