POL Polity – Flashcards

• Argues that Millennials are distinct from previous generations and use lots of technology.
• Technology enables changes by creating powerful ways to reach new voters with messages that relate directly to their concerns, new generations love them
• Millenials – larger than any others, love tech, diverse, accept diversity and differences
• 2008 campaign was first test of candidates willingness to embrace social networking, Obama used a facebook based website to get more donations than any dem in history
• Harry Potter metaphor, Harry is millennial who makes the system work for him despite his gen X teachers
• America has generational cycles, in his speech in Selma AL he appealed to the generational cycle

• Argues the political parties are super partisan and divided
• Argues that we are a super successful country but we can’t balance our budget or provide health care
• Why can’t we solve problems? Day-to-day functioning of American politics now inhibits the constructive compromises between the parties required to confront these problems
• Politicians only advance the issues that their base (party or constituents) want
• Instead of being open, we are narrowing perspectives and fighting
• Benefits – offers voters clear, stark, choices. With such vivid differences, more voters are participating
• Political System is breaking down bc too few political leaders resist the rising pressures inside the parties for ideological and partisan conformity that make it more difficult to bridge our disagreements

• Explains the motivations that created the controversial Tea Party Movement, outlines its goals “limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets”
• Criticisms – right winged and racists
• Mirror and Magnet- it reflected back whatever its individual members wanted to project on to it
• Not racists but their ideals are held by those who think minorities have been coddled
• Rand Paul was authentic! Gave downer speeches but they were good ones! Very popular #randlside “we are unhappy and we want things done differently, we want our government back”
• Followers are everyday people, not racists or bigots, they are just fed up with career politicians

• Writes about visiting America in 1831, says that he was surprised to see a country so focused on individuality that we gravitate toward interest groups. He sees them as a great way to work together and promote shared goals
• Associations – have more authority than the press, when an opinion is represented by a society it assumes a more exact and explicit form. Zeal is increased by member numbers. It unites the efforts of the mind which have a tendency to diverge in one single channel, and it urges them vigorously towards the one single end which it points out.
• Right of association is almost as inalienable as the right of personal liberty!!!

Interest groups give minorities a voice, Americans love associations, do americans help or go to authority?

• During the 50s and 60s, interest groups were studied intensely, EE said that “the pressure system has an upper-class bias” Business men and college graduates are more likely to write to their congressman,
• Pressure Politics- small scale, not representative of everyone,
• Party Politics- large scale
• Distinction between public and private very important and organized disorganized
• National interest also important, it is what holds people together

interest groups are class biased, small groups of affluent people, “the flaw of the pluralist heaven is that the choir sings with upper class accent”, a biased system, business men and college grads more likely to be involved

• Interest groups, voice citizens views to gov
• Expertise is needed! Special abilities and knowledge that groups can bring to bear in order to win elections. Also need $$ and membership to build expertise.
o Issue Credibility- ability to speak on a particular issue in a way that affects voters’ decisions
Some groups know that their message isn’t for everyone, gun control and abortion, so they “narrow cast” to avoid activating the opposition
o Targeting Voters- ability to reach specific voters outside the organization – buy lists of things like subscribers to targeted magazines (field and stream), then you contact them by mail etc
o Targeting races – selecting which races will receive priority involvement
o Campaign services – polls, demographic research, candidate training, or fund-raising

Parties are partisan, interests are more critical and extreme, tightly entertwiend party and interest groups are alligned, interest groups give expertise and have credibility, influences votes when they endorse candidates, use “narrow casting” and targeted ads for hot button issues

• News agencies create news as much as report on it, have “feeding frenzies” about scandals – “press coverage attending any political event or circumstance where a critical mass of journals keep to cover the same embarrassing or scandalous subject and pursue it insanely”
• Media is screening method for candidates, not political parties, media makes or breaks careers
• Critics say journalists are rude, arrogant, and cynical, and given to exaggeration
• Blurs public and private life line
• Seen as gate keepers, prove “would-be emperors have no clothes, and if necessary will strip them naked on the campaign trail”
• Argues that “the press excesses are not an acceptable antidote for candidate evils”, people publish gossip without proof
o More important info is being ignored
o Real scandals (savings and loan heist) are ignored
• Frenzies are so easy bc:
o Advances in media tech
• America is losing the service of qualified people bc they don’t want their lives intruded on

the media attention and scrutiny turns good people away from running for office

• The internet changes the way campaigns work
• “netroots” -growing community of people who became politically active through online interaction
• Two “millennials” ran for state legislature and won a contest, used social networking to win
o Tagged friends so posts were visible to friends of friends
o They won!
• Millennial generation uses internet more and more for political info
• Youtube – taps into group of frustrated videographers, great way to access millenials, but must convince friends too

social media has transformed political process,

• TV shows are built around debate and confrontation, people are primed to want conflict and excitement, brains are primed to notice conflict
• Author holds mock debate, civil and uncivil. In uncivil, their candidate is best, opponent is downright evil!
• When shows are more civil, viewers are less polarized, improvement is possible
• During uncivil exchanges, sense are heightened and people have harder time processing the exchange, some arousal calls attention to what might be bland, but at extremely height levels, people only remember emotions not substance of argument
• How can we make politics exciting without the drama?

heated debate shows don’t explain issues, are just entertaining

• In news comedy shows line is blurred
• Prospects of maintaining informed electorate look bleak, vicious cycle of trivialization and cynicism is set in motion
• It does add something of its own to our understanding of current events
• Difference btw network and cable humor, but all say that the politicians are bad and America loses
• Politicians hate politics too, campaign for being outside of Washington, anti-political humor is everywhere
• Media promotes cynical message
• Genuine political satire is helpful, points out hypocrisy and tells us when our gov is not living up to ideals

jokes in media in public policy, jokes humble politicians, satire god, pseudo sattire bad?

• Argues that the motivation of members of Congress is “single minded seekers of reelection”
o Spotlight on men, not parties
o Politics is struggle among men to gain and maintain power
o Reelection quest establishes an accountability relationship with an electorate
• 3 strategies,
o advertise, brand name “to be perceived at all is to be perceived favorably”
o claim credit for goodies that flow into their districts, they take credit where it might not be due
leave for soldiers
materials for students
o they take positions on political issues
diverse constituencies require diverse approaches, patriotic speech in morning, antiwar speech in afternoon

1. Credit Claim
2. Positions on issues –> bad for compromises
3. advertise (aimed at districts not natl)

• What goes on back in the districts, analyzes “presentation of self”, legislators expect constituent trust
• Political scientists take emphasis of home activity away, call it errand running, not true
• When they go home, do “presentation of self”, to get support and legitimacy, basis for political relationship
o Win trust back home supports decisions and gets them reelected, win trust with presentation of self
• Delegate-follow voter’s wishes
• Trustee- use best judgment

good – house can represent people better
trust! can get away with more stuff, freedom of action

• Reasons for congressional stalemate, draws distinction between lack of legislative action and action based on compromise, can happen when same party controls both branches, senate filibuster that requires 60 votes
• Gridlocks have existed since continental congress – defined as relative ability over time and issues to broach and secure policy compromise on issues high on the natl agenda
• Divided gov brings conflict, delay, and indecision, endemic to American politics
• Polarized parties make deadlock worse
• Bicameralism is most relevant in explaining stalemate, example with patient’s bill of rights in 1999, R house and senate didn’t agree
• Pressures to not compromise abound, lots of media attention and “one person’s stalemate is another’s preferred legislative outcome”

why do we have gridlock? not individual system, parties. looks to future, pessimistic, bicameralism. H and S have diff agendas adn term lengths

• “no feature of the senate is more important to understanding the inner workings of the chamber than the filibuster”
• Is last resort for minority, conflict between majority rule and minority rights
• Make good political theatre – unlimited debate and the obstruction that it allows has been a defining feature of the Senate throughout most of its history, essential to uniqueness
• Also seen as stalling essential legislation and violating the basic democratic value of majority rule
• Supermajority rule is boundary between too much prez power

minority rights, more often used now as threat

• Mentions the new forms of pork in the post-industrial era
• Always controversial, distribution of federal money for parochial needs, how will congress get a handle on the federal budjget???
• Also, failure to respond to constituent needs for new highway or whatever is political suicide
• It is accepted as part of legislative process
o Green Pork – sewer projects, waste-site cleanups, solar energy laboratories
o Academic Pork- most money not going to research facilities unless its special and sponsored by law makers
o Defense Pork – defense contracts and location of military installations
• One man’s boondoggle is another man’s district pride, hard to define what pork
• Manifestation for congressmen’s duty to constituents and as a representative of the nation

waste of money? usually infastructure but now defense and green

• Pork-barrel spending is high on Americans’ list of gripes against Congress, this spending seems to enrich congressional districts and states while bankrupting the nation, BUT these authors believe pork is necessary to satisfy constituents while finding courage to vote for real painful budget cuts
• People see pork as a chief cause for problems in our budget, but this is wrong
• PORK IS NECESSARY- pork, doled out strategically, can help sweeten an otherwise unpalatable piece of legislation, like James Madison said, goal of gov should be to harness self-interest for public ends
• Ideal pork has 3 properties: 1. Benefits are for geographic group small enough for one congressmen to get credit 2. Benefits are given so constituents can associate it with one congressman, 3. Costs from the project are obscured from taxpayer notice
• Array of benefits at little apparent cost
• Put atomic bomb project in TN to appease that governor
• Pork is crucial to increasing taxes and getting gov back on track

needed to appease citizens for larger cuts later, cutting it would hurt congress, FDR example and oakridge TN for lab for nukes

• Takes jabs at omnibus Budget Bill
• Complains about all of the pork in the bill -1mil for Utah Mormon cricket control

pork is bad

• Presidential Power “power to persuade”, president’s personal qualities permit successful persuasive abilities
• Worked with FDR during presidency
• Eisenhower, a general, found the presidency frustrating bc people did not respond to him like general
• Constitution created a government of separate institutions “sharing powers”
• The status and authority inherent in his offices reinforce his logic and his charm
o Length – those dealing with him must have a relationship with him until the end of his term
• When a president turns to others he is dependent on their knowledge, judgment, and good will, the author prefers presidents more skeptical than trustful, more curious than committeed

• Our nation is full of paradoxes, like our president who is supposed to be an average person but also outstanding and extraordinary
• We demand dynamic leadership yet grand only limited powers to the president
• The aware leader knows when to turn the volume up or down on certain traits and characteristics
• We often invite two-faced behavior in our presidents and the constitution is of little help in clearing this up
• Paradox 1. The Americans demand powerful, popular presidential leadership that solves the nation’s problems, yet we are inherently suspicious of strong centralized leadership and the abuse of power so we place limits
o We admire but fear power
• Paradox 2. We yearn for the democratic common person and also for the uncommon, charismatic, heroic, visionary performance,
• Paradox 3. We want a decent, just, caring, and compassionate president, yet we admire a cunning, guileful, and on occasion that warrant it even a ruthless and manipulative president
• Paradox 4. We admire the “above politics” nonpartisan or bipartisan approach, yet the presidency is perhaps the most political office in the American system, a system in which we need a creative entrepreneurial master politician
o Not supposed to act with eyes on the election but their position demands they do
• Paradox 5. We want a president who can unify us, yet the job requires taking firm stands, making unpopular or controversial decision that necessarily upset and divide us
o Unifier and harmonizer will doing advocacy leadership
• Paradox 6. We expect presidents to provide bold, visionary, innovative pragmatic leadership and at the same time to pragmatically respond to the will of the public opinion majorities

• A look on how America’s leaders tried to forge compromises and maintain civility despite deep political differences, the most successful presidents ‘lead from the center’
• Talks about dinner between Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson as kinda awks and representing diff ideologies and sensibilities
• Washington championed middle path as best path, spirit of accommodation, all about mutual concessions and general prosperity
• Washington searched for sensible men to preserve the union and resist politics
• This way is secret to success!
o Lincoln, Kennedy, Truman
o Clinton and Bush had long term presidencies but at great cost, toxic legacies of a divided nation
• This message resonates today and presidents must unite America against threats
• American gov needs cooperation, doesn’t work when everyone hates each other

• Article on the chief of staff, observer of the inside scene
• Chief of staff no longer republican tradition, essential to modern white house, he is boss of none and overseer of everything
• CofS needs to be familiar with the unique pressures and pitfalls of public life in Washington, there are contravening forces
• The CofS needs to have firm, four-way support, from prez, FLOTUS, VP, and VP spouse, important for credibility
• Needs to be close to preaz and familiar with those who operated the campaign, needs to distinguish between effective at campaigning and effective at governing
• Needs comprehensive control over white house staff, need management background
• All presentations to the president are subject to the chief of staff’s review
• CofS controls presidents schedule, determines priorities
• CofS controls doorway, who is allowed an audience
• CofS will deal with congress and negotiate on prez’s behalf

• Analysis of power of executive branch, identifies often unseen tension between a president’s appointees and the bureaucrats
• The administrative machinery in Washington represents a number of fragmented power centers rather than a set of subordinate units under the president
• Iron triangle – uniting a particular government bureau, its relevant interest group, and congressional supporters. Creates enduring mutual interests across the executive and legislative branches and between the public and private sectors, goal of each alliance is to be self-sustaining in its own sphere,
• Sabotage common in the form of leaks
o Not helpless against it, can use personnel sanctions and can counteract it with their own efforts like strengthening contacts

political appointess have probs running gov, not experts but good managers, inherent problem: strife w/ bureaucrats bc they come and go with prez and last 2 years, bureaucrats take civil service exam to work for gov and its their life work

• Worked on Clinton’s cabinet in 1993, is Secretary of Labor
• He has a busy day interviewing people for bureaucracy jobs who are then vetted for months, no other nation does it like this and no private corporation would either, new fleet of people with every new present
• Criteria for ppl
o Share president’s values
o The should be competent and knowledge about the policies they’ll administer
o They should be good managers
• Tom and Kitty share his values and pick out everything in his day bc they know what a good secretary of labor should do

clinton dept of labor, secretary isolated from people, no responsibility to gov, not an expert in area, leadership style, open to new ideas, personal charisma!

• Stresses an independent judiciary, separate from legislative and executive branches
• Proponent of court’s power, believes in judicial review
• Judiciary will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Const, least capacity to ignore or injure them
• No influence over the sword or the purse, depends on aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments

concerned about power of court, says it will be least powerful, no power of purse or sword, but they are appointed for life, yes this is democratic bc they MUST be independent

• Analyzes judicial review, ability of court to declare an act of congress or the executive or a state law unconst. Is this undemocratic that a handful of lifetime appointees determine the meaning of the Const and whether a law passed is valid?
• He defends JR as essence of democratic system
• Attack on JR rests on the premise that the Const should be allowed to grow without a judicial check, democracy does not mean legislative branch is sovereign
• Besides, there is no other method for enforcing the Const
• Yes, policing const requires delegated officials, but democracies need not elect all the officers who exercise crucial authority in the name of voters

i <3 judicial review, it is ok bc it protects minorities from tyrrany of majority, necessary for democracy

• Reviews Brown and why it is so remarkable
• Denied the power of the sword or the purse, the Court must cultivate its institutional prestige, power of court relies in its pervasiveness and rests with other political institutions and public opinion
• Public opinion backlash very real here
• Brown I ends desegregation, Brown II calls for all deliberate speed, court forced to recognize lengthy delays in recognition of the costs of open defiance and the pressures of public opinion
• Public opinion also curbs the court when it threatens to go too far or too fast in its rulings
o By itself, the court is almost powerless to affect the course of national policy
• The Court can profoundly influence American life, As a guardian of the Const, the Court sometimes invites controversy by challenging majoritarian sentiments to respect the rights of minorities and the principles of a representative democracy

• Review this one
• 10 things happening that are making it harder for the president to nominate SC judges
• DC is different because you don’t have senatorial courtesy

10 things increasing (except divided gov), learn a few of them, how to nominate SC judges