One Paradigm shift that i am interested in discussing is the rise of ultra-conservative candidates in the Republican field. While there have always been very conservative candidates within the Republican parties, over the last 10 years there numbers have risen and in turn resulted in even more conservative representatives. This can be seen by the emergence of the Tea Party within the Republican party. These ultra-conservative candidates are an interesting phenomenon. Most come from districts in the south where they don’t have to appeal to liberal voters at all because the number of conservatives is incredibly high. This gives them a job security in which these ultraconservative candidates never previously had. As a registered Republican this paradigm shift both intrigues and concerns me. I agree with some of the ultra-conservative candidate’s viewpoints, but their inability to compromise in order to get things accomplished keeps their ideas from being realized. This paradigm shift also forces candidates in Presidential Primaries to appear more hardline conservative in order to appeal to this huge voting block within the Republican Party. While this does result in candidates who i agree with more, it makes the Republican nominee unable to attract a lot of swing voters during the General election. This severely hurts the chances of Republican nominees in winning the presidency. I would be interested in writing and giving my TED talk about this,
Another Paradigm shift I would be willing to talk about would be the transition in the way that marijuana is looked at and treated at both a state and federal level. This includes the introduction of medical marijuana, decriminalization, and the opening of dispensaries. Marijuana is still a class 1 drug federally, putting it in the same category as heroin or cocaine. This has resulted in a lot of conflict between state and federal governments.
I would be interested in hearing your ideas on the shift of ideas about marijuana. In high school a classmate of mine gave a very interesting and compelling speech as to why it should not be made legal. This was preceded by a presentation as to why it should be made legal, which was not at all a good presentation. I would like to hear your ideas on the change in ideas over recent years.
I think this would be a very interesting topic to discuss. One thing that really stands out to me is your assessment of “job security”. I know it is the reality, but I just cant wrap my head around the fact that politicians choose a set of opinions based on what will give them votes. I understand why they do it, I just can’t stand that it happens. I appreciate that the Tea party seems to be trying to reverse this trend but as you mentioned, sadly they are not awarded for their honesty(i think it is) with election success.