MANDATORY WRITING ASSIGNMENT:
WHY TEXAS DIDN’T TURN BLUE
Professor John Ben Sutter
GOVT 2306, FALL 2020
 
 
 
Both Democrats and Republicans were told for the past few years by many political operatives on both side that Texas would become a Democratic state in this election.  (The terms politicos and journalists use often rather than “Democratic state” and “Republican state” are “blue state” and “red state” because on network maps during presidential elections states that are won by Democrats are colored blue and those won by Republicans are colored red.)
 
The predictions were that com the 2020 presidential election ,Texas would flip from a 40-year Republican dominance to new Democratic dominance.  However, Texas voted for Trump.  And it did so overwhelmingly.  Texas was colored red on election maps on all the networks indicating that it went Republican
 
So, what is the status of Texas voting patterns?
Where did Biden do well in Texas?
Where did Trump do well in Texas?
What contributed to this situation?
What happened in the 2020 presidential election in Texas?
 
Read the following articles and answer the above questions.  You must document your direct quotations and paraphrased material from the sources used in your paper.  You must not plagiarize (plagiarism will lead to severe grade deductions on your paper).  You should use the APA parenthetical format to cite to the sources used in any sentence.  There is no need for a works cited page or bibliography. You should turn the paper in on time.  It is a requirement and part of your grade to turn it in on time.  I will not accept late papers (except in an emergency, with some type of verification).  The paper is due BEFORE 11:59 pm on December 4, 2020.  You must submit the paper in the submission site on Canvas for the writing assignment.  Write it on Microsoft Word and copy it to the Canvas site.
 
BE SURE TO READ AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR HOW TO WRITE THIS PAPER IN THE DOCUMENT IN THE “WRITING ASSIGNMENT” MODULE, “Mechanical Instructions for Writing the Writing Assignment” (which includes directions to use the number in parenthesis for an article to cite to the source on this list at the end of any sentence where you have a direct quote or paraphrase material from that source;  note that the number in parenthesis is a label for that article so that you have an efficient identifier to place in your paper for each of the sources whenever you use them throughout the paper.  The numbers to NOT mean that you are to use the following sources in numerical order in your paper)
 
__________________________
 
 
 
 
 
READ CAREFULLY AND USE ALL 17 OF THE FOLLOWING SOURCES IN YOUR PAPER (You may do research and find additional sources to use in your paper if you wish, but you must use all of these):
 
(#1)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/texas-turning-blue-any-second-now/
 
Articles to use from the TEXAS MONTHLY Magazine on the right side of the page linked above (use the material on the main area of the above linked article as well):
 
            (#2)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/the-democrats-blue-wave-surged-but-still-did-not-look-like-a-tsunami/
(#3)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/texas-democrats-election-post-mortem/
 
(#4)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/latinos-biden-trump-south-texas/
 
(#5)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/latinos-biden-trump-south-texas/
 
(#6)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/texas-elections-2020-live-updates/
 
 
 
(#7)
https://www.city-journal.org/texas-moves-to-center
 
 
(#8)
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/10/20/texas-house-race-blue-democrat-2020-429826
 
 
(#9)
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/texas-turning-blue/616978/
 
 
(#10)
http://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2020/11/02/texas-turning-blue/
 
 
(#11)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/us/politics/texas-democrats-biden.html
 
 
(#12)
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/11/04/texas-republicans-election-results/
 
 
(#13)
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/11/06/texas-trump-biden-counties-rural-suburban-city/
 
 
(#14)
https://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-rural-voters-governors-races.html
 
 
 
 
(#15)
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/in-depth/2018/10/25/309021/how-the-rural-urban-divide-in-texas-politics-is-more-nuanced-than-red-versus-blue/
 
 
(#16)
https://news.virginia.edu/content/what-2020-election-results-tell-us-about-americas-growing-urban-rural-divide
 
 
(#17)
https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/2020/11/07/no-blue-wave-here-lubbock-south-plains-stay-very-red/6176286002/

Congress and the Presidency: An Unequal Relationship?
“The tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come. The tyranny of the executive power will come in its turn, but at a more distant period.” – Thomas Jefferson
In 1783 American colonists, defying incredible odds, had just beaten the United Kingdom, western hemisphere’s preeminent power, in the American War for Independence. (NPS.gov, n.d.) Now, these thirteen colonies, saddled with a new governmental charter, the onerous Articles of Confederation, sought to chart their own, independent path. (Gilderlehrman, n.d.) As a result, in 1787 disgruntled colonists sent delegates to Philadelphia in order to revise the dysfunctional Articles of Confederation. Yet, in a radical departure, most delegates decided not to amend the current constitution, but instead to craft a new Constitution. (OConnor & Sabato, 2019)
During the four month Constitutional Convention the delegates readily agreed upon James Madison’s basic premise of a new, United States government delineated along three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. That said, most delegates envisioned a strong legislative body and a weak executive office. (Maier, 2011)
Today, many historians and political scientists argue that the institution of the presidency has dramatically increased in power since the end of WWII at the expense of Congress.
This notion of a modern, expansive presidential power, stands in steadied contrast to Congress’ Constitutional ability to “check” the executive branch.
The U.S Congress has three, broad powers that, as per the founding fathers, act as a “check” against the executive branch:

• Lawmaking Power. Only Congress can propose and pass legislation.
  • An example of Congress’s lawmaking function is the Declaration of War with Japan of 1941. More information about Congress’s ability to declare war can be found on the official House of Representatives’ website.
• Budgetary Power. Only Congress has the authority to pass and fund the federal budget. Whereas the president request monies for the federal bureaucracies, Congress actually controls the purse strings.
  • An example of Congress’s budgetary function is the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. More information about the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 can be found on the official House of Representatives’ website.
• Oversight Power. As per Whitehouse.gov, “Oversight of the executive branch is an important Congressional check on the President’s power and a balance against his discretion in implementing laws and making regulations. A major way that Congress conducts oversight is through hearings. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs are both devoted to overseeing and reforming government operations, and each committee conducts oversight in its policy area.” (Whitehouse, 2019)
  • An example of Congress’ oversight function is the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964 and the resulting              War Powers Resolution of 1974. A more detailed explanation of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution can be found at the State Department’s website. A more detailed explanation of the War Powers Resolution of 1974 can be found at the National Constitution Center.

So, is there an imbalance of power between the legislative and executive branches? If so, who has the upper hand? Inquiring minds want to know!
Directions: Using the following outline template and requirements, craft a full sentence, two page outline that analyzes the legislative and executive branches. Lumen’s Principles of Public Speaking has an excellent example of a full sentence outline. Please include the following:

• As per the U.S. Constitution, how does the legislative branch act as a check against the executive branch?
  • Support your answer with information obtained from the text, supplemental academic research, and the U.S. Constitution.
• As per the U.S. Constitution, how does the executive branch act as a check against the legislative branch?
  • Support your answer with information obtained from the text, supplemental academic research, and the U.S. Constitution.
• Explain how either the executive or legislative branch wields more power at the expense of the other branch.
  • Support your answer with at least two Congressional legislation and/or executive orders.
  • Why does this example interest you?
  • Why is this example important to you?

Your full sentence outline should also meet the following requirements:

• APA format.
  • Title page.
  • Reference page.
  • APA citations.
  • Double spaced sentences.
  • 12-point Times New Roman font.
• Standard English grammar conventions.
  • Correct grammar.
  • Correct punctuation and spelling.
  • Logical, well ordered sentences.

Submitting Your Assignment:
When you are ready, submit your assignment to the Dropbox.
Your assignment will automatically be submitted to TurnItIn to Avoid Plagiarism.
TurnItIn (TII) is a service that helps Purdue Global students improve their writing on assignments by checking for plagiarism, originality, and similarity. TII is integrated with all dropboxes in Purdue Global courses allowing students to access and review a similarity report after submitting the assignment to a dropbox.
Assignments submitted to a TII enabled dropbox will be automatically analyzed by TurnItIn. Soon after you submit your assignment, you will be able to view the TurnItIn Originality Report. An icon will appear in the report column of the Assessment Inbox once the Originality Report is available.
The report compares your assignment to a database of student submissions and websites and provides a summary of what parts of your assignment have matching or highly similar text. In addition to providing an originality score, the report contains feedback on grammar and English language usage.
For more information:

• Viewing an Originality Check Report
• Using TII to Prevent Plagiarism

References:
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1951-2000/Congressional-Budget-and-Impoundment-Control-Act-of-1974/.
Declaration of War with Japan, WWII (S.J.Res. 116). (2019, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/image/SJRes116_WWII_Japan.htm.
K., J. (1973, July 23). S.440 – 93rd Congress (1973-1974): War Powers Act. Retrieved from https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/senate-bill/440.
Maier, P. (2011). Ratification: the people debate the Constitution, 1787-1788. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
National Constitution Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://constitutioncenter.org/.
Official Guide to Government Information and Services: USAGov. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.usa.gov/.
Power to Declare War. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/War-Powers/.
The Constitution of the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution.
The War Powers Resolution debate continues. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-war-powers-resolution-debate-continues/.
Tonkin Gulf Resolution (1964). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=98.
 
SS236_Unit_4_Assignment_Outline_Template