Benjamin Again!
Of all the 2020 Presidential candidates, who has the most money on hand?
How accurate was your prediction?
What is the big story this chart tells about money and politics?
I must admit that I was surprised by how little money Joe Biden has on hand compared to his opponents. What most surprised you about this chart?
Why is there so much money in American politics?
Are all countries equally awash in political money?
Talking about money in politics, my student Matilda argued that, “the best candidates attract the most money. That’s how it works, yo!” Why do you think the candidates with the most money have the most money?
What is one big consequence of all this money in politics?
What do candidates actually spend most of their campaign money on?
One of my students named Melinda once said, “Mr. Teacher. You know a lot about politics. You should run for office. You would win.” After I stopped laughing, I told her why my knowledge of politics was insufficient for winning office. List three good arguments I could have made to support my claim.
Do you think Melinda passed my class?
Did you know that the word gullible is not even in the dictionary?
Even when adjusted for inflation, the amount of money it takes to become president has increased more than 250-fold from Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama. Explain whether all that money make American elections more democratic (politically equal) or less.
Given the information in the dumb chart above, at this time, who would you bet will win the Democratic primary?
Based on the information in the stupid chart, at this time who do you predict will win the general election?
What is the difference between a primary election and a general election, anyway?
The candidate who outspends their opponent wins about 90% of the time. Why do you think that is?
Joe Sestak has almost no money at all. You’ve probably never heard of him. Explain why both of these statements are true.
Which of the two statements in the question above causes the other?
Based on the fact that Joe Sestak has almost no money at all, what is the likelihood he will win.
Is the information in the chart good news?
Why are you crying?
Visual Extension
Learning Extension
Open Secrets lists 10 Things They Won’t Tell You About Money In Politics. Read three of the 10 things.
Action Extension
Take Action at Open Secrets and share what you did and learned in class or online.
CONVO Extension
Join in dialogue with your class on the topic of money in politics. Here’s how CONVO works.
Cats In Hats Extension
Did we already see this? Doesn’t matter! It’s always great!