In the past week, we've seen Romney's tax returns, assessed Obama's response to the Crisis in Libya, and heard from a plethora of pundits about the pros and cons of each candidate. But can your students define the core values of each party?
What does it mean to be a Republican or a Democrat? Introduce students to the party platforms with this simple activity. Visit the websites for both the Democratic and the Republican Party as well as Romney and Obama's campaigns. After reviewing each party's platform positions on key areas: Economy, Foreign Policy, Health Care Policy, Immigration Policy, Energy Policy, students will research mainstream and alternative press outlets to identify at least one example of each candidate discussing these positions in the campaign. Are they accurately conveying the facts? Are there examples where one of the candidates has gone against their party's official platform? In order to identify as a Democrat or Republican, is it required that you agree with all of the views, or just some of them?
