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1. In 59 B.C. Julius Caesar and Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus were elected to be the Consuls of the Roman Republic. Bibulus and his supporters opposed Caesar's political agenda, but when they tried to oppose it, the first confrontation resulted in a physical confrontation. Bibulus, covered in excrement, had to retire to his house. Bibulus then sought to void all Caesars' legislation by periodically emerging from his house and issuing what statement?
2. In 2003, Jesse Helms retired from the United States Senate (he had declined to run for re-election in 2002, and his term expired on January 3, 2003). Senator Helms was an ardent conservative, opposing, according to the "Washington Post," "communism, liberalism, tax increases, abortion, homosexuality, affirmative action and court-ordered busing to desegregate schools." His stance in opposition to these issues earned him what nickname?
3. The United States Senate allows the procedural tactic of "filibustering," where a Senator gives an endless speech to prevent a bill from coming to a vote. The rule is that a Senator has the floor until he or she yields the floor. Which of the following is the only way a Senator engaged in a filibuster can get a break without "yielding the floor?"
4. The United States House of Representatives stopped allowing the filibuster in 1842. Until 1890, though, Representatives could use a tactic called the "Disappearing Quorum." In order to defeat the tactic, Speaker of the House Thomas Reed, a Republican, decided to count members as present if they were physically in the room when the vote was called. During the showdown, the Democrats used all of the following tactics EXCEPT:
5. Under the United States' Constitution, the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch are separate, while in a Parliamentary system, the Executive is formed by members of the Legislative. Accordingly, the Government in a Parliamentary system must have the support of a majority of the Legislative branch in order to continue as the Government. If the Government no longer has that support, they may be subject to a vote which basically says "Whatever this Government wants, I'm against it." What's the term for this vote?
6. Some people hold to the political philosophy that every government is bad and leads to the oppression of the individual. Therefore, whatever a government wants, they're against. What's the generic term for someone who opposes all governments?
7. A variant of being opposed to everything someone does is being in favor of everything they oppose. A common way of putting this is "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Winston Churchill found himself in this position during the Second World War. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, he called for aid to Russia despite having a record as a fierce anti-communist. He recognized the reversal in policies by saying "If Hitler invaded Hell, I would...." What would he have done?
8. During the Cold War, many U.S. politicians won elections by claiming that their opponents were "soft on Communism." This was less a statement about a candidate's policy differences than a rhetorical tool, as the charge could be leveled no matter what the opponent did. Few candidates offered that accusation more frequently than Richard Nixon, who claimed his opponent in one election was "pink right down to her underwear," and in 1952, claimed that Adlai Stevenson had a "PhD from Dean Acheson's College of Cowardly Communist Containment." Nixon was therefore on record as being opposed to anything that might be considered soft on communism. Yet he made what state visit in 1972?
9. It seems that the United States has been divided into Democrats and Republicans since the dawn of time, but that's not the case. Several successful political parties have emerged and disappeared, with occasional stop-gaps appearing. For four years, 1854 to 1858, while the Republicans were getting their act together, a stop-gap party called "The Opposition Party" existed as a means of being against the Democrats without using the name of a party discredited by its implosion in the 1852 election. What was the name of the party, which had formed in 1833, but vanished from the political landscape after 1852?
10. The title of this quiz comes from a Marx Brothers movie, "Horsefeathers." Specifically, it's the title of a song performed by Groucho Marx. "Horsefeathers" is set at fictional Huxley College. In the song, Groucho announces that he is opposed to whatever proposition is offered to him. What position of authority does Groucho hold?
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