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Story: Ready, Set,
Campaign: 2008 Presidential Race Starts Early,
1/31/07
Reading Comprehension Questions: 1. How does a political party choose a candidate to run for president?
2. Traditionally where are the first primary elections held? How might they be different in 2008?
3. How do early primaries impact political fundraising?
4. Which Democrats might run?
5. Which Republicans might run?
Discussion Activity (more research might be needed): 1. Do you think the United States is ready for a woman or African American president? Why or why not? 2. Look at the list of 2008 presidential candidates from each party thus far. What do you know about these people? If you had to decide today who might win the primary for each party, who would you choose? Explain your reasoning. 3. How does your state decide who will be chosen as a political party's presidential nominee? When does this happen? What influence to you think your state has on the primary process? 4. According to political strategists, a presidential candidate will need to raise $100 million to compete effectively in the early 2008 primary season. Where do candidates get this money? How might the need to raise so much money influence our political system? 5. How might you, as a young person who may not get to vote, impact the upcoming presidential primary? What can you do to get involved in the election? Should you? Why or why not? Write a 300-500 word essay on either of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra (extra@newshour.org). Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site. |