The war on “Woke” by some members of the Republican Party: A true war or more culture wars?

Is The State of Our Union Strong?
BOOKENDS –
THE STATE OF
THE UNION
On the first day of class, I sated my belief that “The State of Our Union is Strong.” Many of you disagreed, to say the least. Yes, it is clear that you came into the course with your own assessment of the current state of the country, our state, our city and state. We began the semester with the introduction lecture discussing Political Parties: Division, Distrust and Polarization in our country. We discussed a divided Congress: The Republican House majority and the Democrats Senate majority.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries become the first African American Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. 2 | P a g e

We saw, for the first time in one hundred (100) years, a ballot for Speaker of the House went to nine (9) ballots: Congressman Kevin McCarthy set a record of 15 ballots over a four-day period until he was elected Speaker of The House of Representatives on January 7, 2023.

We began the semester, the year in a Divided Country: 70% America Polarized. In January, polls indicated that American was on the wrong track and going in the wrong direction. 

Members of both the Democratic and Republican party used words such as “Downhill,” “Wrong Track,” “Disaster/Hard Times,” “Uncertain” to describe the economy and the nation.

Reflect on this historical and extraordinary year and key events events ocIs The State of Our Union Strong?

BOOKENDS –
THE STATE OF
THE UNION
On the first day of class, I sated my belief that “The State of Our Union is Strong.” Many of you disagreed, to say the least. Yes, it is clear that you came into the course with your own assessment of the current state of the country, our state, our city and state. We began the semester with the introduction lecture discussing Political Parties: Division, Distrust and Polarization in our country. We discussed a divided Congress: The Republican House majority and the Democrats Senate majority.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries become the first African American Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. 2 | P a g e

We saw, for the first time in one hundred (100) years, a ballot for Speaker of the House went to nine (9) ballots: Congressman Kevin McCarthy set a record of 15 ballots over a four-day period until he was elected Speaker of The House of Representatives on January 7, 2023. We began the semester, the year in a Divided Country: 70% America Polarized. In January, polls indicated that American was on the wrong track and going in the wrong direction. Members of both the Democratic and Republican party used words such as “Downhill,” “Wrong Track,” “Disaster/Hard Times,” “Uncertain” to describe the economy and the nation.

Reflect on this historical and extraordinary year and key events events occcurring this semester to answer the key question: Is The State of Our Union Strong? As you prepare your paper, here are a few things to keep in mind: 

1. The fight to deny women the right to choose as Republican-led states continue to enact restrictive abortion laws

2. Polarization in our country with Social Media playing a major role in promoting misinformation 

3. The war on “Woke” by some members of the Republican Party: A true war or more culture wars?

4. The issues that matters to you the most: Threats to democracy? Woe v. Wade? Crime? Student debt relief? Etc…

5. For the first time in history, a former President, Donald Trump, was indicted

6. The culture war both political parties are engaging in and extreme candidates

7. The media: are they responsible in their reporting or are they attempting the create the narrative: are they telling us what to think and we should be important to us?

8. The power of Social Media