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Participating in the Political Process/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| vacancy of vice president | 11/4/2011 | John C. Berg |
| Q: if the vice president becomes vacant (dies or resigns), and the president appoints the new vice ... A: Briefly, no. And the president does not actually appoing the new vice president; rather, the ... | ||
| Communication with elected representatives. | 9/17/2011 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Berg, I am so fed up with what is going on in Washington, DC that I now feel as though I must start ... A: For the President, go to www.whitehouse.gov, and click on 'contact us' in the upper right-hand ... | ||
| a fair,accurate,nonpartisan political website? | 4/5/2011 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I'm interested in finding a website that is NONPARTISAN,accurate website where I can get a real ... A: Larry, This question is trickier than it looks. First, the most accurate source of information ... | ||
| Congress & Civil Rights | 2/1/2011 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I'm not too sure if this totally falls under your area of expertise but: What is Congress's Role & ... A: Congress has the power to make laws to ensure that everyone is given equal protection of the laws, ... | ||
| I want to run for office. | 11/4/2010 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I mean, like, the USA government office. I'm 22/female. I know absolutely nothing about politics. ... A: Good for you! We need more young people to get involved. You don't need particular degrees -- you ... | ||
| Constitution | 8/10/2010 | John C. Berg |
| Q: If our founding fathers were able to write their own constitution. Now that our Government decided ... A: It's a bit hard to answer this, since I don't agree with the premise that our government has decided ... | ||
| Peer Reviews | 6/1/2010 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I am a grad student and have a quick question. Are the articles posted within the Brookings ... A: I think you are somewhat missing the point here, in two ways. First, "peer reviewed" is a concept ... | ||
| Peer Reviews | 5/30/2010 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I am a grad student and have a quick question. Are the articles posted within the Brookings ... A: It isn't all that quick. The Brookings site gives no indication that they use any kind of peer ... | ||
| How can you use Facebook and Twitter if you want to start a career in (local) politics? | 2/16/2010 | John C. Berg |
| Q: how can you use Facebook and Twitter if you want to start a career in (local) politics?What are the ... A: Sam, this is a very big question, and I cannot take you very far with it. First of all, you must do ... | ||
| campaign staffing | 2/9/2010 | John C. Berg |
| Q: John, Can you tell me on average how many positions are usually held during various campaigns by ... A: Well, of course a lot of politicians are attorneys, but I guess you mean people who are hired by a ... | ||
| How to lobby "dirty"? | 2/4/2010 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I appreciate your help. Lots of people I know tell me that the lobbyists control the government(of ... A: Rami, Thanks for your question. I don't think lobbyists control the government, but they do have a ... | ||
| Passing a bill | 1/20/2010 | John C. Berg |
| Q: My daughter was hit by a drunk driver in Dec. of 2008. I have now got up the courage and strength to ... A: First, I am very sorry to hear about your daughter. It must be very hard for you. As to your ... | ||
| need help for a paper | 12/12/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: can he or she get sued by an organization? im just a little confused about this? it sounds like a ... A: George, I'm reluctant to provide help in writing a paper, but I do want to say a little about this ... | ||
| Party registration change | 11/22/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Can a voter in the US primaries vote for one party, in the time between the primary and the ... A: Basically, yes -- but you have some of the details wrong. In the final election (also called the ... | ||
| Votes counting | 11/5/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Why in the presidential elections different states are given different "weights" (I forgot how it's ... A: It would certainly be more democratic to count the total number of votes for each candidate for ... | ||
| American government 101 | 10/26/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Berg, I am not from the US but I have being leaving in the US for the last fifteen years. I am very ... A: That's a tough one, actually. I can't think of a specific title -- so what I'd suggest is that you ... | ||
| I want to pass a law | 7/31/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: How does a citizen of the United States begin to suggest something that our government votes on to ... A: The short answer is to suggest it to one of your representatives in Congress -- your Representative ... | ||
| PACs and 527s | 7/21/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: What is the difference between a PAC and a 527? Also, regarding the $5,000 limit contribution to ... A: 1. PACs raise funds which they donate directly to the campaign funds of candidates. 527s are not ... | ||
| Who can run? | 4/24/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I am valedictorian at my high school and I have decided to go pre-med. I am also really interested ... A: There have been a number of medical doctors in politics, including Dr. Howard Dean, who was Governor ... | ||
| Political Corporations | 4/14/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Berg, I have a friend running for office and we are trying to figure out what is the best ... A: Dominic, First of all, you can't run a campaign through an ordinary corporation -- since in most ... | ||
| Civics question? | 2/7/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Who does one go to when seeking assistance in a matter regarding a borderline incompetent state ... A: Basically, you have two choices: 1. Try to get one of your elected representatives to take up your ... | ||
| getting the other person to sign over his rights to a child | 1/21/2009 | John C. Berg |
| Q: i have a little girl she is almost 7 years old. Her biological father has been part of her life ... A: I have great sympathy for your situation, but unfortunately getting a bill passed is not the ... | ||
| Consttutional convention | 12/17/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I have just received an e-mail that says that 32 state legislatures have approved the convening of a ... A: Well, it's sort of true, but if the email is the same as the story by Tom DeWeese posted all over ... | ||
| House and Senate ? | 12/9/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: regarding advocacy, usually the advice is to write your congressman... how about writing the ... A: I'm not a lawyer, and can't give legal advice -- and for more details, you may need that. The ... | ||
| Mayor passed away | 11/16/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I am fairly new at the job of clerk/treasurer in my city, and certainly never expected to be dealing ... A: This is a tough one, and I can't offer any very specific help. My main suggestion is that, rather ... | ||
| Marshal Law | 11/12/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Here is the reference you requested. It was an Executive Order, not a statute. Appearently, Congress ... A: That does not say anything about martial law, it is about how to keep the government going in the ... | ||
| advocating... | 11/7/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: why/how do lobbyists have access with congressmen ? is it because of personal relation ? or ... A: This is a tough one, in that most informed public opinion is against you -- so somehow you have to ... | ||
| us house | 11/6/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I was wondering if you have any advice on how to win. p.s. I live in NJ's 5th district and I am a ... A: That's a very broad question, so I will only make a few suggestions. First, you already know what ... | ||
| lobbying... advocating... | 10/24/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: why/how do lobbyists have access with congressmen ? is it because of personal relation ? or ... A: There is no one answer to your question. Many lobbyists are personal friends with members of ... | ||
| switching political parties | 10/21/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: How many in todays Congress and Senate have switch parties, and remains these parties todate? What ... A: I don't know the exact number -- it is not very large, no more than 3 at any one time. I also don't ... | ||
| Parties | 10/18/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: It seems like the mud slinging between parties has always been pretty tough and very costly. I've ... A: Your last question asks for my opinion about what would be better; that is not the function of the ... | ||
| Election postion | 10/12/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I'm not sure if this is a stupid question or not but lets say a person runs for a different ... A: Not stupid at all, but kind of complicated. It depends on the offices in question, and on which ... | ||
| lobbyists and campaigning | 10/8/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Can professional, paid lobbyists participate in, and actually run political campaigns for a certain ... A: The short answer is "yes," but it would make more sense with a little explanation. First of all, ... | ||
| Congress Pension Plan | 10/4/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I feel the U.S. Government needs to be ran more like a business, balanced budget and all. We, the ... A: Under the US Constitution, there is no provision for passing a law just by the voters -- all laws ... | ||
| Political Parties | 10/3/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: When running for a United States delegate seat, why is it important to run under a party flag, ... A: Ah, that's a very different question! Personally, I don't think there would be any disadvantage in ... | ||
| campaigns | 9/22/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Could the presidential candidates present their viewpoints to the public via TV advertising, instead ... A: Certainly they could do that -- I'm not so sure it would be effective, though. Voters tend to resent ... | ||
| Lawyer political party affiliations | 9/9/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Greetings, Where can I get a breakdown of political party affiliations of ALL attorneys. A friend ... A: No one keeps track, of course. The closest I could find was a survey of lawyers in Chicago, taken in ... | ||
| electoral college | 9/8/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Just wondering here, since Washington DC is a district but not part of any state, is it technically ... A: Yes, the District of Columbia is part of the United States. Its territory was originally part of ... | ||
| Number of parties | 7/19/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: I think some people think a 2 party system is the best possible way for things to be. And all ... A: Much of what you ask is a matter of opinion, not expertise, so I will not answer all your questions. ... | ||
| Al Sharpton | 7/15/2008 | John C. Berg |
| Q: Al Sharpton said to someone else when the camera was "thought" to not be running something about ... A: Jackson had just been interviewed on Fox News. The interview was over, he was not on camera, but the ... | ||
Participating in the Political Process
Answers by Expert:
John C. Berg
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
How to run for office and win, how to lobby, how to promote your political cause effectively, how to get involved in electoral and issue campaigns, how to get a job in politics.
Experience
I have been a professor of political science since 1974, and direct a graduate program in professional politics. I have worked on many campaigns in various capacities.
Organizations
American Association of Political Consultants, American Political Science Association, Caucus for a New Political Science, National Society for Experiential Education, International Political Science Association.
Publications
Polity, New Political Science, Policy Studies Journal. Author of Unequal Struggle: Class, Gender, Race, and Power in the US Congress.
Education/Credentials
PhD, Harvard University, 1975
MA, Harvard University, 1973
BA with Honors, University of Wisconsin, 1964
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