This forum has 2 parts, the first being required and the second being optional.

Required (for grade):

AFTER reading the Lesson 2 readings this week, which address numerous historical political campaigns, please answer the following question.

Using concepts and terms from the readings, compare and contrast the 2008 and 2016 presidential election campaign tactics by reviewing one Democratic ad and one Republican ad from each election (four ads overall).

Remember to analyze the ads. Don't simply describe them. (Because you will link to your ads, the rest of us can see for ourselves what they looked like). Leave out personal opinions, and stick to facts and concepts in the readings, which also should be cited where appropriate.

Here are some web sources which you might want to consult:

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

http://pcl.stanford.edu/campaigns/

http://www.cnn.com/election/results/exit-polls

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president…

http://www.cnn.com/election/results/exit-polls

http://www.cnn.com/election/results

Optional (ungraded):

Feel free to test your own political orientation (liberal, conservative, libertarian, populist) with this online survey. If so inclined, feel free to share your results.

The site is: http://www.politicalcompass.org/

Post by 11:55 pm Eastern Time on Friday, and provide substantive replies to your classmates by 11:55 pm Eastern Time on Sunday. Forum responses should be 300-500 words. Replies should be 150+ words.

A 300-word post and 150-word replies are the minimum requirements to earn a grade of a "C" or higher, but they will not automatically result in an "A" for a grade. Review the rubric that's linked below for grading criteria before posting.

Please be sure that you have completed and proofread your work before posting it. You will not be able to delete or edit your work once you've submitted it, similar to the way exams and papers will not be returned for corrections after they have been submitted.