What would Key’s criteria suggest? (200 words)
Please choose a single clause from the Constitution and discuss why it continues to be important in contemporary American politics. How do you understand it in terms of the Framers’ original intentions (that is, why did they feel it important to include the clause and what problems were they trying to solve)? And, how has its meaning expanded, changed, or been challenged in subsequent history? (200 words) Whereas Walter Dean Burnham establishes the timing of the first few critical elections and their realignments, scholars disagree on when and whether a 6th (or even a 7th) party system took hold. Considering V.O. Key’s and Burnham’s criteria (as well perhaps as the concept of dealignment), make the case as to when the 6th party system began, if there has been a 7th, or if the party system is no longer strong enough to sustain realignment as Key and Burnham understood it. Please think critically and resist giving the answer you hope to be true. (200 words) Considering the Fall 2016 ruminations by David Brooks and Julia Azari about the potential for realignment in 2016, write a post that considers the pros and cons of considering Donald Trump’s election as a realignment. What changed? What didn’t? What would Key’s criteria suggest? (200 words) 2) A recent Pew study showed that millennials are less religiously affiliated than any other previous cohort of Americans. Given the emphasis Tocqueville places on the role religion plays in creating a culture that helps to keep democracy in America anchored, analyze these developments through Tocqueville’s viewpoint, making reference to the readings. See (100 words) 1) Tocqueville argues that the active involvement of American citizens in civil society distinguishes America from Europe and helps to prevent American government from becoming over centralized. In fact, civil society not only prevents Big Government from taking over, but enlarges each citizen’s life, helping them overcome the natural tendency of democratic citizens to isolate from each other. Contemporary social observers, like Robert Putnam and Marc Dunkelman, have seen trends of disengagement from civil society in their recent studies (and more engagement in virtual communities via technology). Discuss the significance of civil society from Tocqueville’s perspective and whether these recent trends of disengagement should be viewed as a cause of some alarm. (100 words)