This essay will test your understanding of Congressional Elections as well as Political Parties & Public Opinion (polling). You will be picking a race for U.S. House or U.S. Senate that is considered open for 2020.  This means any House will do, while only some Senate seats are up for election.  ***A Key rule here is that you cannot write about any Florida Races!!!

1. What happened last time? If you write about a House race, this means that the last election was in 2018.  If you write about a Senate race then the last election was in 2014, either way which candidate and therefore party won the last election.  Was it a close race, was it a landslide?  That being said, is there an incumbent running for re-election, or is the seat wide open?  Has one party been in control of the seat for a long time, or has the seat alternated between the two parties recently?  Give all the details and party dynamics since it sets up what to expect in this year’s race. 

2. Who are the candidates, and how are they campaigning online?  If there’s an incumbent, check out their social media pages to see how they are campaigning thus far, highlighting how they use their digital and social media presence to reach voters/constituents.  Provide some of their background information too, what laws have they voted for that they like to campaign on, what challenges or controversies do they have to push back on?  They should have campaign websites or official government sites with such info.  Is there a declared challenger?  There should be by now, and if so make sure to give a short background on them and highlight their online presence as well. 

3. How do the polls look, what’s the media saying thus far? Find at least one example of any public opinion poll.  Could be one on the incumbent’s approval rating, could be an actual head to head match-up poll between the incumbent and the leading challenger.  Make sure to describe the poll and what you think it says about the race as we get closer to November.  Also find one example of a news article that talks about the race and in particular asserts any advantage or disadvantage that the incumbent or challenger has, as in something that you can point to and suggest the media is publishing that might influence how voters view one (or both) of the candidates. 

4. What do you think will happen (and why).  Using any other polling data, information about the Presidential election and possible “coattails”, current events (there’s obviously a big one to consider), and any info out there, back up your opinion as to which party/candidate should win this House or Senate seat.  Treat it like you’re giving a prediction, and you have to provide information your sources to back up your prediction. 

Again this needs to be 4 pages with at least 5 sources.

Essay Option: Music in Uncertain Times

I was born in 1949, a member of the generation known as the baby-boomers. I came of age in the fabled 1960s. The decade opened with the inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Camelot era. Everyone was beguiled by Kennedy and his optimism as well as by his charming familyhis wife Jacqueline or Jackie as she was popularly known and his daughter Caroline. In his now iconic inaugural address, he begins by asserting that his election victory is not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom–symbolizing an end as well as a beginning–signifying renewal as well as change.  He continues by reaffirming Americas commitment to survival and the success of liberty.  He continues with some words for allies old and new. For America at the time this speech was truly a new beginning. The Kennedy charisma and vision gave hope to a world still trying to heal itself from the tragedies of the Second World War and the nervous stalemate of the Cold War that followed it.  It was a hope that was short lived. As we all know, the realities of history intervened.

            In November of 1963, JFK was assassinated, and the Camelot illusion was brutally dispelled. At the same time, the American involvement in Viet Nam, a country divided since the French defeat and withdrawal in 1954, was beginning to escalate. And at home, the Civil Rights movement had begun in earnest, pointing out that the commitment to survival and the success of liberty needed to begin at home. It was a time of uncertainty that left many people questioning the accepted norms of the establishment.

            This was particularly true of the baby boomers.  Many of them rebelled. They preferred to tune in, turn on and drop out and live outside the mainstream society, forming a counter-culture of their own. The new sensation, Rock & roll, ceased to be just music for teenagers phenomenon but became a way of expressing the hopes, fears and spirit of many in that generation.

            In the late 50s and the early 60s, folk music began to rival rock n roll.  The folk scene in New York Citys Greenwich Village was booming lead by artists like Joan Baez and Pete Seegar.  The subjects of these songs were often a bit more serious than the usual popular music fare. In that fatal year of 1963, the young Bob Dylan, an up and comer in the new folk scene, recorded a song Blowin In The Wind that became an example of what became known as protest songs.  It doesnt actually protest much but it does make some wry observations on the paradoxical nature of life:

            How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, n how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, n how many times must the cannonballs fly

Before theyre forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind

The answer is blowin in the wind

How many years can a mountain exist

Before its washed to the sea?

Yes, n how many years can some people exist

Before theyre allowed to be free?

Yes, n how many times can a man turn his head

Pretending he just doesnt see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind

The answer is blowin in the wind

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, n how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, n how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind

The answer is blowin in the wind

Copyright 1962 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1990 by Special Rider Music

            This song reflected the questioning attitude of many people, especially among the youth of the nation. It was in many ways the defining song of that generation. Listen to it here:

Dylan on TV Blowin in the wind:

            In a similar way, the old Negro Spirituals played a big part in energizing the civil rights activists. Here is a link to a great essay on the importance of music in those times. (There are also some links at the end of this article to similar articles on these turbulent times.)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/reflect/r03_music.html

      We live in similarly uncertain times and the recent virus pandemic has made it all the worse. Has music helped in any coping with virus scare? But more importantly, Im interested to know is what music do you think has expresses the mood of young people today and how it has helped you cope with the world you live in but did not necessarily create?  The current social isolation is a good time to do a little soul searching.

          1000 words in length and include a complete bibliography as well as proper footnotes for all sources consulted. It is due by the end of the day on May 1st. It must be formatted as MS Word file or some compatible type of word processing program.