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Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.... (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Barack Obama stepped to the brink of victory in a historic race for the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night, moving within 100 delegates of the total needed to claim the top prize at the party convention this summer.

Despite a lopsided loss to Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Kentucky primary, Obama picked up at least 14 delegates in the state. That gave him 1,931 out of the 2,026 needed. Clinton has 1,755 in their marathon race - a black man running against a woman - that has shattered voter turnout records in state after state.

The two rivals also collided in Oregon's unique vote-by-mail primary.

Obama said the night's contests would give him a majority of the delegates elected in all 56 primaries and caucuses combined - as distinct from nearly 800 superdelegates who hold the balance of power at the convention.

"We still have work to do to in the remaining states, where we will compete for every delegate available," he said in an e-mail sent to supporters. "But tonight, I want to thank you for everything you have done to take us this far - farther than anyone predicted, expected or even believed possible."

Clinton, the one-time front-runner in the race, said she was in it still.

"This is one of the closest races for a party's nomination in modern history," the former first lady told supporters celebrating her Kentucky victory. "We're winning the popular vote," she said, despite figures from competitive contests that show otherwise.

 

 

"I'm more determined than ever to see that every vote is cast and every ballot is counted."

Even so, she commended Obama, adding, "while we continue to go toe-to-toe for this nomination, we do see eye-to-eye when it comes to uniting our party to elect a Democratic president this fall."

She also said Michigan and Florida Democrats deserve to have their votes counted, a reference to the lingering controversy surrounding primaries in both states held in defiance of Democratic National Committee rules.

Party officials are scheduled to meet later this month to consider how - or whether - to seat all or part of the states' delegates.

With votes counted from all Kentucky precincts, Clinton had 65 percent of the vote, to 30 percent for Obama.

Almost nine in 10 ballots were cast by whites, and the former first lady was winning their support overwhelmingly. She defeated her rival among voters of all age groups and incomes, the college educated and non-college educated, self-described liberals, moderates and conservatives.

Though Clinton has had a strong run through the late primaries, Obama has steadily outpaced her where it counts, in the race for national convention delegates.

With her Kentucky victory, Clinton picked up at least 37 delegates to at least 14 for Obama.

Overall, Obama had 1,931 delegates, less than 100 shy of the 2,026 needed to become the first black presidential nominee of a major party. The former first lady had 1,759.

Both candidates paused during the day to express best wishes to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat suffering from a brain tumor.

Obama said he was shattered to hear the news.

Said Clinton: "As a lifelong champion for social justice and equality, his work has made the path easier for me, for Senator Obama and for countless others. He's been with us for our fights and we're now with him in his."

Regardless of the results of the two primaries, Obama was moving ahead on the assumption he would soon become the nominee. Party officials said discussions were under way to send Paul Tewes, a top Obama campaign aide, to the Democratic National Committee to oversee operations for the fall campaign.

Obama also decided to mark a victory of sorts with an evening appearance in Iowa, site of his critical Jan. 3 caucus triumph that launched him on his way through the primaries that followed.

"The question then becomes how do we complete the nomination process so that we have the majority of the total number of delegates, including superdelegates, to be able to say this thing's over," Obama told The Associated Press in an interview.

Clinton looked for a consolation for the strongest presidential campaign of any woman in history. She hoped to finish with more votes than her rival in all the contests combined, including Florida and Michigan, two states that were stripped of their delegates by the national party for moving their primary dates too early.

Not counting the results in Kentucky and Oregon, Obama was ahead of Clinton by slightly more than 618,000 votes out of 32.2 million cast in primaries and caucuses where both candidates competed.

The numbers do not include Iowa, Maine, or Nevada caucuses, nor do they count - as Clinton does in her totals - Florida and Michigan.

Campaigning with his wife in Kentucky, former President Clinton dismissed Obama's inevitable claim on pledged delegates.

"There won't be tonight, unless you decapitate Michigan and Florida, which violates our values and is dumb politics," Bill Clinton said.

Kentucky, where Hillary Clinton concentrated much of her efforts in recent days, had 51 convention delegates at stake.

Oregon, where Obama invested his time and drew a crowd estimated by police at 75,000 over the weekend, had 52. The state also had the distinction of staging the only contest without a designated polling day. Instead, under a vote-by-mail system, election officials tallied all ballots received by 11 p.m. EDT on primary day.

The only primaries remaining are Puerto Rico, on June 1, followed two days later by South Dakota and Montana.

Increasingly, Obama has been concentrating his campaign on John McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, rather than on Clinton.

The former first lady, too, has jettisoned the sharp attacks against Obama that characterized the race only a few weeks ago, although she bristled on Monday at his decision to focus on the fall campaign. "You can declare yourself anything, but if you don't have the votes, it doesn't matter," she said in an interview with an Oregon television station.

Even so, there was no shortage of signs that the closest Democratic nominating campaign in a generation was reaching its final stages after drawing more than 33 million voters to the polls and shattering numerous turnout records along the way.

As recently as May 6, Obama trailed Clinton among superdelegates, the officeholders and party leaders who will attend the national convention by virtue of their positions.

But in the days following his convincing victory in the North Carolina primary and his narrow defeat in Indiana, Obama has gained the support of at least 50 superdelegates and taken the lead in that category. Clinton has gained nine over that period.

Obama also has picked up the endorsements of former Sen. John Edwards, who dropped out of the race in the early going, two labor unions and NARAL Pro-Choice America. The abortion rights advocacy organization had supported Clinton throughout her political career.

Fundraisers for the two campaigns have held quiet discussions on working together in the fall campaign.

Additionally, Obama's top strategist, David Axelrod, disclosed he had contacted Clinton's former campaign manager about joining forces for the general election. Patti Solis Doyle confirmed what she called informal conversations about how she might help the Illinois senator if, as expected, he secures the presidential nomination.

---

David Espo reported from Washington. Brendan Farrington in Florida contributed to this report.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton is poised to deliver a message Tuesday "that she will do whatever it takes" to put a Democrat in the White House -- a message that Sen. Barack Obama insiders say indicates she would accept an offer to be Obama's running mate if asked.

art.clinton.ap.jpg

Sen. Hillary Clinton goes into the final two primaries of the Democratic nomination fight Tuesday.

"In her speech tomorrow night, she will convey the message that first and foremost she is committed to Democrats winning in November and will do whatever she's asked to do," said a close friend and adviser of the New York senator and former first lady, who speaks with her regularly and is privy to her deliberations.

"She will do whatever it takes to bring the party together to win and whatever is asked of her to make sure the Republicans are defeated."

That message has been conveyed to the Obama campaign via informal channels, according to Obama insiders who said the message is a signal that she would be willing to serve as Obama's vice president.

The Clinton and Obama campaigns told CNN there have been no formal discussions between the campaigns.

Obama insiders are split over whether considering Clinton for the ticket is a good idea.

"Obama has a philosophical aversion to making promises and pre-empting the process that is in place so Clinton can accommodate her interests," one Obama insider said. "Sure, she's on the short list, but there's a whole process in place."

One Obama insider believes putting Clinton on the ticket would "ramp down the animosity" that exists between the supporters of the two candidates. But another insider said that "while there is mistrust between the two, it's less about trusting her, and more about whether she can deliver."

Clinton and Obama go into the final two primaries of the Democratic nomination fight Tuesday with Obama leading in delegate totals, although the results in South Dakota and Montana won't give him the 2,118 delegates he needs to secure the nomination. VideoWatch Sen. Clinton claim the popular vote »

Instead, the Illinois senator must depend on superdelegates -- party insiders and elected officials -- to put him over the top.

One such superdelegate -- the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, House Majority Whip James Clyburn -- will endorse Obama on Tuesday, multiple sources told CNN. A top Democratic operative said Clyburn will offer conciliatory remarks toward Clinton in an effort to bring the two campaigns together.

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In his endorsement speech, Clyburn is expected to talk about the historic nature of having a woman and an African-American run for the Democratic nomination and how important it is that these two leaders and their supporters bring the party together. Clyburn has been instrumental in trying to bring the two camps together and has delayed until now publicly stating his choice in the Democratic race.

Democratic Party insiders are also discussing how to patch up Clinton's relationship with the black community and how to bring African-American Clinton supporters into the Obama fold, several top Clinton supporters said.

 

V. National Public Radio News Programs

 1) Homepages: National Public Radio Homepages.doc 

 

2) Listen to All Things Considered and write a paragraph about your impression of the radio shows.

After listening to All Things Considered, I must say its quite a breath of fresh air.  They seem to cover many aspects of news all over the world that is not only interesting, but very informative.

 

 

                                                          VI. Public Broadcast System Television News Programs

                             1. Homepage: Public Broadcast System Television News Programs.doc

 

 

C. CHAPTER 3: SEEING POLITICS / ME AS A POLITICAL SCHOLAR (15 Points)

 

I.  

1. What were the two most important issues at the Constitutional Convention?

 

The two most important issues at the Constitutional Convention were "the Great Compromise" and "the 3/5th compromise". The Great Compromise was a settlement that combined "the New Jersey Plan" and "the Virginia Plan".  When this was resolved, the House of Representatives and the Senate were created to give equal representation to the states.

The "3/5th Compromise" dealt with the issue of Slavery.  The North and the South were at odds about the issue but concluded that for every 5 slaves, only 3 would be count as individuals for taxation and representation.

 

 

What ideals were reflected by the compromises?

 

The ideals that were reflected by the compromises were that each state would have equal representation.  For the Great Compromise, members in The House of Representatives would be appointed according to the states population and they will be elected by the people. In the the Senate, all states will have an equal number of representatives, which will be chosen by the state legislatures. Every state would then have equal representation.  For the "3/5th compromise", its ideals were applied to both taxation and representation. A compromise between the North and the South for economical issues.

 

 

What are the First 10 Amendments?

 

The First 10 Amendments of the Constitution are:

 

 

1st Amendment - Freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly; the right to petition the government

 

 

2nd Amendment - Right to bear arms and maintain state militias (National Guard).

 

 

3rd Amendment - Troops may not be quartered in homes in peacetime or cannot force homeowners to do so.

 

 

4th Amendment - No unreasonable searches or seizures. If so, there must be a warrant and it must be based on probable cause.  

 

 

5th Amendment - Grand Jury indictment required to prosecute a person for a serious crime. No "double jeopardy" -- being tried twice for the same offense. Forcing a person to testify against himself or herself prohibited. No loss of life, liberty or property without due process.

 

 

6th Amendment - Right to speedy, public, impartial trial with defense counsel, and right to cross-examine witnesses.

 

 

7th Amendment - Jury trials in civil suits where value exceeds 20 dollars.

 

 

8th Amendment - No excessive bail or fines, no cruel and unusual punishments.

 

 

9th Amendment - Unlisted rights are not necessarily denied.

 

 

10th Amendment - Powers not delegated to the United States or denied to states are reserved to the states or to the people.

 

 

 

In your opinion, what is the most important today?

 

In my opinion, I believe the 1st Amendment is most important today.  It is impossible to pick one because all these amendments are very important to the way we live today. 

 

 

 

3. Explain three ideas you learned from the readings so far:

 

Three ideas I have learned from the readings so far are:

1) James Madision was considered the "Father of the Constitution" 

2) The Declaration Of Independance was a call for a revolution, not a framework of Government

3) The House of Representatives and the Senate were created out of "The Great Compromise".

 

 

 

 

2)  The Meyers-Briggs Test.doc

 

 

3)

Your Type is
ISFJ
Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging
Strength of the preferences %
22 12 62 33

ISFJ type description by J. Butt and M.M. Heiss

ISFJ Identify Your Career with Jung Career Indicator™     ISFJ Famous Personalities

ISFJ type description by D.Keirsey

Qualitative analysis of your type formula

 

 You are:

  • slightly expressed introvert

     

  • slightly expressed sensing personality

     

  • distinctively expressed feeling personality

     

  • moderately expressed judging personality

     

4) Jobs for my personality type.  

1) Building Inspector

2) Aout body manager...

 

 

6) Why did Mr. Som make you do this assignment?

 

I believe Mr.Som made us do this assignment to help us learn more about ourselves and see what jobs we are capable of doing.  I think it was a very interesting assignment. It showed me some other intersting jobs and personality traits that I have never thought about.  

 

 

 

 

III. Exploring Higher Education Options

 

 

A.  The University of California System

 

 

Homepage: The University of California System.doc

 

 

B. The California State University System

 

 

Homepage: The California State University System.doc

 

 

 

 

C.  Are You Ready?

 

Transfer From LA Mission TO UCLA 

 

 

Transfer From LA Mission TO UCSB

 

 

Transfer From LA Mission TO CSU Los Angeles

 

 

Transfer From LA Mission TO CSU Northridge

 

 

 

D. Answer the following:

 

1.  How can you best prepare yourself to transfer?

 

I am not ready to transfer yet.

 

D. CHAPTER 4: POLITICAL ME (15 Points)

 

I. Respond to the following questions.

 

 

    1. How should the nation proceed in the prosecuting terror suspects?

 

 

The nation should proceed in the prosecuting of terror suspect no different than what is stated in the constitution. Even though they may have commited a horrendous crime or plan to, in this nation they deserve a fair trial and are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  I do not think anyone one person  should put themselves above the laws that have been declared in this nation and partake in illegal activities in prosecuting terror suspects. It's just not right in any way, shape, or form.  If we prosecute our terror suspects any differently, then why should other countries respect us and prosecute our citizens in just manners? They should, because we should.

 

 

What provisions, if any, of the Constitution can be compromised?

 

 

I do not believe any provision of the Constitution should be compromised in these situations.  Just because terrorists are the hot button topic at this time, I do not think they should be handled any differently than they are suppose to be handled according to the law.   

 

 

2. What is the difference between de jure and de facto discrimination?

 

De jure segregation means racial separation forced by specific laws. All such laws were eliminated in the U.S. by the mid-1960s.  Therefore, today in the U.S. there is no such thing as de jure segregation.

De facto segregation means racial separation that occurs "as a matter of fact".

 

 

What are effective ways of eliminating discrimination?

 

 I think a major effective way of eliminating discrimination is Education, especiallly in early school years when children are developing a sense of who they are and who the people around them are.  Creating a climate of tolerance and understanding between differences within human beings, especially in a classroom setting, would definitely help and teach children about discrimination.  Another effective way would be in the communities.  Getting out there and getting to know people in your neighborhood would help everyone out as well.

 

3. List three ideas you have learned from the reading?

 

Three ideas I have learned from the reading are:

1) People have a long way to go before eleminating discrimination among one another.

2) Race relations are still very prevalant today.

3) Its very sad that people can't accept each other as human beings and have to classify everything.

 

 

 

 

 

II. Exploring the US Supreme Courts Cases

 

 

1) Oyez.org Homepage: Exploring the US Supreme Courts Cases.doc

 

 2) Roe v. Wade  MP3 File (6025913 bytes). 

 

Write your impressions of the the site.

 

The site is very informative in referencing court cases.  Defnitely a helpful website if you're going to be studing law or court cases.  Also very convienant if you want to listen to court cases.  

 

III.  My Political Causes

What political/social causes do you support?

 

  I can't say I directly support these political/social causes.  

Research three organizations that advocate different causes: 

 

1) hrw.org.doc

 

2)peta.org.doc

 

3)lafoodnotbombs.org.doc 

 

 

 

IV. Write your elected officials

 

 

 

 

 

V. Volunteering

 

1. Have you ever volunteered your time to assist a nonprofit organization?

 

Yes I volunterr in Army guard. I help to send the boxes with medical supplies and food to Iraq. 

2. What was your role or responsibility?

I did what the manager diside.

3. Have you thought about where you are going to volunteer to obtain the service learning extra credit points?

No.

 

 

 

E. CHAPTER 5: ME AS A VOTER (15 Points)

 

 

 

1) Who can vote?

 

To vote, you must be at least 18 years old.  You must also be a U.S. citizen and meet the requirements of residency in ones own state of residence. 

 

What are the steps to voting?

 

The first step to voting is you must register to vote.  Once you turn 18, you can obtain a voter registration application. They are available at many state facilites, such as the DMV or the post office. You must fill it out the application and send it in.  Once you becaome registered, you will be sent a verification and an address for a polling place where you will go to vote on election day.  If for some reason or another, you cannot make it to the polling place on election day, you can request to vote with an absentee ballot.

 

2) Which would you support? 

 

The Propositions Yes or No and Why
 Proposition 98 1248. Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property. Constitutional Amendment.  I am against this only for the fact that it reads it "prohibits rent control".  Thats all I needed to see that made me want to vote against this measure.  I dont think it right for people to take advantage of others and thats exactly what I think would happen if rent control was abolished. 
 Proposition 99 1251. Eminent Domain. Acquisition of Owner-Occupied Residence. Constitutional Amendment.

 I would support this measure because I do not believe that it is right for state or local governments to just take people out of their homes because they decide that a place where someone has already built and established their lives is the best place to put a new school or government office.  This is an issue close to me because I had a friend whose family was almost made to leave their home after 18 years because LAUSD thought their neighborhood would be the best place to build a new school.  I had never heard of the issue before my friend had told me about it.  If this measure gives homeowners more rights and protection, I'm all for it.

 

 

 3) Who will win the 2008 Presidential election?

 

 

I would like to think that Hillary Clinton  will win the 2008 election.  I would like to think that the American people are looking for change after the last 8 years.

 

What qualities should the President have?

 

 

The President should have the qualities of a decent human being. One that respects basic human rights.  

 

Activities:

I. Unfortunately, The Link to Voting is as easy as 1-2-3 is dead. There is nothing there.

 

 

II. Smartvoter.org Voting Guide =Dead Link

 

Propositions in the November 2007 Election.doc

 

III. California Secretary of State.doc

 

IV. 2008 Presidential Election.doc

 

 

e. Do you really know where the candidates stand?

 

 

 

My Results.doc

 

 

 
 

 

F. CHAPTER 6: ME AS A POLICY MAKER (15 Points)

 

The California Budget Challenge:

/http://www.nextten.org/challenge

 

 

1. List the programs and the spending of the California budget.

 

 

K12 Education 40.3

Higher Education 11.1

Medi Cal & Healthy Families 14.6

Other Health & Humans Services 15.3

Criminal Justice 11.5

Other Spending 7.3

Debt Service 4.1

 

 

Where is the greatest proportional of the spending?

 

The greatest proportional spending is in K12 Education.

 

Do you agree with this?

 

Yes. Education is a key factor to help economic growth and will help better people in general.

 

2. List the sources of revenue and the amount.

 

Income Tax 52.7

Corporation Tax 10.7

Sales Tax 27.7

Other Revenue 6.9

 

Do any of the revenues surprise you?

 

No, none of the revenues really surprise me.  

 

3. Take the budget challenge. Explain your spending.

 

The Budget Challenge.doc

I am trying to spend my mony only if it is nessesory. 

How would you start paying off the deficit if you have one.

 

I would definitely start charging and taxing corporations more.  

4. Below is the insert of the Criminal Justice portion of the challenge.

Assess the current criminal justice situation of prison population.

What reforms would you recommend to help alleviate overcrowding?

 

The Government should think about changing criminal justice system and make another one.

I believe people who have problems with drugs would be much better off in medical facilities, helping them overcome dependency and helping them learn how to live again, as opposed to sitting in a cell wasting their lives away and never dealing with their problems. Being in prison is just not going to help anyone, especially since drug use in prisons has become rampant.

 

What would be the challenges to the proposed reforms?

 

Challenges to the proposed reforms would be having to write up the documentation for the changes and having the people vote for them to be passed into law. Building more medical facilities to help these people with their problems would be another obstacle.

 

 

Basic Criminal Justice Facts

  • The state prison system has approximately 170,000 inmates.
  • The state prison budget is approximately $6.7 billion or more than $35,000 per inmate.
  • The average number of prisoners and the average length of time served for state prison inmates increased after passage of the “http://www.lao.ca.gov/1999/cal_update/oct_99_calupdate.pdf')">Three Strikes and You're Out ” initiative in 1994.

3 strikes

  • The initiative increased the prison terms for persons convicted of a second and third felony offense. There are approximately 35,000 prisoners with extended sentences as a result of a “second strike” and 7,000 prisoners with extended sentences from a third felony offense.
  • The General Fund contributes $1.4 billion to support state trial court activities. Prior to 1997 county governments were responsible for most trial court funding.
  • Other criminal justice funds support the California Youth Authority and administration of criminal justice programs.

Projecting Criminal Justice Spending

  • State prison spending depends on the number of inmates, the average length of time spent in prison and the cost per prisoner. Since passage of the http://www.lao.ca.gov/1999/cal_update/oct_99_calupdate.pdf')">Three Strikes Initiative the average prison term has increased. Larger prison terms have been one factor in these recent increases.

average prison pop

  • Trial court and other criminal justice spending increases depend on population growth and increases in the cost of living.
  • The number of prisoners is projected to increase by approximately 15,000 over the next five years.
  • An alternative set of prison population projections were developed assuming that the state prison population could be 15% less than projected above after ten years. A reduction in prison population could occur if the average length of sentences was reduced and/or some drug-related crimes did not result in prison sentences.

prison proj new

 

 

 

 

 

G. CHAPTER 7: MY DECLARATION (15 Points)

 

 

I. What do I believe?

 

 1. What core values should government represent?

   The government should represent core values as respect for people, fairness, accepting responsibility for their actions, a sense of integrity and compassion and a fair representation of leadership among other countries.  

 

 2.What services should government provide?

 

 Government should continue providing the services it currently offers.  I would also like to see Universal Health Care added to that list.   

 

 3.What are the core rights of the People?

 

The core rights of the people are are stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Listed are a couple I believe are very important: 

  • right to life, liberty and security of person (art. 3);

  • prohibition of slavery or servitude (art.4);

  • prohibition of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (art. 5);

  • prohibition on retroactive penal legislation (art. 11);

  • right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence (art. 12);

  • right to leave any country arid to return to one's own country (art. 13);

  • right to freedom of 'thought, conscience and religion (art. 18);

  • right to freedom of expression (art. 19).

     

      4.What are the responsibilities of People and the responsibilities of the government?

     

     

     The responsibilities of the people  to live by the rules set forth by the U.S. Constitution.  The people need to vote for people who they believe will represent them fairly in government offices.  Every person is expected to obey the laws of the community or state in which he or she lives. People also need to respect the right of others. Another responsibility is to pay taxes. 

     

      

    II.  YOUR MANIFESTO

     

  •