Month: November 2022

History of a Public Controversy Brainstorm

What is court packing, and why are some Democrats seriously considering it? - The Washington Post

Image Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/09/22/packing-supreme-court/

While brainstorming ideas for this project, I thought of a very interesting topic that has always been of interest to me. Over the past several years, there has been much fuss made about potential attempts to “pack” the Supreme Court. You can trace this controversy all the way back to FDR and his attempt to expand the court to 15 justices before it failed. “Packing” the court simply means expanding the number of justices on the bench that will hopefully rule in your favor on major legislation challenges. House and Senate Democrats released a plan in 2021 to expand the court to 13 justices, largely in part to the current 6-3 conservative majority on the bench. Obviously this idea is very controversial to the side that would be losing power in the Supreme Court because of this. Republicans have argued vehemently against the idea of court-packing since the FDR days and continue to until this day. With a full Democratic-controlled presidency and Congress, it could be a true reality to see a court-packing plan pushed through in the future. A nationwide poll suggest 68% of Americans oppose the idea of court-packing, but that leaves another 32% who are in favor of the idea. This public controversy is so intriguing to me due to its deep origins back in the “New Deal” era and how it remains a relevant policy idea to this day. I would further examine the public’s perception of the idea of court-packing over time as well as each party’s attempt to either push through or stop the potential legislation right in its tracks.

*P.S. Another good idea very similarly controversial to court-packing is D.C. statehood. That has been largely debated for a number of years and could be a very intriguing public controversy to analyze.

 

Flag of Washington, D.C. - WikipediaImage Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Washington,_D.C.

Week 11 in College Football!

College football is fun. College football is exhilarating. College football is the best sport in the land. Everything about college football is entertaining, and this season has been the epitome of that. Week 11 saw the CFP picture become more clear as we approach the dog days of the regular season schedule. Let’s hear about what happened in Week 11 of FBS college football…

The PSU Review

No. 14 Penn State defense shines in 30-0 rout of Maryland - The San Diego Union-TribuneImage Source: https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-penn-state-nittany-lions-taulia-tagovailoa-brenton-strange-472ed7fcdb20ecee4ed03fc4aa4a6dc6

The #14 Penn State Nittany Lions returned home this Saturday to take on a very sneaky Maryland Terrapin team, led by junior QB Taulia Tagovailoa. Maryland has strung together strong performances all year long, like for example making Michigan earn their stripes in the Big House in Week 4 in a tough 34-27 loss.

Hunter’s Takeaways:

A 30-0 shutout win reflected one of the strongest performances of the Nittany Lions this season. Despite the climate not working in anyone’s favor with on-and-off rain showers, Penn State pieced together utter dominance over the Terrapins. I personally was a little worried about this Maryland team potentially being a trap game. I didn’t think there was a world in which we lost, however, this is one team that you just can’t take lightly with their overall impressive resumé so far this season.

In the biggest differentiator over last season, the strength of the Penn State run game was apparent again this weekend. Largely in part to the poor weather, the run game got the call and got it often. Nick Singleton returned to form, rushing for 122 yards and 2 TD’s on just 11 carries. Kaytron Allen anchored down the tandem with a 73 yard performance on 16 carries. On the day, the Nittany Lions totaled 249 yards on the ground which was necessary to perform effectively offensively on Saturday.

Joey Porter Jr. did not play on Saturday due to appendicitis, but that did not take away from a lethal performance by this Manny Diaz-led Penn State defense. Maryland accumulated just a whopping 134 yards in total offense in Beaver Stadium. Tagovailoa threw for 74 yards while the run game only mustered together the remaining 60.

An overall dominant day both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball primed the Nittany Lions for a convincing effort on Saturday. Penn State enters the final two games of the season in prime position for a top-10 finishing position in the CFP and potential New Year’s Six bowl game. This weekend, the Nittany Lions travel to Piscataway, NJ to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Penn State opens as a 19-point favorite on the road; kickoff is at 3:30 PM on Big Ten Network.

Around CFB

College Football Playoff outlook for TCU, other top contendersImage Source: https://theathletic.com/3876911/2022/11/13/college-football-highlights-results-tcu-usc/

In a defining game for the playoff picture, #4 TCU took down the #18 Texas Longhorns in Austin on Saturday night. The Horned Frogs very much so needed to win this game to keep their dream season alive. Now 10-0 with an automatic birth in the Big 12 championship game, TCU looks poised for their first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.

#25 Washington upset #6 Oregon in Eugene by a score of 37-34. Washington QB and FBS passing yards leader Michael Penix Jr. threw for 408 yards against the Oregon defense, leading the charge against a Ducks team that has thrived as of late under stellar play by QB Bo Nix. Oregon is now virtually eliminated from the CFP picture and their chance to play in the PAC-12 championship game now at risk.

#9 Alabama snuck past #11 Ole Miss in Oxford, with the final score tallying 30-24. Ole Miss held the lead into the 3rd quarter on Saturday, but could not contain Alabama and Bryce Young from capitalizing. Both teams now move to 8-2 on the season are will have to resort to the couch to watch Georgia and LSU clash for the SEC championship.

Week 12 CFP Poll

ImageImage Source: https://twitter.com/espncfb/status/1460764759939289093

What’s Ahead in Week 12?

Hunter’s Game of the Week: #7 USC (-2.5) vs. #16 UCLA – Two Southern Californian foes clash in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night on FOX. Two words can describe this matchup: loose and dynamic. Both teams bring a unique skill set to the table and it is will be very intriguing to see how they utilize them against one another. USC needs a big game from their leader QB Caleb Williams, and I think they can find just that in a must-needed win in Pasadena to salvage any hope for the College Football Playoff.

#10 Utah (-2.0) vs. #12 Oregon – The week of stellar PAC-12 games continues as the Utah Utes take on the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. In a rematch of last year’s PAC-12 championship game, the Ducks look for revenge after a 38-10 loss last year. The PAC-12 is still very much up for grabs in a 4-horse race. This is another defining game in how this conference will shake out and how these two teams remember their season.

#4 TCU (-2.5) vs. Baylor – Reiterating, TCU simply needs to win out over their final 3 games of the season to have an automatic clinch in the College Football Playoff. Baylor could very much put a fork in that talk by taking on the Horned Frogs in Waco.

#14 Ole Miss (-2.5) vs. Arkansas – Ole Miss opens as a slight favorite on the road against their 5-5 SEC foe. The SEC championship game has already been determined, but this one should provide for some fireworks in Fayetteville.