Author Question: Political rhetoric in campaigns often includes a challenger attempting to disparage the incumbent by ... (Read 59 times)

mp14 · **on:** Jul 10, 2018

Political rhetoric in campaigns often includes a challenger attempting to disparage the incumbent by labeling him or her a Washington insider.

Does being an incumbent make a politician more or less effective or corrupt? Be sure to weigh the pros and cons of incumbency on politicians and society.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What is the business cycle? Describe what happened in the Great Recession of 20082009 in terms of the business cycle.

What will be an ideal response?

Jsherida · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 10, 2018

Answer to Question 1

An ideal response will:
1, Recall that incumbents are far more likely to win a given election: over a 96 percent average.
2, List the advantages of incumbency, including name recognition, credit claiming, franking privilege, casework, media access, campaign experience, and redistricting.
3, Note some pitfalls of incumbency that may be used to challenge an incumbent. This could include perceptions of ineffective performance, or perceived character flaws. Party affiliation can be important, such as in the 2010 election, when only 87 percent of House members were reelected. Democrats were viewed more skeptically in the 2010 election.
4, Make an argument on the value of being an incumbent.

Answer to Question 2

An ideal response will:
1, Define the business cycle as the manifestation of the instability of capitalism that creates periods of high or low (even negative) economic growth.
2, Describe how the bursting of the real estate bubble and the collapse of the financial industry, which contributed to a deep recession beginning in 2008, and the very slow jobless recovery since then dramatically illustrate the low/negative portion of the business cycle.