POSC401 Quiz

Potential Impacts From Framing

Shapes Public Opinon, Influence On Policy Decisions, Confirmation Bias

Shaping Of Politcial Philosphies

Confirmation Bias, Influence Of Political Participation, Political Mobilization, Political Watch Dog

Manifestation Of Polarization

Ideological Divide→Media Informtaion Bubbles→ Gridlock → Social and Cultural Divisions → Election Tensions → Political History

Consequences Of Polarization

Threat To Democractic Norms, Reactionary Policy Making, Erosion Of Public Faith, Increased Social Divisions

What Can Be Done?

• Media Reform

• Changes To The Electoral System

• Rebuild Civic Engagement

• Reestablish Bipartisan Dialogue

Areas Of Vast Partisian Differences

• Role of government

• Economic policy

• Social issues

• Immigration

• Race and identity politics

• Climate change

• Foreign Policy

• National Security

• Voting Rights

• Trust in intuitions

Authotorian

• The government generally controls the public and private lives of its people

• The government holds powers and makes policies without the consent of the people

• Does not anticipate such levels of participation and public dissent, which is considered public rebellion

• Gives complete control to the authority as opposed to people's freedom of thought

Democracy

• The government in which the people have the authority and rights to decide legislation

• Democracy is meant to uphold power and rights of citizens

• Citizens participate equally in competitive elections and are informed about public issues

• The government upholds and protects the fundamental liberties and rights of its citizens

Dictator

• A single leader or a small group of elites holds unlimited power and aims to abolish political pluralism

• The leaders see no limitation to their authority and seek to control every aspect of the public and private lives of people 

• A dictator exercises absolute control over political and financial matters, as well as morals and beliefs of its citizens

• A dictator is more focused on individual power and who doesn't respect civil liberties

Authoritarian vs Dictator (Main Difference)

An authoritarian claims to rule for the people under a guiding ideology, while a dictator uses unlimited power mainly for personal control, with no respect for citizens’ rights.

Authoritarian Vs Democracy (Main Difference)

In an authoritarian system, power is imposed from the top without real consent, while in a democracy, power comes from the people through participation, elections, and protection of their rights.

Inherent Threats From Populism

• “Us” versus “Them”

• Discourage Compromise

• Gridlock

• Normalizes The Marginalization Of Minorities

• Weaken Judicial Independence

• Attack on Political Opposition

• Attack on Media

• Strengthen Executive Power

• Political Gain

• Break Democratic Norms

• Political Violence

Populism Undermining Democratic Institutions

• Weakening of Judicial Independence

• Challenge Judicial Authority

• Manipulate The Judicial System

• Attack the Media 

• Critics are the enemies of the people

• Centralization of Executive Power

Populism Undermining Democratic Institutions Pt 2

• Expectation of “Rubber Stamping”

• Use the bureaucracy for political gain

• Demonize Political Opposition

• Acceptance of norm-breaking behavior

• Promote Political Violence

Potential Positive Attributes Of Populism

Reeling In Mainstream Political Parties

• Be more in touch with voters

• Communication is a necessity

• Grassroot Organizations

Increase Representation

• Mobilize marginalized constituencies

Democracy Is Backsliding

• Checks and balances weakened

• The rule of law is challenged

• Free expression threatened

Legal (?) and Incremental Means of Attacking Democracy by elected officials

• Emphasize the we versus them mentality

• Undermine electoral integrity

• Attack the judiciary 

• Erode norms of peaceful power transfer

• Politicize law enforcement

• Politicize administrative agencies

• Increase political polarization

• Tolerance for violations of democratic norms

Actions of the trump administrations

• Executive Overreach

• Consolidation of power

• Target the independence of Federal Agencies

• Politicize the justice system

• Attack the Civil Service

• Question the integrity of the election

• Increase state-level restrictions

•  Attack independent journalists

Authoritarian instincts

Capturing referees, sidelining key players, and rewriting rules to tilt the playing field against opponents

Democracy (Abraham Lincoln)

• As a system of government that is “of the people, by the people, and for the people"

Civil Disobedience

• is an intentional breach of law for a social purpose. It is controversial, yet effective

Civil Disobedience and Civil Rights

• Historical Roots

• Role of Nonviolence

• Peacefully delaying laws while noting the unjustness of the laws

• Example: Greensboro Four - Woolworths Lunch Counter sit-in 1960, challenging segregation laws

• Example: Rosa Parks sat in the front of the bus, where whites only could sit

• Example: The Salt March, a protest led by Gandhi of tax resistance, produced their own salt, walked 240 miles, the British arrested 60-100k people, which brought awareness to the unjustness, which was a turning point for Indian Independence

Civil Disobedience (Progression/Context)

• Often Laws Are Broken->Viewed as a Moral Obligation -> Challenges the Status Quo -> Pushes societies to greater equity and justice -> Catalyst for border movements -> has led to Significant legal changes

Juan Crow Laws

• Discriminatory laws and practices targeting Latinos, especially in Texas and the Southwest. Related events include the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 (racial violence against Mexican American youth) and later Latino civil rights activism and civil disobedience challenging these injustices.

The Shadow Docket

Decisions made by the Supreme Court without briefs

Women's Rights

• Coveture

  • Married women's rights are merged with, or becoming their husbands

  • Legally dependent on their husband

  • Legal status as a citizen is tied to her husband

  • No independent legal existence of her own

  • Significantly limited women's independence

• Suffrage Movement

  • The women’s suffrage movement was a decades-long, multifaceted fight to win the right to vote for women

Trail Of Tears

• Forced relocation of 60k native Americans from designated land to Indian territories

Worcester v. Georgia

a Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the state of Georgia had no authority to impose its laws on Cherokee Nation territory. The decision said that Native American nations were distinct, sovereign communities in which only the federal government (not the states) could regulate relations.

In practice, President Andrew Jackson and Georgia ignored the ruling, which weakened Cherokee rights and helped lead to their forced removal on the Trail of Tears.

Alaska Native: Historical Injustices Of Alaskan Natives

• Russia Colonization 1700s - 1867

• US Colonization Post 1867

• Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971

• Violence & Missing and murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)

• Environmental Destruction

• Healthcare Disparities

Historical Injustices Of Native Hawaiians

• U.S Overthrow 1893

• Banning of Language and Culture

• Land Theft

• Economic Displacement

• Healthcare Disparities

Ideal Of Democracy

• We The People

• “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these people are life, liberty and the pursuit of hapiness”

International Democratic Backsliding

• Poland 

• Tukey

Viktor Orbans Hungry

• Undermining Judicial Independence

• Weakening of Checks And Balances

• Selective Enforcement and Politicized Justice

Narenda Modis Hungry

• Weakening of Civil Liberties

• Weakening Of Free Expression

• Erosions of Independent Institutions

• Rise In Religious Tensions

Populism

• We Vs Them, a direct threat to democracy, polarizes the community and society, undermines independent institutions, erodes democratic norms, and populist claims to represent the will of the people.

•  Populists try to justify dismantling government, checks and balances, which are critical to democracy