AP United States Government & Politics
Summer Assignments-2015
Due Date: DECEMBER 16th, 2015
Mr. Meyer (lmeyer@lhsd.k12.oh.us)
You will need to purchase the book Hardball on your own. Suggestions for websites
to purchase from are: (it is also available at any major bookstore/library. Or on I-tunes)
I do have copies of the book as well. First come, first serve!
ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD BE TYPED, DOUBLE SPACED, 12 pt., Times font
ASSIGNMENT 1: (will be used as 1st Quarter Paper Grade)
First, Read Hardball; In the book Hardball, Chris Matthews defines the title term:
"Hardball is clean, aggressive Machiavellian politics. It is the discipline of gaining and
holding power, useful to any profession or undertaking, but practiced most openly and
unashamedly in the world of public affairs.” Matthews supports his observations and
conclusions with quotes from a variety of sources. The quotes are taken from Hardball:
While reading, find the following quotes:
1. "JFK would call 5 or 6 ... LBJ would take 19 names and call them all."
2. “By anointing himself the “Comeback Kid”, he’d converted his second place showing into a daunting
triumph”- relate to Bill Clinton
3. "... His message came across clear and appealing ... He described America as a country 'where no
Catholic prelate would tell the President -- should he be a Catholic - how to act and no Protestant minister
would tell his parishioners for whom to vote. This is a country where religious liberty is so indivisible that
an act against one Church is treated as an act against all."
4. “No chore was too small if a fellow Senator needed to have it done. As one former colleague put it, “If
you took out a pencil, he’d sharpen it.” …“Apparently, most Democratic Senators like to have their pencils
sharpened.”
5. The waiter said, "Well, maybe you don't know who I am." "Well, as a matter of fact, I don't ... who are
you" "I'm the guy who's in charge of the butter."
6. “I’ve lived across the street from you for eighteen years,” he told her. “I shovel your walk in the winter.
I cut your grass in the summer. I didn’t think I had to ask you for your vote.” He never forgot her
response. Tom, I want you to know something: people like to be asked.”
7. .... the elections of 1994 were a rough slap in the face. His party lost control of both houses of Congress
for the first time since 1954 ... Rather than join his fellow Democrats in defeat, he took advisor Dick
Morris's advice ... "parroting the rhetoric of the congressional Democrats would merely be sharing the
storm cellar with them ... Adopting the Republican agenda begged the question. The president needed to
take a position that blended the best of each party's position." (DO NOT USE POSITIONING TO
EXPLAIN THIS QUOTE)
8. No, Ronald Reagan is a man of the media: the Great Wholesaler ... he was positioning himself with
enormous science, establishing himself in the public mind not as an aloof head of government but as the
man next door. Every action was designed to make him appear close to the people and distant from the
government
9. "The purpose of the war room was not just to respond to Republican attacks ... It was to respond to them
fast, even before they were broadcasted or published, when the lead of the story was still rolling around in
the reporter's mind...
10. “… Pat doesn’t have a mink coat. But she does have a respectable Republican cloth coat
11. "Read my lips, No….New….Taxes” (1988)
12. "Better to have ‘em inside the tent pissin out than outside pissin' in.
13. "Florida Senator, Lawton Chiles, rejected the well-tailored dark blue suit so fashionable in D.C. 'When
I dress like that, no one comes up to me in the airport to say hello.'"
ASSIGNMENT (3parts):
(a) Describe the context of 10 of the preceding quotes, giving appropriate details
including the speaker and background of the quote
(b) Explain its meaning using one of the listed political maxims (below)
(c) Explain an example of how you could apply 5 of the maxims to your life (school,
work, relationships with parents, friends, etc.). IF YOU REALLY READ THE WHOLE
BOOK, AND ATTEMPT TO COMPREHEND IT, THIS WILL NOT BE
DIFFICULT!
Political Maxims (chapter headings, depending on edition)
What've ya done for me lately?
All politics is local.
It's better to receive than to give.
Triangulation
Dance with the one that brung ya.
Keep your enemies in front of you.
Don't Get Mad; Don't Get Even; Get Ahead.
Leave no shot unanswered.
Hang a Lantern on Your Problem.
Only talk when it improves the silence.
Positioning.
The Press is the enemy
It’s not who you know, it’s who you get to know/ Retail politics.
Spin
Always concede on principle
**My recommendation is that while you are reading Hardball, try to locate some of the
quotes and take notes on them as you go. This will make the assignment seem less
daunting. For the most part, each quote will pertain to the maxim that is used as the
headline for that chapter. Feel free to email me over the summer with any questions you
might have
Additional summer work
**Also, you should get in the habit of becoming a constant student of politics. Watch
CNN, MSNBC, FOX, or C-SPAN whenever you get a chance. Read newspapers and
magazines such as Time and Newsweek. Class discussion will rely on being informed
about current affairs. The class will benefit from your increased awareness. The
following websites are also great concerning politics and electoral studies:
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/politics/index.html
http://www.pollster.com/
http://electoral-vote.com/
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/
http://www.politico.com/
Assignment for admission to AP Government and Politics
Due Date- Friday, May 2nd 2014, Rm. 254
Failure to turn in completed will result in being dropped from
the class.
When you turn this assignment in, you will be given your
Summer Assignment which is due on the first day of school
next year.
Answer the following questions completely. Please type your responses (double
spaced, 12 pt.)
1. Do you believe government is intrinsically good or bad? What are your
expectations of government, if any? What should the Government be focusing its
tax resources on? What spending, if any, do you consider to be wasteful? Does
government affect your life in any way? Explain?
2. What is the American Dream? How accessible and likely is it for the typical
American to achieve? Should government work to help make the American
Dream within reach of more citizens? What is your personal political ideology
concerning the role of government in the lives of Americans, and to what extent
does your personal ideology influence your answers to these questions? Why
3. What is political ideology? Describe the differences between liberal,
conservative, and libertarian ideologies. Explain some policy positions that
members of each of these groups would be likely to support. Do you consider
yourself to be more liberal or more conservative in your political beliefs (could be
different based on social or economic issues)?
4. Why are you signing up for AP Government? What do you want to get out of the
class? Be honest.