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Democrats Take the House
November 8, 2006






Media sources across the United States are reporting on yesterday’s
election results. In an article entitled, "Democrats Take Control of the
House, Senate Hangs on Virginia and Montana," the New York Times
states:

One of the Democrats Mr. Bush telephoned today — Representative
Steny Hoyer of Maryland, a contender for majority leader — said in a
televised interview this morning that the president spoke of a need for
the two parties to work together, particularly on Iraq.
In talk show appearances, tired-looking and glum Republican officials
today were also stressing bipartisanship.

Read the Article!!


Discussion-Starters:

  • Ask your child(ren) what the following words mean: "result,"
    "adjust," and "policy." Explain that after elections governments
    adjust to accept people who won into their new positions and
    require those who lost to leave. Ask your child(ren) to share a
    time when they have had to adjust to something new, maybe
    they received something new or lost something. Share a time
    when you have had to adjust.

  • Ask your child(ren) what it means for a candidate to win an
    election. Tell your children to imagine that they were the child
    of somebody who won an elected office and would now have
    to move to Washington, D.C. or the state capitol. How would
    their lives change? How would it feel to have a parent who was
    a government official? Why?

  • Inquire as to how the candidates who won their elections
    yesterday might feel today? Might they feel a sense of
    responsibility? Why? Might they feel a bit nervous? Why? Ask
    your child(ren) if they've ever been given something
    responsible to do. How did it feel to have this responsibility?
    Share a time when you've taken on additional responsibility?
    How did it feel to take this on?
  • The entire election process is very important because
    the rules and laws made by government have a huge
    impact on our lives. With your child(ren), list the
    different ways that the government effects our lives.
    (As just one tiny influence, don’t forget the rules that
    regulate the types of information that must be placed on
    a tube of toothpaste.)

  • Ask your child(ren) if they think that using elections to decide
    who leads the government is an effective method of
    governance. After all, the most capable or smartest leaders
    don't always win. Sometimes the best campaigners win instead.
    Sometimes when people vote they don't fully understand the
    issues and therefore, don't make informed or intelligent
    decisions. Should somebody who never reads newspapers and
    doesn't pay any attention to government affairs have the same
    one vote as somebody who spends hours a week remaining
    informed? Why/why not? Can your child(ren) think of more
    effective ways to decide who leads the government? What do
    you think? Consider the following statement made by former
    English Prime Minister Winston Churchill, "Democracy is the
    worst form of government except for all those others that have
    been tried."
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