Monthly Archives: November 2014

Clip from the Past: Lyndon Johnson

Lyndon Johnson was the 36th President of the United States.  He served from 1963-1969.  Above is a clip from a speech he made right before he told the American people that he would seek nor accept another nomination for President of the United States.  Listen to the Johnson’s words.  Do the words used back in 1968 still hold true in the United States today?


No Congress For Young Men (or Women)

The average age of members from the 113th Congress (2013-2014) were as follows:

House:  57.0 years
Senate:  62.0 years

In order to be elected to the House of Representatives, you must be 25 years of age when the newly inducted Congress is seated.  For the United States Senate, you must be 30 years old.  With voter turnout so low amongst younger voters, do you believe that it has something to do with the age of the candidates?

Source:  Calculations based on CQ Roll Call Member Profiles

Executive Orders — Part Two


Chart: FiveThirtyEightBlog

If executive orders are on the decline, then why are there so many disagreements with the usage of an executive order by a President?

Executive Orders — Part One

How Important is Presidential Character?

James David Barber, believes that it is very necessary to understand the character of someone who plans to run for President.  Knowing about a candidate’s character will give the voter a better understanding as to how a President may govern.  Presidential character, as Barber defines it, can be divided into four parts.

1.  Active-Positive:  Presidents who fall under this category are very active in their job, have high levels of self-esteem, and work hard towards accomplishing goals.

2.  Active-Negative:  Those who fall under this category tend to be aggressive in their work, but act as if “they were trying to make up for something or to escape from anxiety into hard work.”

3.  Passive-Positive:  In this category, Presidents tend to lack self-esteem but have a positive outlook on the results of political decisions.  They look for rewards from others because of their positive outlook on life, not because of the work that they do.

4.  Passive-Negative:  This is someone who believes that they have place in the political system, but a.) does little in his work and b.) does not enjoy the work that he has to do.  These individuals believe “that they ought to be in politics” despite their sour nature.

What category of character does President Obama fall under?

…Without Political Experience

The Character of Washington DC

Henry Clay once said, “Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.”  We hear much about partisanship in today’s political climate that we perhaps fail to recognize the character of elected officials.  Do we still have honorable men and women serving in the nation’s capital?  Do you agree that character is the most important property one can have in order to be honorable?