Policy blog- The Kennedys

The Kennedys

For the policy assignment, I watched the eight hour mini-series “The Kennedys”. Some of the policy issues addressed in the series included the Cuban missile crisis, the organized crime crackdown, the Bay of Pigs, and the issue of civil rights.

The series starts with the election of 1960. Shortly after John is elected president, he encounters his first major challenge of his presidency: the Bay of Pigs invasion. Prior to the invasion, John had been told by his military advisors that the invasion was certain to succeed and the goal of removing Castro from power would be fulfilled. However, the rebels landing in Cuba quickly ran into trouble and John’s military advisors went to him asking for military intervention to help them. John denied the request. Although the incident was an embarrassment for John, he quickly took an unconventional approach and apologized for his mistake. This event served to help John develop a healthy skepticism of military advisors for the rest of his presidency.

Another policy issue that John Kennedy addressed during his presidency was that of civil rights. In Mississippi, a black student was trying to attend school at a university for the first time and the dean was doing everything he could to deny him entry. In fact, there were many white protesters outside the gates of the school trying to prevent the admittance of the black student. To enforce his policy of civil rights, John called the National Guard to quell the riots and escort the student onto campus. The decision to call the National Guard was a challenging one for John. Despite his strong stance on civil rights, John knew that his stance was very unpopular amongst many people in the country, particularly in the South.

These are just a couple of examples of policy issues that John Kennedy addressed during his time in office. Overall, the series was quite good and introduces people to things that they may not have known, such as the ties to organized crime, John’s philandering ways, and his near constant pain from a back injury he incurred during his time in the military. It’s hard to say how much editorializing was done in addressing these issues, but it’s not inconceivable to think that things happened this way. I would recommend this series to anyone as I thought it was a good historical perspective on the period.

Process Blog

Process Review

How Congress Works and Why You Should Care

For the assignment on process for our class, I read the book “How Congress Works and Why You Should Care” by Lee Hamilton. Lee Hamilton was a moderated Democratic Congressmember from Indiana who served a total of 34 years. He is well respected for his approach and being able to work with both sides of the partisan isle. Because of this, he has been appointed to many bipartisan commissions since his retirement, including the 9/11 commission, the Iraq Study Group, and the Homeland Security Council.

The book is a good overview of the role of Congress and how it serves as a check and balance to the other two branches of government. Lee also goes on to describe the role of Congress, connecting what it does to things that people can identify with so that people understand why the institution is important. Lee also goes on to describe some of the changes that have occurred in Congress over the years. For example, he describes how the power has shifted over the years, from being in the hands of speakers and the leadership to being in the hands of committee chairs.

Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. I was expecting a more in depth discussion of the rules of Congress and the legislative process. Instead, what the book turned out to be was a broad overview. I may have been disappointed by this book because I have experience in politics and with the federal level of government, but I would still recommend this book to anyone that doesn’t have this experience or to the budding participant in our democracy.

novel- The Jungle

The Jungle

For the novel, I read the book “The Jungle,” by Upton Sinclair. The book addresses several issues, including immigrant rights, predatory lending, food safety, and ethics and corruption in politics.

The book starts with an immigrant family and the main character is a young man named Jurgis. The family decided to settle in Chicago and Jurgis would try to get a job in the meatpacking industry, which was a major employer. Jurgis gets a job, but he quickly realizes things were not what they seemed. He endured long hours and sub standard conditions. The book also points out the unsafe practices in the way which the meat was handled, making it unsafe for people to consume. Nonetheless, the meat still went out to market. This book helped effect policy changes that made meat production safer.

In time, the family purchases a home with their meager savings. They live there for a time, but after missing a payment, the home is repossessed and the are unable to recover any of the equity. They later find out that the fine language in the contract allowed them to be taken advantage of. Because of all the tragedies the family endures, including the loss of their young son from malnutrition and illness, Jurgis finds politics. He becomes interested in the process as a way of fighting back against the injustices he and his family endured. Unfortunately, what he finds is that the system is corrupt and powered by money.

While the book is long and depressing due to the constant troubles the family endures, it is a good book and I would recommend it to read. I think it’s interesting to see how tough life was for immigrants during this time period and before regulations to protect them went into effect.