2020

ENGLISH – PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020

Teacher: GNE
Tradium HHX

[US – PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020]

Table of contents

1 US primaries and caucuses................................................................................................................2

1.1 The democratic race - primaries.................................................................................................2
2 Congressional election 2020.............................................................................................................2
3 The two parties..................................................................................................................................3
4 The presidential election...................................................................................................................3
4.1 US Election 2020: How to become president.............................................................................3
5 The candidates...................................................................................................................................4
5.1 Campaign ads..............................................................................................................................4
5.2 What a Biden victory could mean for America..........................................................................4
5.3 Anything but normal: US Virtual Election.................................................................................5
6 Media bias.........................................................................................................................................6
7 Bibliography....................................................................................................................................10

1.

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1 US primaries and caucuses

1.1 The democratic race - primaries

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCKKwuw3Y-
s&fbclid=IwAR3YQAHa_GjU90zH7R_k7DZ2MKStBe_t3EBSzQyv4E0B-G1MdiINJIsw1oc 
(8:00)

1. What does the word incumbent mean? 

It is something that is necessary for someone as a duty or responsibility. “The ruling
position”

2. How many candidates did the Democrats start with?

They started with 28 candidates.

3. How do you get to run for the most powerful job in the world? 
You need the majority of the pledged delegates votes.
You have to be a US resident for at least 14 years.

4. What is a pledged delegate and how are they elected?

A pledged delegate is someone the voters vote for, who is supposed to represent the will of
the parti.
They are elected at primaries or caucuses.

5. What is a difference between a primary and a caucus? 

Primaries can be open to the public or only for the parti members. The voters vote for a
delegate to represent their vote for their preferred candidate.
Caucuses are informal meetings where people argue in favor of their preferred candidate and
then they hold a public vote.

6. Which states hold caucuses?

Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Texas and Colarado

7. What is the National Convention? 

It is a huge party where the final presidential nominee will be picked.

8. What is the Momentum effect?

This is what we also known as the snowball effect, where the looser turns in to the winner,
e.g. Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter.

9. How many delegates do you need to win at the National Convention/party nomination? 
There is 4000 spots, and since they have to have the majority, they will therefore need 1991.

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 10. How is the number of delegates decided? 
The democratic Party uses a proportional representation to determine how many delegates
each candidate is awarded in each state. A candidate must win at least 15% of the vote in a
particular contest in order to receive any delegates. Pledged delegates are awarded
proportionally in both state-wide and reginal contest.

11. What is a super delegate?

If there is any doubt who is winning, they bring in a super delegate. They are super elites
that are invited to the convention.

2 Congressional election 2020

3 The two parties

1. Which animal symbolizes each of the two parties?

The republican parti is symbolized with the elephant. The democratic parti is symbolized
with a donkey.
2. Where do the symbols come from?
The elephant is a symbol of strength, where the donkey came from the nickname that was
given to the candidate Andrew Jackson.

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 3. What colour represents the Democrats and the Republicans respectively?
Democrats - Blue
Republican - Red

4. Which party is called the GOP and why?

The republican is also called the GOP which stands for the Grand Old Party.

5. Find out what the Democrats and Republicans (generally) think about the following issues.
You may use: https://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican.

Democrats Republicans

Taxes They are progressive. They They favor a “flat tax”, where
think that high income earners everyone should be taxed at
should be taxed at a higher the same tax rate
rate

Military Decreased spending Increased spending

Abortion Should remain legal Should be illegal

Death Penalty While support for the death A large majority of

penalty is strong among
Democrats, opponents of the
death penalty are a substantial
fraction of the Democratic
base.
Healthcare They support universal
healthcare: supporting
government involvement in
healthcare
Republicans support the death
penalty.
Private companies can provide
healthcare services more
efficiently than government-
run programs. 

Immigration Overall support of offering a Generally against any

pathway to citizenship undocumented immigration

4 The presidential election

4.1 US Election 2020: How to become president

Watch: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/election-us-2020-54026017 (2:30)

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 1. What is “the popular vote”?
This is where a candidate wins by having the majority of the voter’s votes.

2. What is the electoral college?

The delegates that the voters vote for are in the electoral college. The electors have a shared
task of choosing the president of the United States.

3. What is the reason that the electoral college was introduced in the first place?
The founders were concerned that a direct popular vote might lead to an unsuitable
president. Electors was selected as a compromise.

4. Why is the system referred to as an indirect system?

It is because the people do not vote on the candidate themselves, but on someone that will
represent their vote.

5. How many electors are there altogether?

There are 538 electors, a candidate will need at least 270 electors to win

6. What does it take to win a state?

It takes a majority of the voters vote

7. How many electors do you need to win the presidency?

A candidate will need at least 270 electors.

8. Why are swing states especially important?

Because their electors can have the an essential vote.

9. What are the arguments for and against this voting system?
Sometimes the popular vote does not go through, so it is not the majority that wins, which
makes it less democratic.

4.2 US Election 2020 – a really simple guide:

Read: https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53785985

1. Who is eligible to vote?

People with either a driver license or passport (documentation) and 18 years old.

2. How do they become eligible?

When they turn 18?

3. Do people in general use their right to vote?

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 During the pandemic it has gotten more contentious how people vote.

4. Why is there a wide use of postal ballots?

Because of the pandemic.

5. Why is Trump not in favour of this?

Because he is suspicious that it will lead to fraud.

6. Which party has control of the House and of the Senate, respectively?
The democrats.

7. How many seats are up for election this year?

All 435 seats are up for election this year, but also 33 Senate seets.

8. The seats that are up for grabs are referred to as either “solid”, “likely/lean” or “toss-up” –
explain
Solid - It will with high probality
Likely/lean - Almost sure
Toss-up - Not accounted for yet

9. When does the winner take office?

If Joe Bidden wins, he will officially be sworn into office on 20 January.

10. What is the name of the ceremony when the new President is officially sworn in?
Inauguration

11. Where does the President reside?

In the White House

5 The candidates

5.1 Campaign ads

1. Watch the two candidates’ 2020 campaign ads. Which message are they trying to convey
and are they successful in doing so? 
 Joe Biden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hggux80pCWw  
 Donald Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4sVnOsXlAA  

2. Find a campaign from each of the two candidates where they include the Corona pandemic.
Analyse the contents.

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5.2 What a Biden victory could mean for America

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UdZzFVC6XU&ab_channel=TheEconomist: What a

Biden victory could mean for America | The Economist (10:04)

1. Why does dull seem appealing to many Americans right now?

2. What were Trump’s chances of being re-elected before Covid-19 hit the US?
3. What are Biden’s chances of winning the presidential election (consider at state level too)
and what are the reasons mentioned in the video?
4. What is Biden’s stance on healthcare and climate change?
5. Why does Biden have the stage to govern much more ambitiously than e.g. Obama?
6. How many seats will the Democrats have to flip in Congress to hold control?
7. What is a filibuster?
8. What is an executive order?
9. What is said about Biden’s potential as a global leader?

5.3 Anything but normal: US Virtual Election

Watch: BBC World, 29.08.2020, (24 mins), CFU

Pre-watching:

Both sides seem to master the three-parts trick. Guess who will say what in the documentary:

Church, belittle, looting, blame, build, school, vandalism, work, back, better, bully, rioting

About their own About the opponents

Republicans:
Democrats:

While watching:

Sum up the major arguments of each candidate and/or their supporters:

Joe Biden and his supporters Donald Trump and his supporters
 

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Forms of Appeal:

Both candidates have family members endorsing them in the documentary. Find examples of how
each side uses ethos, pathos and logos.

Adjectives:

Choose 3 adjectives that sum up each of the two campaigns.

Democrats
Republicans

6 Media bias

Study the 3 posts below and analyse how each medium wants to depict Donald Trump.

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7 Bibliography

Anything but normal: US Virtual Election, BBC World, 29.08.2020, (24 mins), CFU

Democrat vs. Republicans, https://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican.

Election 2020: what a Biden victory could mean for America | The Economist,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UdZzFVC6XU&ab_channel=TheEconomist

Joe Biden launches first TV ad in Iowa, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hggux80pCWw  

Predict the president 2020: Will Trump or Biden win the US election? You decide,
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54286528

SUPER BOWL AD: Stronger, Safer, More Prosperous, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=m4sVnOsXlAA  

 Trump tweets from hospital as doc confirms Remdesivir treatment: ‘Going well, I think!’,

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-tweets-from-hospital-as-doc-confirms-remdesivir-
treatment-going-well-i-think?fbclid=IwAR0j5Mib9V3RAZJePSVST7Pe7-j-
n_JKhNZ1UKbFniZhxhA1QyKz36rTcDY

US election 2020: How to become president, https://www.bbc.com/news/av/election-us-2020-

54026017

Win the White House, https://www.icivics.org/games/win-white-house

2020 The Democratic Race | Start Here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCKKwuw3Y-

s&fbclid=IwAR3YQAHa_GjU90zH7R_k7DZ2MKStBe_t3EBSzQyv4E0B-G1MdiINJIsw1oc

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