CNN Presents Classroom: Broken Government: Part One: Two Left Feet

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(CNN Student News) -- Set your VCR to record the CNN Special Classroom Edition: Broken Government when it airs commercial-free as a two-part series. The first part in the series, Two Left Feet, will air on Monday, October 30, 2006, from 4:00 -- 5:00 a.m. ET on CNN. Part Two of the series, Where the Right Went Wrong, will air on Monday, November 6, 2006, from 4:00 -- 5:00 a.m. (A short feature begins at 4:00 a.m. and precedes the programs.)

Program Overview

In Broken Government: Part One: Two Left Feet, senior political correspondent Candy Crowley, who has covered political campaigns for more than three decades, will examine why Democratic candidates seem to have such a hard time getting elected. She explores the reasons why many voters perceive Democrats as out-of-touch "wimps" incapable of keeping America secure, and why they're so often out-maneuvered by Republican opponents who appear to be better organized and faster on their feet.

Grade Level: 7 -- 12, College

Subject Areas: Current Issues, Civics, Government, Political Science, U.S. History

Objectives

The CNN Special Classroom Edition: Broken Government: Part One: Two Left Feet and its discussion questions and activity challenge students to:

Identify characteristics of the Democratic Party;

Examine the changes in perceptions of the Democratic Party throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries;

Explore, from multiple perspectives, possible challenges facing Democratic candidates in this year's midterm elections;

Evaluate possible strategies for the Democratic Party.

Curriculum Connections

Civics

9-12 Content Standards

Standard III. How does the government established by the constitution embody the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy?

E. How does the American political system provide for choice and opportunities for participation?

Public opinion and behavior of the electorate. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions about the role of public opinion in American politics.

Political communication: television, radio, the press, and political persuasion. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on the influence of the media on American political life.

Political parties, campaigns, and elections. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions about the roles of political parties, campaigns, and elections in American politics.

Associations and groups. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions about the contemporary roles of associations and groups in American politics.

V. What are the roles of the citizen in American democracy?

B. What are the rights of citizens?

Scope and limits of rights. Students should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues regarding the proper scope and limits of rights.

The National Standards for Civics and Government (http://www.civiced.org/912erica.htm) are published by the Center for Civic Education (http://www.civiced.org/index.html).

National Standards for History

Standard V. Individuals, Groups and Institutions: Students will explore how institutions (e.g. schools, churches, families, government agencies) are formed, what controls and influences them, how they control and influence individuals and culture and how institutions can be maintained or changed.

Standard VI. Power, Authority and Governance: Students will understand the historical development of structures of power, authority and governance and their evolving functions in contemporary U.S. society as well as other parts of the world.

Standard X. Civic Ideals and Practices: Students will examine the ideals, principles and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.

The National Standards for History (http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/) are published by the National Center for History in the Schools (http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/).

Discussion Questions

1. Who is Heath Shuler? For what political office is he running in this year's midterm elections? Why is he already well known in his district? What political party does Shuler represent? Why does Asheville voter Anne Glenn call Shuler a "lite Republican"?

2. In Two Left Feet, CNN's Candy Crowley argues that one of the reasons why the Democrats have struggled to get elected is due to the "wussy factor." She defines the "wussy factor" as the "idea that Democrats are weak on defense and they're weak on national security." What historical examples does Crowley provide to support her argument?

3. Who is George McGovern? When was he a presidential candidate? According to the program, what was his campaign promise for ending the Vietnam conflict? What does McGovern mean when he says that Vietnam "tore the Democratic Party in half"? According to political expert Jonathan Cowan, what aftershocks were felt in the Democratic Party as a result of the McGovern campaign? Why does McGovern say that his campaign may impact how Democrats today position themselves on the current war in Iraq and the War on Terrorism?

4. Who is Max Cleland? What combat wounds did Cleland suffer in the Vietnam conflict? What political office did Max Cleland hold from 1997 to 2003? Why, according to former Democratic representative Dick Gephardt, did Cleland lose the 2002 election? According to Crowley, how was Cleland's defeat a "Remember the Alamo" moment for the Democratic Party? What role does Cleland currently play in the Democratic Party?

5. Who is David "Mudcat" Saunders? Why, according to Saunders, has it become "socially and culturally unacceptable for a white male to say he's a Democrat"? What do you think that he means when he says, "The culture is the reason the Democrats have been losing elections, it has nothing to do with policy"? What suggestions does he have for Democrats who are looking to get the votes of rural Americans?

6. Who is Brian Schweitzer? According to Schweitzer, what are his constituents' attitudes towards the federal government? Why does CNN's Candy Crowley refer to him as a "red-state Democrat"? What advice does Schweitzer have for Democratic Party officials?

7. According to the program, how does the culture of rural American Democratic clash with the culture of the national party? How do rural Democrats' opinions on guns and religion tend to distance them from the national party? How does Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile explain why "value-voters" began to break away from the Democratic Party?

8. Why does Health Shuler think that voter turnout is crucial? According to Jonathan Cowan, why is building a Democratic majority a "brutal" math equation? According to the program, how does the Republican strategy for getting voters to the polls compare with the Democratic strategy? How does Dick Gephardt account for the fact that the Democratic Party has lost its grassroots campaign strategy?

9. Jonathan Cowan argues that, in order to "fix what ails the Democratic Party," the party must have "credibility on security, be mainstream on cultural values, and be middle class on economic values." What do you think he means? Can you think of a sample platform that would illustrate all three of these elements?

10. Based on what you learned in this program, how might you answer Crowley's question, "What is a Democrat anyway"? What challenges do you think that the Democratic Party faces in this year's midterm elections? What did political strategists in this program suggest it would take for Democrats to win?

Suggested Activity

What is a Democrat?

In Two Left Feet, Democratic consultant Doug Hattaway says, "When you see an "R" after the candidate's name on the ballot, you pretty much know what you are gonna get. Too many people in too many places see a "D" on the ballot and they don't know what they are gonna get." Share this quotation with students, and have them discuss what Hattaway means.

Then, organize students into small groups, and assign each group to one of the following time periods: Turn of the Century (Progressive Era), Early 20th century (WWI), 1920s and 30s (Depression/New Deal), 1930s and 40s (WWII), 1950s (Korea/Cold War), 1960s and 70s (Civil Rights/Great Society/Vietnam), 1980s, 1990s, early 21st century.

Have students imagine that they are voters during their assigned time periods. Ask: When you go to vote, what does the letter "D" next to a candidate's name mean to you? What would you expect to "get" if you voted for a Democratic candidate during this time period? Refer students to print and online resources and encourage students to interview friends and family members to gather information on Democratic platforms and policies in their given time periods.

After students have presented their findings, discuss the evolution of the Democratic Party since 1900. Ask:

To what extent has the meaning of a "D" on a ballot changed over time?

How might an "FDR Democrat" or a "JFK Democrat" compare with Democrats today?

What, if anything, might account for any changes in identity for the Democratic Party?

What implications, if any, might the current identity of the Democratic Party have on the ability of Democrats to get elected in this year's midterm elections?

Keywords

Heath Shuler, Charles Taylor, Democratic Party, Republican Party, Nancy Pelosi, George McGovern, Richard Nixon, Vietnam, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Max Cleland, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Howard Dean, Dick Gephardt, Jack Murtha, David "Mudcat" Saunders, Jonathan Edwards, Michael Dukakis, grassroots, DNC, Brian Schweitzer, Arnold Schwarzenegger

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