Senator Dan Coats: Portfolio Analysis

The film portrays the government in a very negative light and shows how the senators have no real influence on lawmaking. Mr. Smith’s struggles as a senator gave the impression that the government functions completely on bribery, blackmail, and lies. The film gives a very strong message about the lack of democracy in American government and politics, along with the ignorance of the American people. Mr. Smith portrays the average American citizen: he is naïve, has faith in the democracy, and is ignorant

Question 1: What is the name of your chosen state-level legislative representative and what is his/her office/position? What is his/her race/ethnicity, gender, and religious affiliation? What political party do they belong to? Do they share your preferred party preference? How long have they been in office?

From the rousing introduction, Chris Mathews' Hardball presents itself as a godsend to young aspiring politicians, businessmen, and frankly, everyone alike. Pompously self-assured, Mathews discusses his reasoning to sharing his wisdom collected from his own experience and other major players in "Hardball". However after finishing the book, his audacity could be forgiven by the enjoyable nature of his work, the information it provides, and the uncanny resemblance to Benjamin Franklin's writing style. In the first section of Mathews' self-proclaimed "classic" and political manifesto, he presents the world of politics through a series of informative--if not redundant--phrases, historical examples, and his own experience in Washington.

Wilson Q. James. American Government, Brief Version. 11th ed. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2009, 2012, 2014.

In 1972 when Jesse Helms campaigned for the Senate seat in North Carolina, he brought his experience, policies, and beliefs. Senator Helms became one of the most conservative voices in the Senate. He always opposed members of the Senate, and this soon earned him the nickname “Senator No”. Senator Helms would not compromise his policies or beliefs. He earned the reputation for being stable, faith-based and a conservative. He remained steadfast throughout his career, and his feelings were made clear in this statement, “I want our government to encourage and protect freedom as well as our traditions of faith and family”. During Helms’ career, many of his colleagues in the Senate tried to find compromises on the hard issues. Helms understood the Senate rules and this permitted him to stand firm in his beliefs, and for this reason, he could block legislation that violated his principles, values, and beliefs. Helms rejected many laws such as same-sex marriage, abortion, the Panama Canal treaty, and communism to name a few. I will now explain how Senator Helms felt about these four laws.

2. In today’s world there would be some mixed reactions to a senator like Jefferson Smith. Some people would disapprove of him because he is not the characteristic senator and has no political experience. They would think that he was young, and inexperienced, and that he did not deserve to be in such a highly respected position. Other people would love that he was standing up for what he knew was right, and that he was doing what needed to be done against those people who take advantage of our

Dan Coats is the senior United States Senator for the state of Indiana where his primary political focus is on cutting wasteful spending, reducing the national debt and promoting a pro-growth economic policy to put Hoosiers and Americans back to work; Senator Coats has dedicated much of his life to serving Indiana and the nation in a variety of roles. Daniel Ray “Dan” Coats was born on May 16, 1943 in Jackson, Michigan to Vera and Edward Coats. Coats attended local public school and received his diploma from Jackson High School in 1961, Coats graduated in 1965 from Wheaton College in Illinois with a B.A. in political science; before serving in the U.S. Army between 1966 and 1968, in 1972 Coats earned a Juris Doctor from the Robert H. McKinney School of Law at Indiana University. Dan Coat’s only two non-political occupations were as assistant Vice President of a Fort Wayne life insurance company and as practicing attorney at the Law Firm of King & Spalding. Coats met his wife Marsha in college, they have three adult children and eight grandchildren; Dan Coats is also an avid supporter of religious government, he is affiliated with the Fellowship (an informal association of Christian lawmakers) and has worked with his wife Marsh to form The Foundation for American Renewal which supports faith based initiatives for the nation’s social problems.

Throughout the course of American politics, superstar senators have risen from the frameworks of capitol buildings on federal, state, and local levels. Some were ruthlessly manipulative in their desire to achieve success, choosing to push their own agenda for the sake of a spot in history. Others served a more earnest cause, putting their country before their party. From the founding fathers to post World War II America, senators of the extremely partisan kind worked in Washington, these men certainly were not the last of the “cut throat” politicians, their actions setting a precedent for future men and women in their partisan agenda. However, noble men who worked endlessly for the prosperity, safety, and unity of America are often swept

America's current system of politics must be reformed for anything to be accomplished while still holding government officials accountable for their actions. Hudson's desire for a clean party government matches Obama's actions more clearly than the Utopia that Jones seems to be basing his essay off of. Separation of powers has turned into congress' excuses to block all motions made by the President of the United States. Whether this has more to do with moral beliefs or the catastrophe of extreme polarization, the results are the

Congress is perhaps the most despised branch in our government. It is widely considered broken and outdated, and many believe it ignores the wants of the American people. In this paper, I will discuss Congress in depth and shed light on this controversial branch.

The public officials representing Michigan are a diverse group of people. Prior to completing the Michigan Officials journals I thought majority of Michigan officials were Caucasian wealthy republican men. My research for the public official journals allowed me to see that wasn’t the case. Throughout my research I’ve learned about different positions of U.S and Michigan government and how each role works together to create a successful government.

Certain interests do not change over time in our society. Over 200 years ago, the prominent concern that led to the framing of the Constitution regarded the establishment of a government that was “for the people and by the people.” The framers of the Constitution, with concern of an over powering central government in mind, provided a basis for the structure of the federal government of the United States. The powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government are laid out strategically in a way that no one branch can have more power than the other. The national concern of maintaining a legitimate government has not shifted since the initial days of the framers. Although the capacity of the government has grown over time, the system of checks and balances that was adapted in the framing of the Constitution allows for the structure and powers of the federal government to remain in order today. Other than providing a structural map for how the government will operate, however, the additional aspects of the Constitution fail to administer practical framework for addressing 21st century interests. This document was written over 200 years ago and it has not been altered substantially since then (Lazare). While certain Amendments have been added to assist the Constitution in staying relevant, such as the abolishment of slavery and the addition of women’s right to vote, there has been practically nothing added to help in applying the framers’ intentions

The purpose of this paper is intended to summarize my views on what has influenced my understanding of politics and government prior to taking this class, and how my understanding is now since completing this course.

Daschle, Thomas, and Charles Robbins. The U. S. Senate. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2013.

Barack Obama has high degree of knowledge about political matters.  According to White House, he attended law school at Harvard University and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago. Besides, he started his political career in 1996 by being the Illinois Senator (“President Barack Obama,” 2015). Thus, the knowledge that he learnt allows him to make a well-planned