Ben Carson to join Kentucky Caucus

Original Article: Read Me!
              Ben Carson has become the fourth Republican to file as a candidate in Kentucky’s GOP presidential caucus. Ever since the first GOP debate, Carson has been pulling in a significant amount of voters. In recent polls, Carson has landed himself in the second position (just behind Trump). Trump, Bush, and Cruz have already paid the fifteen hundred dollar fee to join the Kentucky caucus that will take place right after the Super Tuesday primaries taking place on March 1st. There is no clear number of candidates that will take place in the caucus. Before this year, Kentucky never had a caucus. Rand Paul (Kentucky Senator) is the man who pushed for Kentucky to become the thirteenth state to use this bizarre sort of voting system. Even though Paul was the man who pushed for the caucus system, he has not yet registered to participate in it. One of Paul's spokeswomen (Kelsey Cooper) said that Paul will file by the January deadline.

              It is not very shocking to me that Ben Carson has registered to participate in the Kentucky caucus. Taking into account the recent poll results, it would be a dumb idea for him not too. In a caucus, candidates with less than a significant amount of voters are considered invalid. Acknowledging the fact that Carson is second in the GOP race, he has more than enough voters to get him through the first phase of the caucus. Not surprisingly, other big names have already registered for the caucus. It will be interesting to see how Kentucky handles its first caucus this year.



 

            This relates to what we are talking about in class because we have been discussing state caucuses, how they are carried out, and their role. For the most part, all caucuses are held the same. The only state that differs, however is Iowa. An average caucus usually lasts for an hour or two, but Iwoa cuaucuses can last for much longer. Kentucky is using the caucus style that the majority of America uses; you go into a room, sit down and listen for a while, then vote. Carson can benifit immensely from participating in a caucus because it will alow more voters to hear his beliefs and possibly persuade voters in his favor.

 

 



Fantasy Congress 10/26 - 11/1

http://utahpolicy.com/index.php/features/featured-articles/7440-hatch-lauds-passage-of-cybersecurity-bill-including-hatch-government-cybersecurity-provision#.VjADxLYXMLs.twitter

http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4557337/honoring-speaker-john-boehner

Civil Rights Movement's Lobbying Arm Is Stepping Down?!

Article: Click Here

              The longtime head of the organization that was considered by many to be the lobbying arm of the civil rights movement announced two days ago that he will be stepping down at the beginning of 2016. The leader's reasoning for his departure is to make room for new leaders. He claims that there is a new generation in the civil rights movement and that leadership would best be in the hands of fresh, new faces. Wade Henderson has been the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for almost 20 years. There will be a nationwide search for Henderson's replacement. The organization was founded in 1950 by Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, making this organization a historical treasure. The group works more behind the scenes than other, more public organizations. Henderson said he will continue working on issues such as criminal justice changes, transperency in police body-worn camera programs and efforts to restore the Voting Rights Act while the Leadership Conference searches for a new leader. "I am leaving at the top of my game," Henderson said.

     
              I consider this article to be interesting because it will be intriguing to see a new face leading one of the most powerful civil rights movement branches. In marching band, whenever there is a new section leader the vibe of the whole section is completely different. I wonder if this so called "lobbying arm" will still carry out some of the same tasks as done when Henderson was in charge. Maybe they will step up more into the public eye instead of working behind the scenes so much.

               This article relates to what we are talking about in class because we have been talking about lobbying. Lobbying is when there is a representative of a special interest group that pretty much brushes shoulders with congress men to make certain issues politically relevant that are important to said interest group. In the case of the civil rights movement, it takes more than just one lobbyist to represent such a large movement, so the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights acts as a lobbying arm for the whole movement in order to have a better stance in congress. By Wade Henderson stepping down as head of this position, a large ripple effect could occur throughout the movement. If the new leader of the Leadership Conference is not adequate at leading the group, then the civil rights special interest movement could fail.