Second Assignment, Spring 2018

Pick one:

• Pick any super PAC in the 2016 campaign and appraise its performance .  What were its goals?  How well did it achieve these goals?  What accounts for its success or failure?
• Propose and defend one reform of federal campaign finance law.  Be specific about what goal you are trying to achieve.  What would opponents of the proposal say?  What practical and political obstacles stand in the way.  See: Congressional Research Service, "The State of Campaign Finance Policy," June 13, 2017.
• Propose and defend one reform of the presidential nomination process in either party. In your answer, spell out the goal of your reform.  Are you trying to make the process more open or transparent?  Or are you trying to encourage the nomination of a more electable candidate?  What would opponents of this proposal say?  What practical and political obstacles stand in the way?  Possible sources:
• Seth Masket, "How to Improve the Primary Process? Make It Less Democratic" Pacific Standard, August 11, 2017.
• Ronald Klain, "The Democratic Party's Nomination Process Isn't Democratic Enough," Washington Post, September 25, 2017.
• Josh Putnam, "Unity Reform Commission: Primaries Recommendations," Frontloading HQ, December 14, 2017.

Essays should reflect an understanding of class readings and discussions. Many resources, including CQ Weekly and Politics in America are at Honnold Library/Databases/CQ Library. You should check other sources as well. See:

• http://www1.cmc.edu/pages/faculty/JPitney/elect.htm 
• http://www1.cmc.edu/pages/faculty/JPitney/dempub.html

The specifications:

• Essays should be typed (12-point), double-spaced, and no more than four pages long. I will not read past the fourth page. Please submit papers as Word documents, not pdfs.
• Cite your sources. Please use endnotes in the format of Chicago Manual of Style. Endnotes do not count against the page limit. Please do not use footnotes, which take up too much page space. 
• Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you. Return essays to the Sakai dropbox for this class by 11:59 PM, Friday, March 9. Papers will drop one gradepoint for one day’s lateness, a full letter grade after that.

WRITING AND RESEARCH