Electing the President, Pt. III

A Presidential Transcript:
The Policy Impacts of George W. Bush

Lecture by George Edwards
17 min

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• Windows Media Video – 48 MB
• Audio mp3 – 6 MB

Summary:
The presidency of George W. Bush has been the most polarizing in polling history: Republicans love him, Democrats loath him. Regardless of how you feel about him, his efforts to promote a strong government in service of conservative values have inarguably produced domestic and foreign policy initiatives that are bold, revolutionary, and of high impact.

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George C. Edwards III is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University. One of the country’s leading scholars of the presidency, he has written or edited numerous articles and books on American politics.

Email George Edwards.

Electing the President, Pt. II

The Electoral College and State Interests
(Pennsylvania is a Teacher’s Pet)

Lecture by George Edwards
19 min

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Summary:
Those who support the electoral college argue that it protects certain interests that would be harmed by a direct election. Are there interests specific to small states, and do they deserve additional protection? Even if so, the electoral college would do little to protect them, as it conversely incentivizes candidates to spend most of their time in “battleground states,” largely ignoring both small states and non-competitive large states.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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George C. Edwards III is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University. One of the country’s leading scholars of the presidency, he has written or edited numerous articles and books on American politics.

Email George Edwards.

Electing the President, Pt. I

The Electoral College and Voter Inflation
(Everyone in Wyoming gets A’s)

Lecture by George Edwards
17 min

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• Quicktime (iPod/iTunes) – 38 MB
  
• Windows Media Video – 41 MB
• Audio mp3 – 5 MB

Summary:
One of the most basic democratic principles of political equality is voter equality. The electoral college, which translates popular votes into electoral votes to determine the presidential election, arguably violates this principle through voter disenfranchisement and disproportionate individual and state influence. While the Framers designed the system to protect against legitimate concerns about the new democracy, if those concerns are no longer relevant, is the electoral college system still the best way to select our president?

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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George C. Edwards III is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University. One of the country’s leading scholars of the presidency, he has written or edited numerous articles and books on American politics.

Email George Edwards.

Federalism and The States, Pt. III

The Times, They are A-changin’: State Governments in the 1960s

Lecture by Larry Sabato
13 min

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• Quicktime – 42 MB
  
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Summary:
In addition to mistakes that the federal government made, the country underwent some drastic changes in the 1960s that altered the composition of the electorate and the rules governing representation. Combined with the federal government’s paralysis from an enormous and ever growing budget deficit, this firmly planted the states in a more capable position to provide the citizens with what they needed.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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Larry Sabato is the founder and direction of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, a professor of politics, and a nationally renowned elections scholar.

 

Click here to email Professor Sabato.

 

Federalism and The States, Pt. II

The Capitols Capitalize: The Federal’s Loss is the States’ Gain

Lecture by Larry Sabato
21 min

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Summary:
Beginning in the 1960s, the balance of power between the states and the federal government started to shift toward the states. This reversal is due, in part, to the states’ abilities to capitalize on a number of mistakes the federal government made that caused people to lose faith in its ability to understand and act upon domestic concerns.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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Larry Sabato is the founder and direction of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, a professor of politics, and a nationally renowned elections scholar.

 

Click here to email Professor Sabato.

 

America’s Elected Officials, Pt. I

From VP to VIP: The Changing Role of the Vice Presidency

Lecture by Larry Sabato
17 min

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Summary:
Throughout most of American history, the vice presidency has been an often maligned or ignored position. When Truman succeeded to office in 1945, he had to be briefed on the nuclear bomb project. In recent years, the vice president has become far more politically significant, with office holders taking on increasingly important and vocal roles.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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Larry Sabato is the founder and direction of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, a professor of politics, and a nationally renowned elections scholar.

 

Click here to email Professor Sabato.

 

Economic and Political Inequality, Pt. I

Economic Inequality in the United States

Lecture by Ed Greenberg
19 min

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• Quicktime – 58 MB
  
• Windows Media Video – 59 MB
• Audio mp3 – 13 MB

Summary:
Even in the quiet town of Boulder, Colorado, evidence of income inequality abounds. Economic inequality in the United States is the highest among all rich democracies, and in the last two decades we have seen the largest disparities in income wealth in American history. When economic inequality leads to political inequality, it threatens the foundations of our democracy.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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Edward S. Greenberg is a professor of political science and the director of the Political and Economic Change Program in the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Click here to email Professor Greenberg.

 

War Powers of the President – Part IV

Reigning in the President’s War Powers: What Can Be Done?

Lecture by Ed Greenberg
11 min

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Summary:
The difficulty in reigning in the president’s war power should be a source of some concern based on our theory of democratic government. While the courts, Congress, and the people can and have censured presidential abuse of war powers, all are virtually powerless to force compliance.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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Edward S. Greenberg is a professor of political science and the director of the Political and Economic Change Program in the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Click here to email Professor Greenberg.

 

War Powers of the President – Part III

Habeas What? Civil Liberties and National Security

Lecture by Ed Greenberg
12 min

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• Quicktime – 38 MB
  
• Windows Media Video – 39 MB
• Audio mp3 – 8 MB

Summary:
Throughout history, presidents from Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush have suspended or violated civil liberties in a time of war or when faced with serious threats to national security. However, when a precedent set in abnormal times becomes a normal practice, this already questionable course of action becomes far more dangerous.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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Edward S. Greenberg is a professor of political science and the director of the Political and Economic Change Program in the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Click here to email Professor Greenberg.

 

War Powers of the President – Part II

This Land is My Land: The Expansion of the “Defensive War”

Lecture by Ed Greenberg
17 min

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• Quicktime – 53 MB
  
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Summary:
After World War II, the growing Communist threat broadened the conception of a defensive war. Since Congress hasn’t declared war since the country’s entrance into WWII, U.S. military action – from the Vietnam war to the present conflict in Iraq – demonstrates the breadth of the power of the president as Commander-in-Chief.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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Edward S. Greenberg is a professor of political science and the director of the Political and Economic Change Program in the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Click here to email Professor Greenberg.