AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT

THE WAY TO WIN

DUE: THE 1^ST DAY OF CLASS

Be sure that you read the entire assignment carefully before you begin reading the book. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete this assignment. Part of the assignment involves following political news about the election campaign this summer.

The next presidential election will be the first open election with no incumbent president or vice-president on the ballot for the 1^st time since 1952. We will be talking about the race for the White House all year long in class and seeing what we can learn about the American political system from observing how the campaign plays out. The summer reading book is The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008 by Mark Halperin and John Harris. They analyze the successes of former President Bill Clinton for the Democrats and current president George W. Bush and his advisor Karl Rove for the Republicans. They also look at why Al Gore and John Kerry were unsuccessful. From these trade secrets they analyze Hillary Clinton’s chances for success in 2008.

The cost of the book will be around $20-25. I recommend ordering from Amazon, where you will probably find it cheaper than a bookstore. Any of the bookstores can order it for you as well if they do not have it in stock.

Your assignment is as follows:

1. Pick 10 of the lessons for political success or how to avoid political failure that are discussed in the book and summarize each of those lessons in your own words. Include examples from the book. Just pick the lessons you feel are the most interesting or important. Make sure to pick lessons from different sections of the book, i.e. some from Bush, some from Bush and Rove, and some from Gore and Kerry. This section should be around 10 paragraphs, about 2-3 pages typed, double spaced.

2. Pick one of the major candidates for the 2008 presidential election. Analyze whether or not they are successfully following the lessons from The Way to Win. Give specific examples from what has gone on this summer. You can get information from TV news, newspapers, news online, magazines, etc. This section should be about 2 pages typed, doubled spaced.

This is the rubric for the paper:

1. You have picked 10 separate lessons and summarized them in your own words. Your summary demonstrates your understanding of this lesson. 30 possible points

2. You give examples from the book for each lesson. 20 possible points

3. You have analyzed one of the major presidential candidate’s campaigns over the summer for his/her successes/failures and whether or not the candidate is following the lessons from this book. You give specific examples to support your generalizations. 40 possible points

4. Language Mechanics: You should have no spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. There should be no problems with sentence structure and use appropriate language for a formal essay. 10 possible points

Total Points 100

If you have any questions please feel free to email me. My email is sheffield@landmark-cs.org.