Typed drafts due today with your two pre-conference questions/concerns.
Don't forget that the Vice-Presidential Debate is TOMORROW night. :)
Tomorrow we will be in F235 again. Don't be late. 1st Period: Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria.
Before we begin applying what you have learned about rhetoric to recent political speeches, you need to have at least a basic understanding of American politics. I've attached a link at the end of this post to a website that offers a fairly simply comparison between the two parties. I've copied the chart that was on that website below so that you don't have to go directly to the site.
This is an unbiased overview of the differences between the policies and political positions of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. These two parties dominate America's political landscape but differ greatly in their philosophies and ideals.
Comparison chart
| Liberal | Conservative |
| Favor minimum wages and progressive taxation i.e. higher tax rates for higher income brackets. | Believe taxes shouldn't be increased for anyone (including the wealthy) and that wages should be set by the free market. |
| Decreased spending | Increased spending |
| Support (some Democrats disagree) | Oppose (some Republicans disagree) |
| Should not be made illegal; support Roe v. Wade (some Democrats disagree) | Should not be legal; oppose Roe v. Wade (some Republicans disagree) |
| While support for the death penalty is strong among Democrats, opponents of the death penalty are a substantial fraction of the Democratic base. | A large majority of Republicans support the death penalty. |
| Based on community and social responsibility | Based on individual rights and justice |
| California, Massachusetts | Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas |
| Donkey | Elephant |
| Blue | Red |
| 1824 | 1854 |
| www.democrats.org | www.gop.com |
| Harry Reid | Mitch McConnell |
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Reince Priebus |
| Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter | Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon |
Chart taken from: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican
