Article 1
MLA Citation:
Flegenheimer, Matt. "Gorsuch Tries to Put Himself Above Politics in Confirmation Hearing."The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 24 Mar. 2017.

Link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/politics/neil-gorsuch-confirmation-supreme-court.html?ref=politics&_r=0


Journal Entry:
The article was about Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing, which was mainly split along partisan lines. Democrats were still not approving of Gorsuch, seeing it as unfair that Garland never even got a hearing. Gorsuch used his speech to present himself as a judge who ruled for what was right, saying that he had ruled in favor of prisoners and illegal immigrants, groups typically favored by Democrats, but he was also willing to rule against them if the situation demanded it. This could be seen as his rebuttal towards accusations that he is influenced by his Republican ideology, and how his rulings are in favor of corporate interests. Gorsuch alo tried to emphasize himself as being above politics, saying that he was not satisfied with every one of his rulings because sometimes the right ruling could be against his views. While some Democrats are not willing to give Gorsuch a chance, others like Michael Bennet, who is also from Colorado, don’t think that they should go an eye for an eye, saying that “two wrongs never make a right”. Gorsuch already has the endorsement of Neal Katyal, who was a solicitor general under Obama, but Democrats have looked at Gorsuch’s past rulings on cases, and hope to use that against him.

Connection to AP Government/ Constitution:
I thought that Michael Bennet’s support for Neil Gorsuch, even as a Democrat, would be an example of how Presidents work with senators for judicial appointments, similarly to senatorial courtesy. This is significant because Bennet and Gorsuch are both from Colorado, so this will give his opinion extra weight. The article also brought up the Heritage Foundation, which is an interest group that supports conservative judges and opposes liberal judges. While Gorsuch has emphasized that he is trying to stay above politics, some of his past rulings did go in favor of corporations, such as when he dissented saying that a company had the right to fire a truck driver who abandoned his cargo to save himself in cold weather. He also practices judicial restraint, which can be demonstrated by some of his past rulings as a judge for a circuit court. This is good for Trump, as it will place a conservative justice on the Supreme Court to replace Scalia, but it will also make the confirmation process harder. Gorsuch also has the endorsement of Neal Katyal, who himself had a high position as the solicitor general under Obama, which is third-ranking in the Department of Justice. Although Democrats probably will try to force Gorsuch to clarify his political views and state them during the hearing, such as by using a litmus test, Gorsuch can also protect himself by refusing to answer.

Article 2
MLA Citation:
Wagner, John. "At Kentucky Rally, Trump Urges Congress to Deal with Health Care so He Can Take up Taxes and Trade." The Washington Post. WP Company, 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 24 Mar. 2017.

Link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/03/20/at-kentucky-rally-trump-urges-congress-to-deal-with-health-care-so-he-can-take-up-taxes-and-trade/?utm_term=.aa0fc2f429e7


Journal Entry:
At a rally in Kentucky, President Trump gave a speech in support of the new Republican plan to replace Obamacare. He hopes to get health care out of the way so he can focus on trade next, as he also hopes to do something about NAFTA. Mitch McConnell, who is also from Kentucky, also appeared at the rally to gather support for Trump, saying that he can “fix the health-care mess”. This is important for Trump because he is expecting a lot of opposition against the Bill in the Senate, especially from Senators like Rand Paul of Kentucky, who refuses to accept the new plan, despite McConnell’s support for it.  Trump still has a lot of confidence for his plan, saying that the “end result is going to be wonderful”, however, he did not really provide any evidence for how he would get it passed. Trump believes that after the vote, the bill will be passed and he can focus on other issues.

Connection to AP Government/ Constitution:
I thought that Trump is trying to use this rally as an opportunity to reach out to constituents of Senators like Rand Paul, who despite their party affiliation are in opposition to the new healthcare bill. By targeting their constituents, he is trying to pressure these Senators into following what their constituents want and voting as a delegate instead of a trustee. If Paul still doesn’t vote for the new Republican bill, he may anger his constituents, who see him as not representing their wishes. Trump also may have had Mitch McConnell attend the rally as well to prove that he has the Senate’s majority leader on his side. As the majority leader, McConnell has control over a lot of party policy, and he can also use the whips to convince other Republicans to vote with him. While Trump does have confidence in his plan because both the Senate and House have Republican majorities, most Democrats are also firmly opposed to the Republican plan, and it will be easier for the Democrat’s whips to do their job and get the party to vote as one. By getting health care out of the way, Trump is hoping to take advantage of his party’s majorities and quickly move to other topics he wants changed.