Description: PART 1. Democracy and the American Political Process ISSUE 1. Are Liberty and Democracy Good for Every Country? YES: Michael McFaul, from "The Liberty Doctrine," Policy Review (April 2002) NO: Robert D. Kaplan, from "Was Democracy Just a Moment?" The Atlantic Monthly (December 1997) Professor of political science Michael McFaul argues that liberty and democracy are desirable for every country, that the conditions existto increase the number of democratic nations, and that the United States can and should use its power to encourage and support liberty and democracyin nations that have never before enjoyed freedom. Foreign correspondent Robert D. Kaplan contends that recent experience demonstrates that not all nations have the conditions in whichdemocracy can thrive, that some nations prosper without it, and that democracy may be less important in the future. ISSUE 2. Do Political Campaigns Promote Good Government? YES: Samuel L. Popkin, from The Reasoning Voter: Communication and Persuasion in Presidential Campaigns (University of Chicago Press, 1991) NO: Anthony King, from "Running Scared," The Atlantic Monthly (January 1997) Professor of political science Samuel L. Popkin argues that presidential election campaigns perform a unique and essential service ininforming and unifying the American people. Political scientist Anthony King contends that American officeholders spend too much time and effort running for office, which detracts fromtheir responsibility to provide good government. ISSUE 3. Are the New Limits on Campaign Spending Justified? YES: Paul D. Wellstone, from Remarks on the Need for Campaign Finance Reform, U.S. Senate (September 9, 1998) NO: John Samples, from "Making the World Safer for Incumbents: The Consequences of McCain-Feingold-Cochran," Policy Analysis No. 393 (March 14, 2001) Paul D. Wellstone, a Democratic senator from Minnesota, argues that the new campaign spending reform legislation constitutes an "enormousstep forward" in lessening the undue power of wealthy special interests in U.S. elections. John Samples, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Representative Government, predicts that the new campaign finance law will reducevoter turnout, make it more difficult for challengers to win against incumbents, and stifle free speech. ISSUE 4. Do the Media Have a Liberal Bias? YES: Bernard Goldberg, from Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News (Regnery, 2002) NO: Jim Hightower, from There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion (HarperPerennial, 1997) Reporter Bernard Goldberg cites studies of journalists' attitudes and recalls some of his own experiences at CBS News to show that theculture of the news media is hostile to conservatism. Radio talk show host Jim Hightower cites a number of examples indicating that there is in fact a paucity of "actual liberals, much lessprogressive populists," with access to a national audience to counter the many conservative voices in the media. PART 2. The Institutions of Government ISSUE 5. Is Congress Barred From Regulating Commerce Within a State? YES: William H. Rehnquist, from Majority Opinion, United States v. Lopez, U.S. Supreme Court (April 26, 1995) NO: Stephen G. Breyer, from Dissenting Opinion, United States v. Lopez, U.S. Supreme Court (April 26, 1995) Supreme Court chief justice William H. Rehnquist argues that Congress cannot regulate activities within a state that are not economic and donot substantially affect commerce among the states. Supreme Court justice Stephen G. Breyer upholds the right of Congress to regulate activities within a state if Congress has a rational basisfor believing that it affects the exercise of congressional power. ISSUE 6. Should the Electoral College Be Abolished? YES: Daniel Lazare, from The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, the Supreme Court, and the Decline of American Democracy (Verso, 2001) NO: Richard A. Posner, from Breaking the Deadlock: The 2000 Election, the Constitution, and the Courts (Princeton University Press, 2001) Freelance writer Daniel Lazare argues that the electoral college is an undemocratic institution that no longer serves to democraticallychoose a president and that, if it cannot be repealed, it should be by-passed in future elections. Richard A. Posner, a judge and a legal scholar, sees more difficulties in abolishing the electoral college than in retaining it, and hemaintains that the U.S. Supreme Court has the right to ensure that the casting of a state's electoral vote conforms with that state's laws. ISSUE 7. Was Bush v. Gore Correctly Decided? YES: Robert H. Bork, from "Sanctimony Serving Politics: The Florida Fiasco," The New Criterion (March 2001) NO: Cass R. Sunstein, from "Order Without Law," in Cass R. Sunstein and Richard A. Epstein, eds., The Vote: Bush, Gore, and the Supreme Court (University of Chicago Press, 2001) Former judge Robert H. Bork contends that, in denying the effort of the Florida Supreme Court to rewrite the Florida election law, the U.S.Supreme Court correctly prevented Al Gore from overturning George W. Bush's narrow victory in the 2000 presidential election. Professor of jurisprudence Cass R. Sunstein concludes that the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the vote recount in contestedFlorida districts lacked precedent, was unprincipled, and raised questions regarding the denial of equal protection, which the Court was unwilling toconfront. PART 3. Social Change and Public Policy ISSUE 8. Is Capital Punishment Justified? YES: Robert W. Lee, from "Deserving to Die," The New American (August 13, 1990) NO: Eric M. Freedman, from "The Case Against the Death Penalty," USA Today Magazine (March 1997) Essayist Robert W. Lee argues that capital punishment is the only fair way for society to respond to certain heinous crimes. Law professor Eric M. Freedman contends that the death penalty does not reduce crime but does reduce public safety and carries the risk ofinnocent people being executed. ISSUE 9. Do We Need Tougher Gun Control Laws? YES: Carl T. Bogus, from "The Strong Case for Gun Control," The American Prospect (Summer 1992) NO: John R. Lott, Jr., from More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws (University of Chicago Press, 1998) Writer Carl T. Bogus argues that even local gun control laws will reduce the number of gun-related crimes. Social analyst John R. Lott, Jr., argues that giving law-abiding citizens the right to carry concealed handguns deters streetcrime. ISSUE 10. Does Affirmative Action Advance Racial Equality? YES: Mary Frances Berry, from "Affirmative Action: Why We Need It, Why It Is Under Attack," in George E. Curry, ed., The Affirmative Action Debate (Perseus, 1996) NO: Linda Chavez, from "Promoting Racial Harmony," in George E. Curry, ed., The Affirmative Action Debate (Perseus, 1996) Mary Frances Berry, chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, contends that affirmative action is needed because minorities have sufferedso much negative action throughout Amer

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