• “Nattering nabobs of negativism”
• Frank Mankiewicz
• Ratfucking
• CREEP
• Deep Throat
• James McCord
• Sam Ervin
• Doonesbury
• The Malaise Speech
• Phyllis Schlafly
• Lee Atwater
• Jerry Fallewll
• Fairness Doctrine
• Morning in America
• Tipper Gore
• “Evil Empire Speech”
• SDI
• Samuel Huntington
• New World Order
• Norman Schwartzkopf
• James Carville
• Murphy Brown
• Contract with America
• Kenneth Starr
• Operation Infinite Reach
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993
• Brooks Brothers Riot
• 8/6/2001 Presidential Daily Briefing
• Patriot Act
• Centcom
• 527’s
• Blue Dogs
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Introducing W. to America
The Daily Show is the best place to go for fake news. It's entertaining and humorous and usually a bit more spot on than the other network news channels. Here's the Daily Show's Bush biography video they ran during the 2000 RNC.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Indecision 2000 - George W. Bush: From Wealth to Riches | ||||
| ||||
Barack Obama's Coming Out Party
Many people believe that Barack Obama's ascension to the presidency began at the 2004 DNC where he delivered the keynote address. The keynote address is supposed to express underlying tone and summarize the core message or most important revelation of the convention. Back then Obama was just an Illinois state senator and had never delivered a speech of this magnitude. It was the first time he had even used a teleprompter. It's hard to believe that just four years later he would be accepting the Democratic presidential nominee at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado.
The first video is a compilation of highlights and the second is the speech in its entirety.
The first video is a compilation of highlights and the second is the speech in its entirety.
Obama Girl
The Internet decentralize campaigning. The official campaign could no longer created all the material for that candidate; supporters could independently promote their candidate in an unprecedented way. I think the Obama Girl video is the best example of this new phenomenon.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU
2006 White House Correspondents Dinner
This video shows Bush and a Bush-impersonator at the White House Correspondents Dinner. I think that it reflects the post-modern sensibility because it is self-deprecating on Bush's part rather than self-aggrandizing. After Watergate, people have sought a presidency that seems less imperial and more approachable.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
SNL Skit
Taking a breather from writing my paper, Eleanor Roosevelt led a fascinating life.
Here's an entertaining SNL clip from 2004 with Seth Meyers as then-Presidential candidate John Kerry, Maya Rudolph as Teresa Heinz-Kerry, Darryl Hammond as Bill Clinton, and Ben Affleck as a (surprisingly) spot-on James Carville.
Here's an entertaining SNL clip from 2004 with Seth Meyers as then-Presidential candidate John Kerry, Maya Rudolph as Teresa Heinz-Kerry, Darryl Hammond as Bill Clinton, and Ben Affleck as a (surprisingly) spot-on James Carville.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Paper Tips
HI 372
Analytic paper pointers
The analytic paper is both one of the easiest and most difficult papers you will write at Boston University. It is easy because the analytic paper should only be 4-6 pages long, and because you can essentially write your paper based on the information contained in the books and lectures that form this course. It is difficult, because we are asking you to develop your own detailed analysis of a primary source, instead of merely rephrasing the opinions expressed in various secondary sources, or summarizing the books contents. It is very important that you DO NOT use outside sources. To make this very clear, Wikipedia, for example, is not something you should cite in your papers!
The following is a list of principles to keep in mind while writing your paper.
· Why is this source historically significant? Is this new?
· What does it reveal about the time period in which it was written and the people who wrote it?
· What are the themes within the book?
· Why were they important? What are the relevant events that provide historical context?
· Do you accept the analysis of events contained in the book? Why or why not?
· How did the document evaluate the recent and long-term past?
· Did the document make any recommendations on how events should unfold in the future?
Obviously, these queries are somewhat vague, because there is no one set checklist provoked by each source. Each book evokes its own set of questions but the most important thing to remember is that these are meant to get you to analyze your source, NOT summarize it.
Writing the paper
· Introduce and develop a central argument that you will sustain throughout the paper’s body and conclusion.
· Be specific in introduction, and outline the major evidence that supports a thesis.
· In each paragraph, develop transition sentences to help flow from one point to another while supporting one central argument.
Once you have finished writing your paper, make sure to proofread and edit it thoroughly. If possible, give your paper to a friend, and ask for their editorial commentary. Avoid inserting lengthy, block quotations, and try not to quote your textbooks (you can write information much better than those boring textbooks) as these consume large amounts of space, and run contrary to the analytic focus of this paper. Make sure that you introduce and engage your source up front in your paper.
Grammatical elements
There are a few grammatical elements you should try to avoid in your paper. Passive voice, for instance, is something you should limit your use of in this assignment. Passive voice is when you structure your sentence in such a way as not to indicate clearly who or what was responsible for an action. For example, the following sentences are in passive voice:
A lecture was given. or The data was analyzed.
While the sentences communicate some information, they are not specific. Who gave the lecture? Who mugged me? These are important facts if I am trying to reconstruct and evaluate some event in the past. It is possible to indicate this information within a sentence with the addition of a prepositional phrase. For instance:
A lecture was given by Professor Keylor. or The data was analyzed by the researcher.
However, these are long sentences, and in a 4-6 pp paper, you want make your point in as few words as possible, so as to leave space for analysis of other topics. It is better to rephrase the sentences as follows
Professor Keylor lectured. or The researcher analyzed the data.
You should also make certain that when your sentences refer to events in the past the verbs in those sentences referring to action or thought in the past are themselves in past tense.
One way to avoid grammatical errors is to read your paper aloud. Many times, if you hear a sentence spoken, you will know if it is in correct English without explicitly knowing the rule in question. However, if at all possible, you should have someone else read your paper because after reading your paper several times, it is probable that you will miss some errors that another person will not.
Citing Sources
If what you have written is either not common knowledge, or is a quote or a paraphrasing of another source, you need to indicate in your paper the source that you quoted or paraphrased, by using footnotes (parenthetical documentation is not acceptable); if you do not cite your sources, you will be penalized. The following are several templates for citing the various sources available to you in this course:
Citing a Lecture:
William R. Keylor, “The Ideological Division of Europe, 1945-1949”, Boston University, 18 Jan. 2007.
Citing a Secondary Source:
William R. Keylor, The Twentieth Century World: An International History. 5th ed. (New York: Oxford, 2006), pp. 22-3.
Citing a Primary Source:
Mao Tse-Tung, “Statement Proclaiming the People’s Republic of China, October 1, 1949,” in The Cold War: A History Through Documents. Edward Judge and John Langdon. Eds. (Upper Saddle River, N-J: Practice Hall, 1999), p. 56-57.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is grounds for a failing grade and disciplinary action through the Dean’s Office, and can result in the total loss of academic credit for a semester. Simply defined, it is the intellectual theft of ideas, analysis, sentences, paragraphs, even papers whose origins do not lie completely with you. If you use an author’s exact words without quotation marks and citation, that is plagiarism. If you misrepresent a concept or an interpretation you acquired from a secondary or primary source as your own intellectual property, that is also plagiarism. If you submit a paper that you did not write, that is plagiarism. If you collaborate with other students in the writing, format, and/or analysis of your paper (beyond asking them to proofread one of your drafts), it will be considered plagiarism. Information that is considered common knowledge—e.g. the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919—is not plagiarism and does not need to be cited. If you would like further clarification as to what is and is not plagiarism, please consult the B.U. History Department Writing Guide, the Student Academic Code of Conduct, and your Teaching Fellow. The History Department Writing Guide can be found at http://www.bu.edu/history/writing_guide.html
Analytic paper pointers
The analytic paper is both one of the easiest and most difficult papers you will write at Boston University. It is easy because the analytic paper should only be 4-6 pages long, and because you can essentially write your paper based on the information contained in the books and lectures that form this course. It is difficult, because we are asking you to develop your own detailed analysis of a primary source, instead of merely rephrasing the opinions expressed in various secondary sources, or summarizing the books contents. It is very important that you DO NOT use outside sources. To make this very clear, Wikipedia, for example, is not something you should cite in your papers!
The following is a list of principles to keep in mind while writing your paper.
· Why is this source historically significant? Is this new?
· What does it reveal about the time period in which it was written and the people who wrote it?
· What are the themes within the book?
· Why were they important? What are the relevant events that provide historical context?
· Do you accept the analysis of events contained in the book? Why or why not?
· How did the document evaluate the recent and long-term past?
· Did the document make any recommendations on how events should unfold in the future?
Obviously, these queries are somewhat vague, because there is no one set checklist provoked by each source. Each book evokes its own set of questions but the most important thing to remember is that these are meant to get you to analyze your source, NOT summarize it.
Writing the paper
· Introduce and develop a central argument that you will sustain throughout the paper’s body and conclusion.
· Be specific in introduction, and outline the major evidence that supports a thesis.
· In each paragraph, develop transition sentences to help flow from one point to another while supporting one central argument.
Once you have finished writing your paper, make sure to proofread and edit it thoroughly. If possible, give your paper to a friend, and ask for their editorial commentary. Avoid inserting lengthy, block quotations, and try not to quote your textbooks (you can write information much better than those boring textbooks) as these consume large amounts of space, and run contrary to the analytic focus of this paper. Make sure that you introduce and engage your source up front in your paper.
Grammatical elements
There are a few grammatical elements you should try to avoid in your paper. Passive voice, for instance, is something you should limit your use of in this assignment. Passive voice is when you structure your sentence in such a way as not to indicate clearly who or what was responsible for an action. For example, the following sentences are in passive voice:
A lecture was given. or The data was analyzed.
While the sentences communicate some information, they are not specific. Who gave the lecture? Who mugged me? These are important facts if I am trying to reconstruct and evaluate some event in the past. It is possible to indicate this information within a sentence with the addition of a prepositional phrase. For instance:
A lecture was given by Professor Keylor. or The data was analyzed by the researcher.
However, these are long sentences, and in a 4-6 pp paper, you want make your point in as few words as possible, so as to leave space for analysis of other topics. It is better to rephrase the sentences as follows
Professor Keylor lectured. or The researcher analyzed the data.
You should also make certain that when your sentences refer to events in the past the verbs in those sentences referring to action or thought in the past are themselves in past tense.
One way to avoid grammatical errors is to read your paper aloud. Many times, if you hear a sentence spoken, you will know if it is in correct English without explicitly knowing the rule in question. However, if at all possible, you should have someone else read your paper because after reading your paper several times, it is probable that you will miss some errors that another person will not.
Citing Sources
If what you have written is either not common knowledge, or is a quote or a paraphrasing of another source, you need to indicate in your paper the source that you quoted or paraphrased, by using footnotes (parenthetical documentation is not acceptable); if you do not cite your sources, you will be penalized. The following are several templates for citing the various sources available to you in this course:
Citing a Lecture:
William R. Keylor, “The Ideological Division of Europe, 1945-1949”, Boston University, 18 Jan. 2007.
Citing a Secondary Source:
William R. Keylor, The Twentieth Century World: An International History. 5th ed. (New York: Oxford, 2006), pp. 22-3.
Citing a Primary Source:
Mao Tse-Tung, “Statement Proclaiming the People’s Republic of China, October 1, 1949,” in The Cold War: A History Through Documents. Edward Judge and John Langdon. Eds. (Upper Saddle River, N-J: Practice Hall, 1999), p. 56-57.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is grounds for a failing grade and disciplinary action through the Dean’s Office, and can result in the total loss of academic credit for a semester. Simply defined, it is the intellectual theft of ideas, analysis, sentences, paragraphs, even papers whose origins do not lie completely with you. If you use an author’s exact words without quotation marks and citation, that is plagiarism. If you misrepresent a concept or an interpretation you acquired from a secondary or primary source as your own intellectual property, that is also plagiarism. If you submit a paper that you did not write, that is plagiarism. If you collaborate with other students in the writing, format, and/or analysis of your paper (beyond asking them to proofread one of your drafts), it will be considered plagiarism. Information that is considered common knowledge—e.g. the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919—is not plagiarism and does not need to be cited. If you would like further clarification as to what is and is not plagiarism, please consult the B.U. History Department Writing Guide, the Student Academic Code of Conduct, and your Teaching Fellow. The History Department Writing Guide can be found at http://www.bu.edu/history/writing_guide.html
Star Wars
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/video/reagan_17_qt.html#v145
Interesting stuff on SDI. Starts off slow, but the animation is pretty funny.
SB
Interesting stuff on SDI. Starts off slow, but the animation is pretty funny.
SB
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Nixon's Resignation Speech
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPZ2Lo8vubA
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts05GviD7zc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPZ2Lo8vubA
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts05GviD7zc
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Midterm Review
War Room
Gifford Pinchot
Muckrakers
Food and Drug Act
Roosevelt Corollary
Bull Moose Party
Food and Drug Act
Federal Trade Commission (1914)
Birth of a Nation
George Creel
Schenck v. US
Alice Paul
Article X
Teapot Dome Scandal
National Origins Act
Smoot-Hawley Tariff
Frances Perkins
“Share Our Wealth”
Dorothea Lange
Social Security Act
Wagner Act
Civilian Conservation Corps
Schecter v. US (1935)
FEPC
Cash and Carry
Executive Order 9066
Manhattan Project
George Kennan
National Security Act
Truman Doctrine
Acheson’s White Paper
To Secure These Rights
Taft-Hartley Act
HUAC
New Look
Mohammed Mossadegh
Kitchen Debate
Geneva Conference (1954)
National Interstate and Defense Highways Act
NASA
Brown II
Little Rock 9
Military Industrial Complex
Theodore Sorenson
Jacky Kennedy
The Moynihan Report
Office of Economic Opportunity
Peace Corps
Operation Mongoose
EXCOMM
Tet Offensive
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Pigasus
Nixonettes
LEAA
Revenue Sharing
EPA
Daniel Ellsberg
The Enemies List
Détente
Vietnamization
Silent Majority
Civil Rights Act 1964
Gifford Pinchot
Muckrakers
Food and Drug Act
Roosevelt Corollary
Bull Moose Party
Food and Drug Act
Federal Trade Commission (1914)
Birth of a Nation
George Creel
Schenck v. US
Alice Paul
Article X
Teapot Dome Scandal
National Origins Act
Smoot-Hawley Tariff
Frances Perkins
“Share Our Wealth”
Dorothea Lange
Social Security Act
Wagner Act
Civilian Conservation Corps
Schecter v. US (1935)
FEPC
Cash and Carry
Executive Order 9066
Manhattan Project
George Kennan
National Security Act
Truman Doctrine
Acheson’s White Paper
To Secure These Rights
Taft-Hartley Act
HUAC
New Look
Mohammed Mossadegh
Kitchen Debate
Geneva Conference (1954)
National Interstate and Defense Highways Act
NASA
Brown II
Little Rock 9
Military Industrial Complex
Theodore Sorenson
Jacky Kennedy
The Moynihan Report
Office of Economic Opportunity
Peace Corps
Operation Mongoose
EXCOMM
Tet Offensive
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Pigasus
Nixonettes
LEAA
Revenue Sharing
EPA
Daniel Ellsberg
The Enemies List
Détente
Vietnamization
Silent Majority
Civil Rights Act 1964
Monday, July 13, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Presidents and Amendments
Well, clearly I need to touch up on my parliamentary procedures in the US Constitution. The President has no official role in the amendment process, but he can sign the certitificate at the end of ratificationas a purely symbolic, ceremonial gesture (As Nixon did with the youth vote!). As for Wilson's opposition and veto (which was overturned in Congress), that was concerning the Volstead Act, which put the 18th amendment into law and enforced prohibition. SB
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