Fp1303003
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Ball
DeToqueville- saw democracy fail in France and traveled to America. Came to America and documented how the government effected the people. He praised the fact that all people in America were born equal and had the opportunity to rise in social status. compared to the government in France. fundamental values preserve liberty, born equal (except slaves), and democracy balance of liberty and equality.
What is government- are formal institutions through which a land and its people are ruled, they must have both a means of coercion(way to enforce laws) and a means of revenue(taxes).
different types- Autocracies- are governments ruled by a single individual Oligarchies- are ruled by a small group of people Democracies- are ruled by popular sovereignty Authoritarian governments- are checked by other political or social institutions Constitutional governments- are severely limited Totalitarian governments- tend to eliminate any limiting influences
Montgomery
Popular Sovereignty- is government based on the consent of the people. Government, established by free choice of the people, is expected to serve the people, who have sovereignty, or supreme power.Popular sovereignty is the basis of constitutional government in the United States. The U.S. Constitution clearly establishes government in the name of the people. The preamble says: “We the people of the United States… do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
5 Principles of Politics-
The Rationality Principle- All Political Behavior Has a Purpose- i.e. A political leader's actions are always meant to further his career (re-election)
The Collective-Action Principle- All Politics Is Collective Action- i.e. Many different departments of the government must work together in order for any political initiative to be successful.
The Institution Principle- Institutions Routinely Solve Collective-Action Problems- i.e. Institutions are created to solve problems within the government.
The Policy Principle- Political Outcomes Are the Products of Individual Preferences and Institutional Procedures- i.e. Laws and policies are introduced by individuals and must go through the required proceedures in Congress.
The History Principle- History Matters
Key Founding Era History-
Jarrell
french and indian war- a war fought between England and france in America. It cost england a great deal of money and so they need it a way to pay for it so they taxed the colonies. this way they dont have to raise taxes in england were they were being elected. Starts the seperation of the colonies and England.
triadic models-
hobbes/locke- Locke- An English philosopher that believed that people are generally good. he believed that all people have the rights to "life, health, liberty, or possessions".
Hobbes- An English political philosopher, author of "Levithian" and founder of the social contract theory. He believed that people are wiling to give up some of their rights in order to be ruled and have a government that can maintain authority.
Kendzior
federalist papers- series of papers that advocate the ratifying of the Constitution. Major people involved include Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
federalist 10- Written by James Madison. Discusses factions and how to guard against them. Madison argued that strong large republic would be better guard against the smaller republics, i.e. individual states. It's beleived he took some ideas from Thomas Hobbes.
federalist 51- "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition." Talks about separation of powers and the checks and balances system. People should elect the president.
voting rights- aka suffrage. Universal suffrage is the term used to describe a situation in which the right to vote is not restricted by race, gender, belief or social status. 15th Amendment(1870) grants African Americans voting rights. 19th Amendment (1920) prohibits the federal government and the states from forbidding any citizen to vote due to their sex. 26th Amendment (1971) prohibits the federal government and the states from forbidding any citizen of age 18 or greater to vote on account of their age.
Prisk
federalism-
Federalism is the system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government and regional governments. While neither the central or regional governments have the right to disestablish each other, traditionally (and in the case of the American government) the central government is the dominant authority. Traditionally requires some measure of cooperation between the different sections of government to function effectively.
-Elastic Clause: Congress has power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying out powers listed in the Constitution -10th Amendment: provides that the powers not granted to national government or states are reserved for the people
implications of federalism at different levels- -3 victories for federalism:
-McCulloch v Maryland (Federal gov't established bank, state tried to tax it)
-Gibbons v Ogden (Does Federal gov't have right to regulate interstate commerce?)
-Andrew Jackson elected in 1819 (1st era of federalism)
-1834-1933: 2nd era of federalism
-Taney Court to New Deal
-layer cake model of federalism
-Dred Scott case-Missouri Compromise
-Civil War
-nullification doctrine: states do not have power to nullify federal laws
-Plessy v Ferguson (separate but equal)
-progressive era reforms (shift power back to national government)
-Sherman anti-trust act of 1890 (outlawed monopolies)
-1933-1934
-From Great Depression: New Deal
-create jobs
-Federal Housing Administration
-1939-1941
-World War II
-1934-1960
-cooperative federalism
-1960s-1980
-direct grants
-matching grants
-by end, 20% of state spending came from federal grants
-Ronald Reagan, 1980s-1990s
-block grants
-more power back to states
-decrease in federal regulations and unfunded mandates
- Johnson-Reagan: national government tries to override racism
tragedy of the commons-
The tragedy of the commons is a parable in which there are several shepherds and a common pasture (the commons). Supposedly, if every shepherd has all of their sheep graze in the pasture it will damage the pasture slightly, so it would be in everyone's best interest to no allow all sheep to graze. However for each shepherd, allowing his/her sheep to graze gains great personal benefit, while damage to the pasture is shared, and so slight. What this means is that when given the opportunity to damage shared resources for personal benefit (as in the case of polluting the environment to save money on expensive filtering systems) people will almost always tend to gain the personal benefit and damage the common good.
Silberberg
13th amendment- abolished slavery
14th amendment- gave citizenship to African Americans and provided equal protection under the law for all citizens. Established single national citizenship, ending the question of dual citizenship raised by Barron vs Baltimore. Used as the basis for the civl rights of African Americans.
15th amendment- allowed all citizens to vote
Some C.R. History Plessy v Ferguson- established "seperate but equal"
1954-Brown v Board of Education- overrode Plessy, paved way for desegregation. Allowed national government to intervene if state/local gov't was discriminatory.
1955-Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat. Mongomery bus boycott.
1957-Little Rock, 9 black students prevented from attending school by national gaurd. Prez Eisenhower used U.S. Troops to put city under martial law to allow them to attend.
1964- Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination of any kind on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin.
1965- Bloody Sunday-march to Montgomery to support voting rights stopped and harrassed by police
Incorporation By the incorporation doctrine, the United States Supreme Court has held that most, but not all, guarantees of the federal Bill of Rights limit state and local governments as well as the federal government through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. States have been required to respect freedom of speech, press, and religion, and most of the other guarantees. They have not been required to provide jury trials in civil cases or indictment by grand jury, however (see Second Amendment; Third Amendment).
Nevin
civil liberties- Fundamental freedoms that cannot be abridges by law; negative power that limits government; that sphere of individual freedom of choice created by restraints on government power
freedom v. security- fine line of government; how far is too far for the government to be involved. Americans want to be protected by the government without losing any of the many freedoms they enjoy.
congressional committees-self imposed structures to serve interests of members of Congress. Congressmen join committees for:
1. Reelection
2. Good Public Policy
3. Power
Why do we have committees? They serve Congress through:
1. distibution of labor
2. expertiser = power (knowledge)
3. desire greater leadership positions
4. desire to serve constituents
5. structure benefits the majority party: all committees are chaired by majority party except for the ethics committee
Some types of Committees:
1. Standing Committees
2. Subcommittees
3. Select Committees
4. Conference Committees
5. Party/caucaus Committees
"Problem" with Committees is that committee assignments aren't assignments at all because they are comprised of people who share the same interests.
Results of this "Problem":
1. Committee system promotes the development and growth of government programs-no balanced motives: don't take into accoutn the other committees
2. Becomes hard to cut pork/waste because committees are dominated by people who aim to "bring home the bacon"
^these two results increase programs and spending while wanting to lower taxes which leads to increased debt
4 other issues with committees
1. gives a small group the power to control or kill legislation
2. gives disproportinal control to the majority party (because chairman of each committee must come from majority party)
3. Provide a convenient entry point for special interests (you don't have to lobby the whole house to be heard, just a few members of a committee)
4. Puts most important policy decisions into the hands of those with the most vested interest (no balanced motives)
One Positive effect of committees is those who join a certain committe are experts that have an interest in what that committee does; Congressmen who have no interest in what that committee does do not have to be a part of it.
Wells
single member districts - An electorate that is allowed to elect only one representative from each district- the typical method of representation in the United States.
-candidates of weaker parties have less of a chance of earning a seat or any power in Congress
-single member plurality: the members running for the one position must earn simply more than any of the other candidates, and they win the seat and all the power. Each seat is voted on, on an individual basis
-In a multiple member plurality (used in Europe), if party A gets 30% of the votes, they get 30% of the seats, if pat B only gets 5%, they get 5% of the seats, party C gets 65% of the votes, they get 65% of the seats.
how a bill becomes a law-
http://www.lexisnexis.com/help/cu/The_Legislative_Process/bill2law.gif
log rolling- a legislative practice wherin reciprocal agreements are made between legislators, usually in voting for or against a bill. IN contrast to bargaining, logrolling unites parties that have nothing in common but their desire to exchange support.
This was the game we did in class for the extra credit points, everyone had an issue and we needed to form groups
Erlandson
filibuster- A strategy employed in the United States Senate, whereby a minority can delay a vote on proposed legislation by making long speeches or introducing irrelevant issues. A successful filibuster can force withdrawal of a bill. Filibusters can be ended only by cloture.
cloture-
The only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a filibuster. Under the cloture rule (Rule XXII), the Senate may limit consideration of a pending matter to 30 additional hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of the full Senate, normally 60 votes.
imperial v. in peril presidency-
roles of president-
Johnson
expresses powers of president-commander in chief of armed forces. Can write treaties (have to be approved by 2/3 congress). give pardons. Appoints people to offices as long as they are approved. can convene both the house and the senate in time of emergency
implied powers of president-responsible for national security. make unofficial alliances and wars.
separation of powers-the fact that no branch could individually rule the country. All of them are needed and all of them police each other
Obamos
electoral college- The Framers of the Constitution were fearful of direct democracy and the "tyranny of the majority" it might produce. Consequently, they created a complex "filtering" process known as the Electoral College which was intended to insulate the selection of the President from the whims of the people. The Electoral College is comprised of "electors," individuals who cast the electoral votes for their states. Originally, electors were free to cast their votes as they chose. Today, electors are "bound" or "committed" by state law to vote for the candidate who received the most popular votes in their state. With the exceptions of Maine and Nebraska, states give all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins a majority of votes in the state. (The procedure for electing the President is outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution.)
Each state has a number of electoral votes equal to the number of Senators and House Members it is eligible to send to the Congress. For example, the state of New York elects two Senators (as every other state does) and thirty-one Members of the House. New York, then, has thirty-three electoral votes. The total number of electoral votes in the Electoral College is 538--one for each of the one hundred Senators and 435 House Members plus the three allotted to the District of Columbia by the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution.
Electors are chosen by the political parties in each state. When voters cast their ballots in favor of a presidential candidate they are actually voting for the electors of the same party as that candidate. When a candidate wins the popular vote in a state, he or she wins that state's electoral votes. Those votes are formally cast by the electors chosen to represent the winning candidate's party in each state.
war powers act- Limited power of President to send troops into combat, he must have congressional approval to do so or we must be under attack already
iron triangle-
Murph
bureaucratic drift-When a bureaucracy implements policy more to their liking than the original intent of the legislation
judicial review -The authority of the Supreme Court to review acts of the legislative, executive department, a state government to assess the constitutionality of the acts
judicial supremacy-The idea that the Supreme Court is supreme; the final authority on all matters of constitutionality
- CONTROVERSIAL
A. Popular Sovereignty B. Federalism C. Seperation of powers: hard to challenge court rules
Hwang
checks on judicial authority-Judicial Restraint, Good Behavior Clause, Constitutional Amendments, Presidential Appointments, Public Opinions, Can't carry out own decisions
appeals process-Three rules case must meet to reach Appellate Court; Court of Appeals
1.)Case or controversy
2.)Mootness:Can't have been resolved already
3.)Standing:The right of an individual or an organization to initiate a court case
how polling is conducted-
Schueckler
problems/consequences of polling only gets a small protion of the population
-source of errors -question wording -question order -sample population -sample size -randomization techniques -execution- number of calls, length of time -method of interview -4 types -tracking poll- overtime -exit polls- as you leave booth -deliberate poll- used to track peoples views/belief on issue -focus groups and large sample -push poll- pant idea in voters head, posing as a poll
role of media in politics
-Journalists
-Goals:
-audience share
-political influence (ideologically oriented)
-professional prestige
-career success
-How:
-frame issues
-set agenda
-prime public sentiment
-Politicians
-Goals:
-Influence
-How:
-press conferences
-press leaks
-Hire news staff
-Consumers
-Goals:
-want info
-entertainment
-How:
-TV, newspaper, internet
-Interact-selective perception-filter thru values, see/hear "through our beliefs"
-selective exposure- only watch certain things
-Does media shape or mirror society?
-Politicians<----symbiotic relationship---->Media
guest lecturer on the media
-media is capable of changing/altering politics -actor in politics -Parts -journalists, editors, executives -news suffers from stories -"Tyranny of the Peg"-find relevance to desired story -news cycle- want follow ups, but only for so long -one scoop can drive the "news cycle" -"working the ref"-influenced by threat
Rixey
goals of political parties- The primary goals of major political parties are... nominate candidates for office, raise money so candidates can get elected, campaign on behalf of their candidate, get people to vote for candidate, create a unified policy, make policies through party in government ... In short ... win elections so they can impact the federal government with thier policies.
ways goals accomplished-
Influence elections- tv ads, elect reps, etc.
Policy objectives (Party Platforms) provide political unity, provide accountability, provide voting “cues”
Political parties in action, government efforts to “get out the vote”, run “soft money” ads, train campaign staff, research, recruit candidates to run for office, lobbyists.
historical trend of PID-
Smith
why trends-
political party profiles-
key GOP/DEM leaders-
GOP leaders- President-George W. Bush House Minority Leaders-John Boehner Senate Minority Leaders-Mitch McConnell
DEM leaders- President elect- Obama Speaker of the House- Nancy Pelosi Senate Majority Leader-Harry Reid House Majority Leader-Steny Hoyer
Holden
party unity-
interest groups-
free-rider problem- enjoying the benifits of some good or action while letting others bear the costs; the example from the book goes: if a group of people want to drain a swamp and more are added to this group then some people will sit back and let other people take care of the work because they know everyone will recieve the same benifit.
Howard
I.G. benefits-
public policy- defined simply as an oficially expressed intention backed by a sanction, which can be a reward or punishment.Organized into 3 categories:
1. policies that protect public order and private property
2. policies that control or influence markets
3 policies that are disigned to defend or enhance the vitality of our capitalist economy...
Promotional-liscenses,grants,contracts...
Regulatory-laws sint tax, EPA...
Redistributive-progressive income tax.
3 views of public policy-
Political action-nobody fights,conflicts are predictable,us vs. them, logrolling(scratching backs).
"The Power Elite"- rich vs. poor, society is unicentered, command post of economic political and military. have vs. havenot.
Dohl Pluralist- society is multicentered,permeable. political actors self select. interest is narrow but intense. self selecting interest groups.
Collins
monetary/fiscal policy- Fiscal policy- the use of taxing, monetary, and spending powers to manipulate the economy. Monetary Policy- the efforts to regulate the economy through manipulation of the supply of money and credit. America's most powerful institution in the area of monetary policy is the Federal Reserve Board.
foreign policy- the way in which the U.S. interacts with other countries. differs from pubic policy because it deals with other countries nad history guides foreign policy learning from others mistakes and successes. examples ecomonic aid, executive agreement, treaties,etc.
who makes foreign policy- President through executive agreement, appointing diplomats, defacto war action,regulate foreign commerce.
Congress through voting on treaties and appointments and passing legislature.
Bureaucracy- Department of Defense, state Department(diplomats), and Department of Homeland Security.
Interest Group
Media-report news and shape public opinion.
Anderson
how is foreign policy carried out- Foreign policy is a set of goals outlining how the country will act militarily, economically, socially, etc... in its interactions with other countries The people that make foreign policy are the:
- The President- has influence with foreign policy through war, he is the commander in cheif, informaly, he can make pre-emptive military commitments, htreaten war, and can make secret agreements. He negotiates treaties and mekes executive agreements with foreign countries. He has the appointment power of selecting and nominating ambassadors. He has the power to neotiate and make executive desicions in foreign commerce power. He can recieve ambassadors and make friendly visits to countries in order to conduct negotiations in person.
- Congress-Congress can declare war, refuse to appropriate funds for war, investigates and exposes flaws in foreign policy, and can threaten to impeach the president. In the treaty power they can ratify treaties with a two thirds vote in Senate. They can issue resolutions condeming the refusal to appropriate funds in treaties with other countries. Congress approves the appointment of ambassadors by a majority vote in the senate. They can issue resolutions condeming appointments, and reject later appointments of ammbasadors. Congress regulates foreign commerce.
- Bureacracies- The major players in the bureacracy are the secrataries of the Departments of State, Defense, and the Tresury and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA). Since 1947, a seperate unit in the White House oversaw the vast foreign policy establishment for the purpose of synthesizing all the messages arising from the bureacracy and helping the president make his own foreign policy.
- This is the National security Council, which is a "subcabinet" made up of the major players that were just listed, plus two or three others whom the President has the authority to add.
- The Media-The media presents a challenge to the president in foreign policy making. Each part of the media has its own character and mode of operations. as a consequence each may represent a different source of anguish and a different source of opportunity in making and implementing foreign policy
- Interest Groups- The most important category of nonofficial player is the interest group- that is, the interest group to whom one or more foreign policy issues are of long standing vital relevance. the type of interest group with the most influence is the economic interest group.
- Most interst groups only deal with single issues and are therfore most active when their issue is on the agenda. Interests groups that deal Many leaders of interest groups spend more time tryin to keep their legitimacy with their members than actually doing things that would support their cause with congress.
- The most successful interest groups in terms of economic foreign policy has been the the narrower , single - issue groups such as the tobbacco industry, the computer hardware and software industries.
- Another type of interest group is one that has people with strong attachments to and identification with their country of national origin. (such as the Jewish Americans) This keeps America interested in dealings with Isreal. Similarily, the Irish Americans keep America interested in the dealings with northern Ireland, and try to help them. Another ethnic interest group is one that deals with Mexican Americans and tries to make it easier for immigrants to become citizens and find a job.
- A third type of interest group is one that is devoted to human rights. These people are genuinely concerned with the health and wellness of people throughout the world, particularly, those who suffer under harsh political regimes. examples of these interest groups would be the Christian Coalition who try to restrict Congress from trading with countries who permit attacks against Christians for their beliefs.
- A related type of group would be the environmental interest group (greens). Groups like this depend more on demonstrations and public protest than actual strategies of influence in Washington.
- Most interst groups only deal with single issues and are therfore most active when their issue is on the agenda. Interests groups that deal Many leaders of interest groups spend more time tryin to keep their legitimacy with their members than actually doing things that would support their cause with congress.
sub-prime mortgage crisis (triadic model)-
- Personalities
- Lehman Bros, AIG, Goldman Sacs, Joe Home Buyer, Mortgage Brokers, Local Banks, Global Pool of Money
- Context
- People are looking for places to put their money into and they put it into US Real Estate. Prices for houses keep rising, people are constantly buying and selling houses for profit. Mortgage brokers are giving out loans like candy, even to people who can't afford them, becuase the mortgage broker still gets a commission even if the loan is not payed off because companies like Lehman Bros take the responsibility in hopes to profit from it all. Eventually all the unpayed loans add up and companies that have done the same thing as Lehman Bros crash, and people who have put their stock into companies like Lehman Bros lose all of their money in mere hours.
- Structure
- The Government has no regulation over the economy
- No checks on lending Banks free to lend to whoever they feel like.
Iran contra scandal-
- The Iran-Contra affair was a political scandal which was revealed in November 1986 as a result of earlier events during the Reagan administration. It began as an operation to increase U.S.-Iranian relations, wherein Israel would ship weapons to a moderate, politically influential group of Iranians opposed to the Ayatollah Khomeini; the U.S. would reimburse Israel for those weapons and receive payment from Israel. The moderate Iranians agreed to do everything in their power to achieve the release of six U.S. hostages, who were being held by Hezbollah. The plan eventually deteriorated into an arms-for-hostages scheme, in which members of the executive branch sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of the American hostages, without the direct authorization of President Ronald Reagan.[1][2] Large modifications to the plan were conjured by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North of the National Security Council in late 1985. In North's plan, a portion of the proceeds from the weapon sales was diverted to fund anti-Sandinista and anti-communist rebels, or Contras, in Nicaragua.[3] While President Ronald Reagan was a supporter of the Contra cause,[4] there has not been any evidence uncovered showing that he authorized this plan.[1][2][5]
After the weapon sales were revealed in November 1986, Ronald Reagan appeared on national television and stated that the weapons transfers had indeed occurred, but that the United States did not trade arms for hostages.[6] The investigation was compounded when large volumes of documents relating to the scandal were destroyed or withheld from investigators by Reagan administration officials.[7] On March 4, 1987, Reagan returned to the airwaves in a nationally televised address, taking full responsibility for any actions that he was unaware of, and admitting that "what began as a strategic opening to Iran deteriorated, in its implementation, into trading arms for hostages."[8]
Many investigations ensued, including those by the United States Congress and the three-man, Reagan-appointed Tower Commission. Neither could find any evidence that Reagan himself knew of the extent of the multiple programs.[1] In the end, fourteen administration officials were charged with crimes, and eleven convicted, including then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.[9] They were all pardoned in the final days of the George H. W. Bush presidency, who had been vice-president at the time of the affair
