Second Assignment, Spring 2026

Pick one:

Option 1

Track a major policy proposal from President Trump's February 24, 2026 State of the Union. Explain the message war: how Republicans sell it, how Democrats counter, and who "wins" the first five days (including the Sunday talk shows). Use public opinion data, message pickup, elite cues, media stories, and any movement you can document. Define what “win” means in your analysis. Poll results are available at major media outlets and these sites:

• RealClearPolitics
• Pew Research
• Polling Report

Option 2

Compare Vice President Vance to any vice president since Nixon's time as Eisenhower's veep. Has the vice presidency grown more powerful, specialized, political, or presidential? Consider whether differences come from personalities or institutional changes. Look at each veep’s policy portfolio (if any), political role, and relationship with the president. Use at least one presidential or vice presidential memoir, one scholarly book or article, and reputable news sources.

Option 3

Choose one office from the White House internship list and explain why you would want to be an intern there. Go beyond the official description: what does the office really do, and how much influence does it really have? Use primary sources such as executive orders, press releases, speeches, internal memos, news coverage, and interviews with former staff. Also look at books and articles about White House staff. Explain what the office truly produces and its role in presidential governance. Finally, explain why it fits you.

The specifications:

• Essays should be typed (12-point), double-spaced, and no more than four pages long. I will not read past the fourth page.
• Please submit all papers in this course as Word documents, not Google docs or pdfs.
• Read Strunk & White and my stylesheet (with links to model papers). Watch my writing lecture.
• Cite your sources. Please use endnotes in the format of the Chicago Manual of Style. Endnotes do not count against the page limit. Please do not use footnotes, which take up too much page space.
• Misrepresenting AI-generated content as your own work is plagiarism and will result in severe consequences
• Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you. 
• Return essays to the Canvas dropbox for this class by 11:59 PM, Friday, March 13. (If you have trouble with Canvas, simply email it to me as an attached file.) I reserve the right to dock papers one gradepoint for one day’s lateness, a full letter grade after that.

See this page for Internet resources on the presidency.