Politics and American Culture - Dr. Kevin Sims - Exam Two

house of representatives

(legislative branch)

speak for / represent people - they go do it

bicameral

(legislative branch)

two houses

- size / representation

- upper house & lower house

upper house

(legislative branch)

senate

- equal representation

- 2 per state (100)

lower house

(legislative branch)

house of representatives

- based on state population (435)

- census every 10 years to decide which states go up/down

house of representative qualification

(legislative branch)

- 25 years old

- citizen for 7 years

- resident of state

senate qualification

(legislative branch)

- 30 years old

- citizen for 9 years

- resident of state

house of representatives - terms of office

(legislative branch)

- 2 years

- unlimited amount of terms?

senate - terms of office

(legislative branch)

- 6 years

- unlimited amount of terms?

bicameral prestige

(legislative branch)

held by senate

- longer term limit

- fewer members

- "check" on house

bicameral single member district

(legislative branch)

proportional representation

bicameral functions

(legislative branch)

- spending ($32 trillion in debt)

- impeachment (andrew johnson, 1868 & donald trump, 2019/2021)

readings: know who wrote it

who determines rules

(the constitution & congress)

(legislative branch)

the house of representatives & senate create their own rules

elections

(the constitution & congress)

(legislative branch)

- elections are state based

- states make their own rules (for elections)

- each house settles its own dispute elections

immunity from arrest

(the constitution & congress)

(legislative branch)

- immunity from arrest while in session to avoid false conviction during election

- immunity for speech/debate

- exceptions: treason, felony, breach of the peace

section eight powers

(the constitution & congress)

(legislative branch)

- "elastic clause" (gives congress wiggle room / stretch power)

- necessary & proper clause (whatever they find necessary to allow other powers to work)

house apportionment

(legislative branch)

- 435 house seats

- apportioned among states by population - census every 10 years

- averaging 700,000 people per district

- each state is constitutionally guaranteed one seat

(alaska, delaware, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, wyoming)

- excludes five delegates from protected territories

(american samoa, district of columbus, guam, virgin islands, puerto rico)

house of representatives - basics

(legislative branch)

- 435 members

- 212 democrats, 222 republicans, 1 vacancy

senate - basics

(legislative branch)

- 100 members

- 49 republicans, 48 democrats, 3 independents

- independents all caucus democrat

(bernie sanders, vermont & angus king, maine & kyrsten sinema, arizona)

party leadership in congress - house of representative

(legislative branch)

- speaker: many roles & policy inititives

- majority leader: republicans

- minority leader: democrats (hakeem jeffries, new york)

- whips: count votes, communicate both directions, persuade

party leadership in congress -senate

(legislative branch)

- president pro tempore (constitutionally mandated)

- vice president is president of senate

the supreme court institution

(judicial branch)

- the supreme court decides cases about practically everything

- lots of variety

creation of the supreme court

(judicial branch)

- article three of the constitution (1788)

since then, increasing power, professionalism, and legitimacy

purpose of the supreme court

(judicial branch)

- provides ultimate decision on the court case that comes before the supreme court

- interprets the constitution (says what the law is) (bound by the law)

two categories of the supreme court

(judicial branch)

original jurisdiction & appellate jurisdiction

original jurisdiction

(judicial branch)

- a tiny fraction

- goes straight to the supreme court

appellate jurisdiction

(judicial branch)

- majority of cases

- "appellated" to the supreme court

bill of rights

(judicial branch)

ensures those in power don't restrict rights of the people

who determines the number of judges?

(judicial branch)

- congress

- there are nine

- tenure for life

- chosen by the president (77.6% success nominations)

diversity within the supreme court

(judicial branch)

- six women

- three african americans

- one or two hispanics

how does the supreme court make decisions

(judicial branch)

- "models" "perspectives"

- the legal perspective: facts of the case, precendent, meaning/statutes of constitution

- the attitidunal perspective: the key influence is the justices' ideology and values

- the strategic perspective: justices make strategic decisions based on what they want to do and what they need to do. rely on congress/executive to implement decisions.

legitamacy in the supreme court

(judicial branch)

belief on the part of citizens that the current supreme court represents a proper form of government & willingness to accept the supreme court decrees as legal and authoritative

the judiciary article

(judicial branch)

- article three

- article is different by structure, qualifications, jurisdiction

marbury v madison (1803)

(judicial branch)

- judicial review and the marshall court

- established judicial review

- the judiciary act of 1789

- the writ of mandamus (article 13 of the act)

judicial issues

(judicial branch)

- civil cases

- criminal cases

- trial

- appellate

civil cases

(judicial branch)

governs relationships between private parties (at least two)

criminal cases

(judicial branch)

government defines as evil (fine, imprisonment, etc)

(illegal act)

trial

(judicial branch)

- entry-level cases

- lower state courts vs district courts

- heard for first time

appellate

(judicial branch)

- to appeal

- either party can appeal

- state supreme courts vs courts of appeals

- special federal courts (claims court)

supreme court is...

(judicial branch)

the court of last result

current supreme court chief justice

(judicial branch)

john roberts

process of supreme court

(judicial branch)

- submission of briefs (summary of case)

- amicus briefs (friend of the court)(support one side. non-bias)

- oral arguments (argue case)

- judicial conference

- publication of opinions (majority, dissent, concurring)

right of recussal

(judicial branch)

- judge steps out

- if it ties, goes back to previous court

presidential powers - enumerated powers

(executive branch)

- chief of state: more ceremonial

- chief executive: the president, in a sense, is the chief executive

- commander in chief: armed forces

- chief diplomat

- chief legislator

article two

(executive branch)

was made first because it is closer to the people

chief of party - evolved powers

(executive branch)

leader of their party

- biden leads the democrats

- trump continues to be the "leader" of the republicans

voice of the people - evolved powers

(executive branch)

ronald regan (the great communicator)

protector of the peace - evolved powers

(executive branch)

- blamed for everything

- responds to natural disasters

manager of prosperity - evolved powers

(executive branch)

makes sure we're economically secure

world leader - evolved powers

(executive branch)

we expect this, so does the rest of the world

andrew jackson

(executive branch)

- first president from WEST of the Appalachian Mountains

- war hero and military leader

- known as the "peoples' president"

- very popular with the average person (in an age when voting rights now extended to adult white males, regardless of class status, he was an advocate of what the average american citizen wanted)

- hence, he gave us "jacksonian democracy"

abraham lincoln

(executive branch)

- as fine a man as Lincoln was, he saw it as his primary responsibility to save the constitution & the union

- he played rather fast and loose with civil liberties (he likely violated the rights of americans to protest the actions of the anti-slavery north / advance the cause of the southern states) - his actions are questioned to this day even though they were taken in the form of "protecting the union"

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

(executive branch)

- issued "executive order 9066 "after the japanese attack on pearl harbor

- to protect national sovereignty, FDR was allowed to place a curfew on and then place americans of japanese descent into internment camps during the war

- the fear of Japanese spies among us caused FDR to violate the civil liberties of Japanese citizens

- he was supported in this decision by the u.s supreme court in korematsu and hirabyashi

- both cases allowed the curfew and internment of japanese citizens in the name of defending national security

the actions taken by both Lincoln and FDR demonstrated what?

how presidential powers have evolved and expanded during times of war

what are political parties?

- linkage groups

- a necessary consequence of democracy

how are the parties organized?

- national, state, local

- recruitment, fundraising, resource, coordination

parties in the government

- distinguishes parties from interest groups

- organize legislatures

why do we only have two major parties?

- most voters are wedded to one of the two major parties

- ballot access laws can be difficult to overcome

- campaign finance laws

- electoral college (winter takes all)

- single-member legislative district (proportional representation)

- primary system gives major parties opportunity to air differences

- media focuses on republicans and democrats

campaign finance laws

- federal election campaign act of 1974

- "money is at the root of all political success" - sims

three forms of third parties

- canidate (bull moose, reform)

- issue (prohibition, know nothing, green)

- ideology (communist, socialist, libertarian)

reform party

- ross perot

- power of an issue

- green party

- libertarian

power of an issue

- focus on a specific issue

- prohibition

green party

- 2nd biggest third party

- protect the environment

- no fossil fuels, wind energy, etc.

- ideology

libertarian

- small government

- individual freedom (minimal government involvement)

- legalize few things, let taxes regulate (ex:drugs)

define: political culture

a widely shared set of beliefs on how to practice governmental and political activities

define: civic culture

a widely shared set of beliefs and traditions concerning political activity and community service

american culture

- tocqueville (from france)

- robert n. bellah ("modern individualism")