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Dan Larsen and Andy Conneen are on a mission: To make you a better citizen--and maybe just a little bit smarter. Larsen and Conneen, a pair of high school teachers and political junkies, are really just 2 Regular Guys with a passion for news and what it means to you. Join them as they discuss the story behind the story, right here at CBS 2 School.
Do you have a question or comment for Andy and Dan? You can email the
2 Regular Guys.
St. Patrick may be the patron saint of Ireland, but he comes in as a close second as the patron saint of politics. Look around at the celebrations today and you will see the residue of our political arena.
The color green is everywhere today.
Green is the official color of politics in America, a lot of green. The money being raised and spent on this presidential campaign is incredible. Before it is all over, it is estimated that the candidates for president will spend over $1 billion dollars. Green issues have also become the rage in our politics. Both Barack and Hillary claim promoting green friendly jobs can repair our economy. Then again many are already green with envy for this whole process to end.
St. Patrick's Day is also about parades, shamrocks and being Irish.
Politicians love parades. No better place to shake a lot of hands, look popular, secure votes and endorsements then at a good parade. Look for your elected officials to use this holiday for their own personal gain. The ever-popular shamrock, the three-leaf clover, reminds us of our three branches of government. The separation of powers flowers best when divided by threes. Today, everyone is Irish. 2008 could be the first election where both presidential candidates are Irish . . .
. . . McCain and O'bama.
St. Patrick himself was quite a politician in his own day. Born into a Roman family, he was kidnapped by Irish marauders and held captive for years. Upon his escape, he later returned to Ireland as a missionary of the Church. His public approval ratings have never been higher. We all love a great story.
St. Patrick was one of our first "comeback kids."
Happy St. Patrick's Day - a holiday in which people feel at liberty to do just about anything they want. Another reason why this is a day politicians love.
VIDEO: CBS 2 School: St. Patrick's Day And Politics
Within hours of learning that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer had allegedly been caught in a Federal prostitution probe, critics of the governor began uttering the "I" word when he did not immediately resign.
Most states model their governments after the federal Constitution which calls for the impeachment and removal of presidents if they commit "high crimes and misdemeanors."
When creating the Constitution, many skeptics claimed a powerful President would inevitably become a tyrant. To calm these fears, Congress was given the power to impeach an executive officer. But usage of this power to impeach has proven to be rare and difficult--just as the Framers expected.
Our Constitution dictates that only the House of Representatives can impeach. Although it only takes a simple majority vote of the House to impeach a president, only two U.S. Presidents (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton) were ever impeached.
Neither was actually removed from office because the U.S. Senate never mustered the 2/3 super majority vote needed to remove a president from office, and this is exactly what our Framers must have envisioned.
They knew that a majority of the legislature might accuse a president of abusing his authority, but they wanted to make it difficult—not impossible—to remove an elected official between elections.
Because he chose to resign, the New York state legislature did not proceed with any type of impeachment process against Governor Spitzer. But impeachment remains an important tool that legislatures throughout the country can use as a possible threat to executives who abuse their powers. VIDEO: CBS 2 School: To Impeach Or Not To Impeach
Last week's loss by Jim Oberweis to Bill Foster represents more than just the mere switch of a Republican district to a Democratic district. It also shows a national trend of Republicans losing the battle over the Cheap Seats in Congress.
In the 1990s, Professor James E. Campbell pointed out how the Democrats—even when they lost control of the House of Representatives in 1995—had a basic advantage over their Republican congressional counterparts. Democrats in the House were more likely than Republicans to face weak challenges in congressional races.
Simply put, the Republicans held fewer "cheap seats" in Congress.
Recent congressional races in Illinois have provided a perfect example of this political phenomenon.
Just 4 years ago, Republicans controlled 10 of the state's 19 congressional districts. But
Republicans rarely put up strong competition against any of the Democratic members of Congress who represent parts of Chicago.
With Democrats firmly entrenched in these safe districts, Rep. Rahm Emmanuel (D-5th) began a strategy of targeting Republicans even in solidly conservative districts.
In 2004, Melissa Bean defeated Republican Phil Crane in the 8th Congressional District. This district, in the northern suburbs, was once described as the state's most Republican territory.
In 2006, the Democrats mounted strong campaigns against Peter Roskam and Mark Kirk in districts that had been held by the Republicans for decades. Although the Democrats were unsuccessful, they forced Republicans to spend money on seats that used to be cheap.
Now, with three Republicans (including former House Speaker Dennis Hastert) stepping down from congressional offices, the Democrats have continued to put the pressure on Republicans.
More than $5 million was spent by candidates from both parties in the battle serve in the seat vacated by Dennis Hastert for the next 9 months.
The win by Democrat Bill Foster in Hastert's old district shows that the Democrats aren't content with simply making the GOP spend campaign money in what had been Republican "cheap seats" just years ago.
Democrats now control 11 of the state's 19 districts, and certainly expect to continue their recent success in this high-priced version of musical chairs. VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Republicans Losing The Cheap Seats
"The only new thing in the world," we are told, "is the history we do not already know." Certainly that is true when trying to assess the latest economic news.
Being told that this is just the normal boom-bust cycle no longer answers all of our questions. The free market laissez-faire approach is no longer completely accurate or adequate. What we need to be told is that government policy is partly to blame for our economic woes.
Ideas have consequences. More so, government policy has consequences.
Let history be your teacher.
Understanding our single greatest economic decline, the Great Depression of the 1930s, is complicated. What is not complicated, however, is that government policy was partly to blame.
Two government policies considered to help at the time of their passage went on to damage the economy greatly. Both involved protectionist tariffs.
In 1922, the U.S. Congress passed the Ford-McCumber Tariff. With hopes of averting an economic slide following World War I, this protectionist legislation only made worse the impending depression in Europe. The economic downturn in Europe only exacerbated what would be our longest depression. The global marketplace, reeling from their own difficulties, could not help to bale us out.
Unfortunately, the lesson was not learned. In 1930 the Smoot-Hawley tariff was passed. At a time when trade should have been encouraged, this protectionist policy closed down potential markets. The Great Depression, in part, was government induced.
Though explaining the Great Depression is complicated, it is not difficult to understand the fact that the U.S. government made choices that hurt the economy at a time they thought they were helping.
As we face the facts of our own impending recession, how much damage has been self inflicted?
Perhaps this is why our recession will be so painful . . . again. VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Supporting Your Local Tariff?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, "Sometimes we may learn more from a man's errors, than from his virtues."
Eliot Spitzer, yesterday, became a master teacher.
Schadenfreude is trading high on Wall Street today. Yet having to watch another elected official apologize for an improper peccadillo with his spouse at his side is still a tragic sight.
Eliot Spitzer was caught in the most embarrassing of predicaments. Having spent a lifetime prosecuting those living outside of the law, Governor Spitzer of New York seemed to forget about the stick in his own eye. No wonder his enemies find pleasure in today's headlines.
But what exactly should we learn from this story?
What did we learn from Senator David Vitter (R-LA) last summer when it was confirmed that he visited the infamous D.C. Madam?
What did we learn from Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) last summer after he was arrested for lewd behavior in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport?
We certainly learn that there is no shortage of such "errors." To err is human.
More importantly, from these errors we learn our most basic civic lesson. "We are a nation of law, not men." Our government must be one of limits. Power cannot be centered in one place because such power will be abused. A system of checks and balances protects us from the expected vices of human behavior. Thankfully these lessons are embodied into our Constitution.
Our Founding Fathers would not be surprised by today's headlines. They built a government that anticipated such news.
And for those who want to debate the fate of Governor Spitzer?
Marcus Aurelius said it best, "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Eliot Spitzer
Over the weekend Chicagoans enjoyed not only watching the popular game-show "The Wheel of Fortune," but also watching Pat Sajak and Vanna walking our streets. As a part of their 25th Anniversary tour, three weeks worth of shows were taped over the weekend at Navy Pier. Spinning "The Wheel" and winning big is all about the numbers.
The same can be said when spinning the Democratic results from last weeks' primary in Ohio. The winning player, or in this case the winning candidate, will be determined by the numbers.
Though Team Obama is trying to emphasize the delegates he has already won, the demographic numbers representing large voting blocs are beginning to tilt toward Team Clinton. Look at these demographic results taken from the latest CBS exit polls in Ohio:
Female vote went 57-41 for Hillary
White male vote went 58-39 for Hillary
Total white vote went 64-34 for Hillary
Over 60 vote went 69-28 for Hillary
High School only vote went 65-33 for Hillary
Democrat vote went 56-42 for Hillary
These demographics reflect a winning Democratic coalition.
Obama continues to poll well with black voters, young voters, those with graduate degrees and independents. Outside of independents, these demographic categories rarely swing elections.
And with regards to independents, the big upcoming primary in Pennsylvania is a closed primary. Independents are not welcome to vote.
It is hard to spin these numbers any other way than toward favoring the Clinton weal of fortune.
Barack may want to buy a vowel, or maybe a state like Michigan or Florida. VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Spinning The Democratic Votes
TV viewers at both the national and local levels are witnessing the most common axiom in politics: when the competition gets close, the campaign goes negative.
In battling for the crucial Texas and Ohio primaries, Hillary Clinton's campaign decided to resort to the kitchen sink theory in which they would throw everything (Tony Rezko, NAFTA foibles, and plagiarism allegations) at Barack Obama…including the kitchen sink.
Chicago-area voters are witnessing their own kitchen sink campaign in the fight to replace Rep. Dennis Hastert in the 14th Congressional District.
A special election will take place in the district tomorrow (March 8th) to fill the vacancy when Rep. Dennis Hastert (GOP) retired after 20 years in the House of Representatives.
The campaigns of Republican Jim Oberweis and Democrat Bill Foster have filled the airwaves with accusations of helping American jobs move to China (against Oberweis) and characterizations of being a tax and spend liberal (against Foster.)
While many will complain that these types of negative ads make the electorate cynical about the process, any expert will tell you that campaigns resort to negative ads because they work.
It would be nice to rely only upon dreamy positive ads in which a candidate is depicted as bring Morning back to America. But these types of ads can be easily ignored by TV viewers or seen as lacking substance. Negative ads that inform the public about an opponent's flaws and controversial stances are hard to ignore.
In essence, negative ads provide more bang for the buck.
The most literal example of this occurred in 1964 when President Lyndon Johnson's campaign aired its "Daisy" ad. The ad depicted a thermonuclear bomb annihilating a little girl picking daisies in a meadow. The ad only ran once on TV and it never mentioned his opponent Barry Goldwater or Goldwater's loose talk of using nuclear weapons.
It didn't have to.
LBJ went onto a landslide victory after news broadcasts played the controversial ad over and over entrenching the idea of Goldwater destroying the planet (and little Daisy) firmly into the voters' minds.
Now that's throwing the kitchen sink! VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Negative Campaigning
There is an old saying, "politics ain't beanbag."
Not a great week for Governor Blagojevich. He has come under fire for losing a $1 million dollar appropriation to Pilgrim Baptist Church. Then Northern Illinois University President John Peters asked for a delay in the Governor's promise to rebuild Cole Hall, the site of the tragic Valentine's Day shooting.
You would think a way for a governor to stay on the good graces of his constituents is to give them what they want. Usually this involves money. It is not that easy.
In the case of Pilgrim Baptist Church it was a million dollars to help rebuild after a terrible fire. Somehow the money ended up in the hands of a small private school housed in the church. As of yet, that money has not been accounted for. Upon further investigation, the story only gets worse.
In the case of Northern Illinois University, the governor thought he was helping the healing process after the tragic shooting by promising $40 million to replace the renowned lecture hall with a new state of the art academic building. State Senator Brad Burzynski from DeKalb, an early sponsor of the plan, changed his mind after receiving the most negative mail of his eighteen-year career. Many across the state are wondering where Blagojevich is going to find this money in an already strapped state budget. Mayor Daley chided the idea by saying, "You can't tear down every building."
Then there was the Tony Rezko trial that opened this week.
Politics certainly ain't easy.
Just when you thought you were doing all of the right things, spreading the good will of the State of Illinois, the news turns sour. Your best intentions became liabilities.
At least the elderly get to ride the trains for free.
That gesture appears to be one of the few where Blagojevich has kept his Administration on the right track, or so he thinks.
There is always next week. VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Bad Week For Blagojevich
During any campaign, you often hear examples of horserace journalism as the political news closely resembles the description of two thoroughbreds racing neck-and-neck down the stretch. But with Hillary's clutch wins in Texas and Ohio, even more descriptive sports metaphors are needed to characterize this historic nomination contest.
Tennis
Polls indicated that Barack Obama was on the edge of beating Hillary in Ohio where she had a double digit lead. With her crucial win there, Hillary essentially held serve in the 4th set establishing Texas as the tie breaker. Her close win in Texas now pushes her match with Obama into an all-decisive 5th set that looks like it might be played at the Democratic National Convention.
NASCAR
After trading paint by countering each other's negative campaign attacks, Barack and Hillary are now racing side-by-side. But with John McCain securing the Republican nomination, their attempt to beat each other allows McCain to coast along in the lead.
Boxing
Since the Super Tuesday primaries last month, Obama has kept Hillary pinned to the ropes with his jabs and left hooks. But it now appears that Hillary is skilled in the art of rope-a-dope. Obama's inability to deliver the knockout punch in Texas and Ohio has given Hillary a chance to respond with some big blows of her own.
Texas Hold 'Em Poker
At the beginning of the Democratic campaign, Barack Obama was dealt decent hand equivalent to a 9 &10 of hearts. Hillary was dealt a very strong pair of Aces. But after the flop in Iowa revealed more hearts for Obama, he took the lead with his flush.
Many analysts have been predicting that Hillary would have to fold her hand, but she was dealt another Ace with her wins in Texas and Ohio.
While Obama is still in the lead, Hillary is now all in. She's fully committed to continuing this contest to the end because the 5th and final card could give her the jackpot…if Lady Luck is on Hillary's side. VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Sports Analogies To Politics
Internet Journalist Matt Drudge has dubbed today as C-Day.
If Barack Obama wins the Democratic primaries in both Ohio and Texas it'll be Celebration Day for Obama and Concession Day for Hillary Clinton.
If Hillary manages to win today, it'll surely be known as Comeback Day since wins in these two states will quickly erase memory of her last 11 nomination defeats.
But whatever the electoral outcome, we guarantee that C-Day stands for Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati as the voters in these cites will be an integral part of the Democrats' election strategy for today and for both parties in November.
While Texas is big, no Democrat has won its Electoral College votes since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Don't expect either Obama or Clinton to do much campaigning in Texas past today.
But Ohio is known as a bellwether state since voters in Ohio have sided with the eventual winner of almost every presidential election during the last 100 years. This has happened so often that a political expression has been coined to describe the trend: "As Ohio goes, so goes the nation."
The politics of Ohio feature millions of voters from several big cities with plenty of rural voters. It also straddles 4 regional borders that reflect the Democratic votes of the East and North as well as the Republican votes of the Midwest and South.
With a political geography that closely resembles the electoral landscape of the entire nation, today's vote in Ohio will have as much to do with deciding the Democratic nominee as it will in establishing the tone for the struggle to win the General Election in November. VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Comeback Or Celebration Day
The ratings for the new ABC drama "Cashmere Mafia" have been disappointing. Fewer and fewer seem to be noticing what was touted as this Fall's big hit.
The same can be said for another Casimir, Casimir Pulaski. Today Illinois is honoring the esteemed Polish hero of the American Revolution Casimir Pulaski. For many state workers today is a holiday. Government offices are closed. Many schools are closed as well.
Kazimierz Pulaski was both a soldier and a politician. While still young, he distinguished himself as a brilliant military commander. Forced to leave Poland due to external invasion, young Pulaski found himself in the company of Benjamin Franklin who immediately put him in touch with General George Washington. Pulaski quickly assisted Washington in organizing the first cavalry unit in the Continental Army. Soon thereafter, Pulaski tragically died at the age of 31 at the Battle of Savannah in 1779.
For years Senator Leroy W. Lemke (D-Chicago) worked to honor the courage of Pulaski. Why in Illinois? With over 1 million Poles living in the windy city, Chicago is the second largest Polish city outside of Warsaw. After a particularly difficult series of political compromises with downstate politicians, Pulaski Day became an official holiday in Illinois in 1977.
Less and less, however, recognize Pulaski Day. More schools are in session today than at any time since the holiday was first passed into law by our General Assembly.
Why?
Perhaps this is where the "Cashmere Mafia" might teach us something. By definition, "mafia" means "a close-knit or influential group of people who work together and protect one another's interests." At one time, the Polish community in Chicago played a larger role in running the city. Today, many new groups are competing for that power. Paying homage to Pulaski no longer makes sense to those groups who have their own war heroes left off the calendar. In the spirit of equity we do not honor more, we do not honor any one at all.
Our Camimir mafia, here in Illinois, need not be shunned, but celebrated. For those kids not in school today, the lost time is nothing compared to what has been lost for those sitting in class.
Its enemy, the ordinary, has replaced memories of the extraordinary. And what are the consequences?
One thing for sure, bad TV shows with poor ratings. VIDEO: CBS 2 School: Casimir Pulaski Day
