U.S. Government Crash Course Unit One - USGOV 2.0

“Power”

The ability to make things happen.

“Authority”

The ability to justify actions that take place.

Autocracy

Rule by a single person (E.g. a system in which all political power is ultimately concentrated in one person’s hands)

Oligarchy

Rule by a small, exclusive elite group

Plutocracy

Rule by the wealthy (economic power translates to political power)

Ochlocracy

Rule by the “unruly mobs” of people

Democracy

Theoretically, “rule by the people”

Direct Democracy

All citizens have direct input unto every government action

Representative Democracy (also known as a republic)

Citizens elect people to represent them in government

Presidential system

Branches of government, with powers separated among them. The chief executive (usually called a president) is NOT part of the legislative branch, but is selected through a different method.

Parliamentary system

Powers not so clearly separated among branches of government. The chief executive (often called a “prime minister”) is part of the legislature, and is selected by (and can be fired by) the legislature.

Functional representation

Where people are represented according to what they do or what their social status is.

Territorial representation

Where people are represented according to where they live (what the U.S. has today)

Proportional representation

People vote for parties, not for individual candidates, and then seats are allocated in the legislature according to the percentage of the votes each party received.

Totalitarian regime

Regime in which the government has no real limits on its power

Authoritarian regime

regime in which the government has no legal limits on its power, but is still held somewhat in check by certain powerful institutions in society

Constitutional regime

Regime which has legal limits on its power

Traditional Regimes

Regimes that have systems of government that are considered “obsolete” by many, often based on very old forms of political legitimacy and law (E.g. heredity, “divine right”)

Charismatic regimes

Regimes that really center around one particularly charismatic leader whose vision and personality shape much of the political system

Bureaucratic regimes

Regimes based on newer, often-changing rules, with relatively frequent changes in who holds power

Legitimacy

We say that a government is “legitimate” if its people generally believe that it has the right to rule over them. Legitimacy can have a number of different sources, based on culture and history.

Political culture

Whatever beliefs, ideas, principles, etc. a society generally holds true about government

U.S. Constitution

Oldest current written constitution in the world and provides for three branches (Executive, legislative, and Judicial) that are not given equal amounts of power. Includes a process for changing (amending) over time

U.S. legislative branch

Given the most explicit powers (principle of supremacy)

Separation of powers

Each branch has some powers that the others do not have

Check and balances

Each branch has at least some power over the other two branches

The Bill of Rights

The First ten amendments to the Constitution, and were a promise to get the Constitution ratified by all of the states. Most of the amendments outline rights upon which the federal government could not unjustly infringe. (Fact: Only 27 amendments have been successfully added to the constitution)

Process of adding amendments

1. It must be passed by 2/3 majority of EACH house of Congress or passed by a new constitutional convection called by Congress.
2. It must be ratified by 3/4 of state legislatures or ratified by special conventions called in 3/4 of the states.

“Excessive Democracy”

Giving the uneducated masses too much power in government (the Framers of the Constitution were concerned about this).

How the Framers of the Constitution tried to prevent “Excessive democracy”

1. The President would not be elected directly by the voters, but by an elite group know as the Electoral College
2. While the voters would choose members of the House of Representatives, the members of the Senate would be chosen by state legislatures.
3. All federal judges would have life terms.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A slave would count as 3/5 of a person when determining a state’s population for purposes of representation and taxation

Federalism

Sharing of or division of power between the national government and “subnational” governments (e.g. states and cities

Unitary system

System in which the national government ultimately possesses all political power

Subnational government

Derive power solely from the national government

The Tenth Amendment

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Inherent powers (A Federal power)

Powers not explicitly granted in the Constitution, but which are assumed to be powers that any government must have. (E.g. Power to protect the nation if attacked)

Expressed or explicit powers (A Federal power)

Powers specifically granted to the federal government in the Constitution

Implied powers (A federal power)

Powers not specifically granted to the federal government in the Constitution, but which are considered implied within one of the expressed powers.

“Necessary and Proper” clause (Elastic Clause)

“The Congress shall have Power… To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the U.S., or in any Department or Officer thereof.”

Fiscal Federalism

Using federal money to entice states and/or cities to things that the federal governments, but which might not be actual federal powers

“National Supremacy Clause”

If a federal law conflicts with a state law, and both governments are acting within their authority, the federal law takes precedence and must be obeyed.

Participation

Anything a person does to influence who holds political power and what they do with it.

Forms of Participation

Voting (most common form in the U.S. today), Running for office, Campaign for somone running for office, donate money to a political campaign or organization or cause, taking part in protest or demonstrations, riots, revolution

Voting in the Jacksonian area (1820’s and 1830’s)

During that period, most states removed property requirements for voting

Fifteenth Amendment

Added after the Civil War in 1870, and guaranteed all adult males the right to vote, this expanding the suffrage to many freed slaves.

Restrictions to voting after reconstruction in 1877

Literacy test, poll taxes, “grandfather clauses” (grandfather before them had to have been a registered voter), violence and intimidation.

**Wyoming state moto is “Equal rights” due to this reason.**

First State that granted women the right to vote

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Prohibits all practices intended to deny someone their right to vote, effectively banning literacy tests, poll taxes, “grandfather clauses”, and intimidation.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment in 1971

Lowers minimum age nationally to 18

Political Socialization

The process by which a person’s political beliefs and ideas form and develop, with the biggest influences being: schools, churches, colleges, and “opinion makers”.

Being “Left”

End is identified with “liberalism”

Being “Right”

End is identified with “conservatism”

“Shallow Liberalism”

Change is good

“Shallow conservatism”

Change is bad

“Free Market” Conservatism

Motivated in economic issues and do not care mostly about liberal issues  (Ex: Business, trade, etc.)

“Social” Conservatism

Focused on the preservation of traditional values and beliefs.

“Libertarian” Conservatism

Individual freedom and pro small government

The U.S. is the most two-party dominated democracy in the world today

The Democratic and Republican parties are structured in similar ways, though not exactly the same.

Structure of the two major parties (Low —> high)

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* Party members, Precinct (grassroots), City + county committees, state committees, Democratic National Committee (DMC), and the Republican National Committee (DNC) and Write platforms (a statement of what the party believes)

Membership of the party

The bottom tier of the political pyramid is a very amorphous, constantly changing thing, and to become a member of either party, all you have to do is self-identify as such.

“Grass-roots”

A tier above membership of a party where you are able to organize people together in a precinct.

Precincts

Neighborhoods are divided for election purposes (on election day, voters in each precinct are assigned to a particular polling place where they vote) and on this level parties will often recruit volunteers to help with election campaigns.

City and county level

A tier above “grass-roots” where the two parties will recruit people to run for local offices and try to provide support to their campaigns.

State level

A level above City and county level where each of the two parties has a committee in each state and they recruit candidates for state offices and provide campaign support for them, while also having a big role in raising money for national campaigns, such as presidential campaigns.

National Committee

The highest of the political pyramid where each provide crucial organization and fundraising for presidential and congressional campaigns and also have to keep all of those lower-level committees somewhat unified and working together, while also writing the party’s platform, usually during each presidential election year.

Platform

A statement of what the party stands for.

DNC

Democratic National Committee

RNC

Republican National Committee

“Third Parties”

A reference political scientists use to identify parties other than the two major ones.

Why third parties have historically done very poorly overall

Lack of funding, reluctant donators, lack of media exposure, “wasted vote” perception.

Realignment

When a significant group of voters shifts its party loyalty from one party to the other.

Dealignment

When voters withdraw from party loyalty in general (and hence are more likely to call themselves “independents” and to “split their tickets” when voting)

Interest Groups

Organizations that try to influence politics but do NOT run their own candidates for office in elections.

Types of interest groups

1. Businesses/corporations/banks
2. Labor unions
3. Professional organizations (organizations of people in a common profession
4. “Public interest” groups (groups that claim to stand for the larger social good or the benefit of some social group or cause)

Appealing to the public

Win support for a cause

Lobbying

Trying to persuade legislators to support the group’s agenda when making decisions (there are many rules regulating lobbying to prevent outright bribery)

What interest groups do

1. Appeal to the public
2. Lobbying
3. Raising money and donating to political campaigns of candidates who support the group’s agenda (political action committees, or PACs, do this).
4. Lawsuits
5. Access (being given the opportunity by an agency in the executive branch to help draft proposed legislation)
6. Bribery

Majority system

A candidate must win a majority of the votes in order to win the race and if no candidate wins a majority, a runoff is typically held between the top two vote-getters

Plurality system

The candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of whether or not that person gets a majority of the vote and there are no runoffs. The winner of state receives that state’s electoral votes, but does not need to win a majority of the state’s votes to do that.

Nomination

The process by which a political party determines which of its candidates will run for office against the opposing party’s candidate. Parties can do this through caucuses, conventions, or primary elections.

Closed Primaries

Only registered party members may vote.

Open primaries

You do not have to register for a party, but can decide on election day which party’s primary you choose to vote in.

Nonpartisan blanket primary

All candidates advance, regardless of party

Summer convention

Each parties nominee will give the acceptance speech, and the general election campaign will begin and the nominee usually announces the running mate these days before the convention.

Electoral College

Is the body that actually elects the president and is made of 538 people from the various states and each state has a certain number of electors and, hence, electoral votes. The number of a state’s electoral votes is equal to:

How many votes does a state get in the Electoral College.

\# of state’s representatives in the House + # of a state’s U.S. Senators (2 per state) = 3 electoral votes.

Winner takes-all system

Whoever wins the popular vote in a state (plurality system) gets ALL of that state’s electors (Exception: Nebraska and Maine).

How much is needed to win in the Electoral College

You a majority of 270 votes and if no one wins 270, then the election is thrown into the House of Representatives, who will choose the winner.

Campaign Finances

Political campaigns are very expensive to run due to: Salaries of campaign staff, advertisements on TV, radio, internet, cost of printing, mailing flyers to voters, office space, supplies, travel expenses for candidate and staff, legal costs, posters, buttons, stickers, etc.…

Campaign finance law

1. Limited in how much you contribute to single presidential or congressional candidate’s campaign during each election cycle.
2. Campaign contributions must be publicly disclosed.
3. In presidential elections, federal matching funds are available and to qualify, you or your party must have won at least 5% of the popular vote in the last presidential election
4. It is illegal for minors to donate to federal election campaigns
5. It is also illegal for foreign citizens to donate to federal election campaigns.