Combating the Culture of Corruption
Summary
It’s a classic American film: the young, idealistic new senator, Jefferson Smith, heads off to
Washington where he finds that his boyhood hero, Sen. Joseph Paine, is accepting bribes. Worse
still, Mr. Smith finds that none of the other senators really care all that much. In Hollywood, the
solution is simple: Jimmy Stewart saves the day. Fast forward 60 years: The corruption is still
around, and in a fundraising e-mail, the Democratic National Committee claims that presumptive
Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain is more Joseph Paine than Jefferson Smith.
That charge has little basis in reality. In this lesson students will dig into a recent bribery scandal
to assess John McCain’s real role in rooting out the culture of corruption.
Objectives
In this lesson, students will:
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Examine an e-mail from the Democratic National Committee that attacks John McCain,
the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for looking the other way during a
bribery and corruption scandal.
Research McCain’s role as head of the Indian Affairs Committee and explore the history
of the investigation into the scandal.
Assess whether or not the DNC’s e-mail accurately describes McCain’s actions regarding
the scandal.
Background
The Democratic National Committee (or DNC) promotes Democratic candidates for elected
offices by providing technical and financial support. Because it is not officially affiliated with
any particular campaign, the DNC (like its counterpart, the Republican National Committee) can
raise virtually unlimited amounts of money and can use those funds to run advertisements in
support of Democratic candidates – or in opposition to their Republican opponents. In an e-mail,
DNC chairman Howard Dean appealed for donations while outlining the DNC’s strategy for
attacking John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Among the charges,
the DNC said that McCain “looked the other way as Jack Abramoff bought and paid for the
Republican Party and the culture of corruption.” The claim, however, is a serious distortion of
the facts.
Materials
1. Student handout #1: Democratic National Committee e-mail, “We Need Your Help to
Beat John McCain.”
2. Student handout #2: Washington Post, “The Abramoff Affair: A Timeline.”
3. Student handout #3: Roll Call, “McCain Won’t Target Members.”
4. Student handout #4: United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics, “Senate Ethics
Manual.”
5. Student handout #5: United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics, “Letter to Fred
Wertheimer, President of Democracy 21.”
6. Student handout #6: FactCheck.org, “Smear or Be Smeared?”
Procedure
1. Make enough copies of student handouts #1 and #6 for each student. Pass out student
handout #1 at the beginning of exercise #1.
2. Make packets of student handouts #2 through #5, one per group of 3 to 5 students.
Distribute the packets at the beginning of exercise #2.
3. Pass out student handout #6 after students have reported their findings in exercise #2.
Exercises
Exercise #1 – Asking the right questions
To the teacher: The DNC’s charge that McCain looked the other way is given without evidence
or context. Good reasoners understand that claims have to be backed up by evidence. We have to
examine all the facts before we simply accept someone at his or her word – especially when we
know that the person making the claim is not unbiased. This exercise asks students to explore the
background of the Abramoff investigation and to look specifically at John McCain’s role in that
investigation.
Distribute copies of student handout #1, so that students will have the precise language of the
DNC e-mail in front of them. After students have read the e-mail, divide the class into groups of
3 to 5 students each. Then ask each group to discuss the following questions:
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What do you know about Jack Abramoff?
What role do you think John McCain played in the scandal? (Note: Press students to be
specific here.)
Does the e-mail offer any evidence that McCain failed to do anything about Abramoff?
What’s your overall impression about McCain’s attitude toward corruption? (Again,
press for specifics.)
Have the groups report their findings back to the class.
Exercise #2 – Cross-checking / Weighing the Evidence
To the teacher: As your students should have discovered in exercise #1, the DNC e-mail suggests
that John McCain turned a blind eye toward his corrupt colleagues. The claim is presented
without evidence, but the DNC has sometimes cited a newspaper report to justify its charge. In
this exercise, students will look first at a basic timeline of the Abramoff case in order to get some
insight into the scandal itself. After looking at the news report that the DNC cites, students will
dig a bit deeper to determine whether the evidence presented really does show that McCain
looked the other way during the scandal. Finally, students will compare their findings with those
of FactCheck.org.
Keeping the students in their small groups, pass out the packets containing student handouts #2
through #5. Then ask each group to answer the following questions:
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Did John McCain really refuse to investigate the Abramoff scandal?
Why does McCain say that he is not going to investigate his colleagues?
Who in the Senate has the jurisdiction to investigate the activities of other Senators?
Why was there no Senate investigation into the allegations of illegal and/or unethical
behavior of other Senators in connection with Abramoff?
Is the DNC’s charge that McCain looked the other way during the Abramoff scandal
accurate?
Have the students report their findings back to the class. Students can then examine the
FactCheck.org article, “Smear or Be Smeared?” (handout #6) to see whether their assessments
agree with FactCheck.org’s. Have the students discuss differences (if any).
About the Author
Joe Miller received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Virginia. He is a staff writer
at FactCheck.org, a project of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.
Prior to joining FactCheck, he served as an assistant professor of philosophy at West Point and at
the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he taught logic, critical thinking, ethics and
political theory. The winner of an Outstanding Teacher award at UNC-Pembroke and an
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant award at the University of Virginia, Joe has more than
10 years of experience developing curricula. He is a member of the American Philosophical
Association and the Association for Political Theory.
Correlation to National Standards
National Social Studies Standards
X. Civic Ideals and Practices Social studies programs should include experiences that provide
for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.
Essential Skills for Social Studies
Acquiring Information
A. Reading Skills
1. Comprehension
2. Vocabulary
B. Study Skills
1. Find Information
2. Arrange Information in Usable Forms
C. Reference & Information-Search Skills
2. Special References
D. Technical Skills Unique to Electronic Devices
1. Computer
Organizing and Using Information
A. Thinking Skills
1. Classify Information
2. Interpret Information
3. Analyze Information
4. Summarize Information
5. Synthesize Information
6. Evaluate Information
B. Decision-Making Skills
C. Metacognitive Skills
Interpersonal Relationships & Social Participation
A. Personal Skills
C. Social and Political Participation Skills
Democratic Beliefs and Values
B. Freedoms of the Individual
C. Responsibilities of the Individual
National Mathematics Standards
Number and Operations Standard
Algebra Standard
Data Analysis and Probability Standard
Process Standards
Problem Solving
Standard Connections Standard
National Educational Technology Standards
Profiles for Technology Literate Students
Performance Indicators
2. Make informed choices among technology systems, resources, and services.
7. Routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration,
research, publication, communication, and productivity.
8. Select and apply technology tools for research, information analysis, problem solving, and
decision making in content learning.
Information Literacy Standards
Information Literacy
Standard 1 accesses information efficiently and effectively.
Standard 2 evaluates information critically and competently.
Standard 3 uses information accurately and creatively.
Social Responsibility
Standard 7 recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society.
Standard 8 practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.
Standard 9 participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.
English Language Arts Standards
Standard 1 Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of
texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new
information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal
fulfillment.
Standard 3 Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and
appreciate texts.
Standard 5 Student employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing
process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of
purposes.
Standard 6 Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g.,
spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique
and discuss print and non-print texts.
Standard 7 Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions,
and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources
(e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that
suit their purpose and audience.
Standard 8 Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries,
databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and
communicate knowledge.
Standard 12 Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own
purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).