Last Paper, Spring 2022

 Pick one:

• If we had the six-party system that Drutman describes here, which party would have the most seats in the House today?  What coalition of parties would control the House?
• Pick one of these propositions from Drutman.  Explain the arguments for and against it.  Which side has the better case?
• Multiparty democracy will make it easier to reform campaign finance and lobbying (p. 203).
• A multiparty Congress would be stronger and would rein in the presidency (p. 232).
• For responsible party government to happen, writes Hershey (p. 338), "all the elected branches of government would have to be controlled by the same party at a particular time." [Emphasis in the original.]  This situation existed in 2017 and 2018, and it has existed since 2021.  So did we have responsible party government in 2017-2018?  Do we have it today?  Explain with reference to class readings, discussions, and outside research.
• This article suggests a parliamentary system for the United States:   https://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-needs-parliament-17220.  Agree or disagree?  Explain.
• Pick a relevant topic of your choice, subject to my approval.  If you have a passion that bears a plausible connection to American political parties, write about it.

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 Turabian format. 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. Graduating seniors should return essays to the Sakai dropbox for this class by 11:59 PM, Wednesday May 4.  All others should return essays by 11:59 PM, Friday, May 6.