Week 5

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Chamberlain College of Nursing *

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330N

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Political Science

Date

Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by LieutenantMorning13359

Week 5 Option 2: As stated in Lesson 5, most American Presidents were Lawyers, Wealthy, Men, and Causation. The president must be well spoken in order to deliver the State of the Union Address. They must be educated in international affairs and legislative processes. They also must be able to serve as Commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The U.S. Citizens therefore, must find them trustworthy and educated. (Lesson 5) The approval ratings of presidents are ever changing. Approval ratings are based on the economy and job availability. A higher approval rating allows presidents to have higher reforms and changes. (Lesson 5) Approval ratings can also be affected by things such as riots, like January 6th during Trump's presidency or how COVID-19 was handled. Other policies such as those on environmental issues divide the nation. If the president is not successful in their campaign promises, their approval can also drop, and their re-election may be affected. (Lesson 5) There is a correlation between demographics (such as socioeconomic status, gender, age and religion) and political attitudes/ presidential elections. (Greenberg & Page, 2018, p.119) An example of this, according to figure 5.7 (Greenberg & Page, 2018, p. 120), 68% of people, ages 18-35 believe marijuana should be legalized, compared to 49% of people aged 60+. Figure 5.8 shows that 31% of voters for Trump have never been to church while 62% of voters for Clinton stated they had never been to church. There is evidence that most U.S. Citizens do not know how our political system works. They also hold varying opinions on political matters, regardless of being Republican or Democratic partisanship/ commitment (Greenberg & Page, 2018, p. 124) Page 287 of the textbook states that white, religious and rural citizens often vote Republican while urban, minorities, lower-income and women usually vote Democratic.(Greenberg & Page, 2018) People usually stick to their chosen party, unless a major event happens, such as COVID-19 or war, that would sway their vote. So if political opinions are rarely changed, what characteristics must a presidential candidate need to win an election? According to Greenberg & Page (2018), campaigns bring attention to current issues and offer promises. Candidates attempt to take popular stands on important issues in order to gain popularity among voters. During these campaigns, politicians get to show off their personalities. This can, of course, be beneficial or hurtful. Mitt Romney, as an example, came across as unreliable while Hilary Clinton seemed to want to financially benefit from the presidency. (p.280) Presidential Candidates need to be relatable, trustworthy, and inspire confidence while having the best interest of the voters in mind. Presidents

must be strong and be decisive in order to combat foreign issues or terrorism. (Greenberg & Page, 2018, p. 281) Policies from previous elections affect the current status of the U.S. These policies will affect the promises that new candidates make. (Asingo, 2017) Economic Voting theory describes that the current environment, or at least what the citizens believe to be the current environment, of the country at the time of an election, will greatly affect the outcome. (Asingo, 2017) As an example, the lack of jobs in America or inflation, will affect how voters feel about the current president and party. They cast votes based on wanting to see change. The presidential election is partially a popularity contest as a president must be charismatic and well spoken, or in the case of Donald Trump, outspoken and sometimes inappropriate. Voters did like Donald Trump, it was new and authentic. The other part of a presidential election is policy salience. Policy salience is “the degree of public interest and attention devoted to a particular policy issue” (Eisner, Worsham, and Ringquist 2000 Links to an external site. , 29) This is exemplified in the 1992 election between George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. President Bush had a much better standing as he had successfully led the U.S. through the Gulf War while President Bush was known to avoid the war, and participate in adultery. Even though he was not socially favored, in regards to policies, he had the majority vote. (Asingo, 2017) The lecture from week 5 gave historical context for the Presidency and our current governmental structure. It included information on the type of presidents voters have historically chosen and how approval ratings affect presidential campaigns. In conclusion,voters make decisions based on socioeconomic status and the current political environment. The president must be accomplished, charismatic, strong and trustworthy. Growing concerns such as the COVID-19 pandemic, riots, and environmental issues also cause changes in presidential election outcomes. Voter preferences are dynamic and can be continuously changing. References Asingo, P. O. (2017). Policy salience and election outcomes in contemporary American Presidential Elections (1972‐2000). Politics & Policy , 45 (4), 571–593. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12210 Eisner, M. A., Worsham, J., & Ringquist, E. J. (2000). Contemporary regulatory policy . Lynne Rienner Publishers. Greenberg, E. S., & Page, B. I. (2018). The Struggle for Democracy, 2018 Elections and Updates Edition (2-downloads) (12th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://ambassadored.vitalsource.com/books/9780135246849 Links to an external site.

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