PSC 105WI Midterm

Central Michigan University PSC 105WI online course spring 2023

authoritarian systems

state holds all power, people cannot effectively claim rights against the state

Dictatorship or Monarchy

Sovereignty can be vested in an individual

facism

sovereignty can be vested in the state itself

oligarchy

sovereignty can be vested in a ruling class

totalitarianism

when a system combines an authoritarian government with a socialist economy. Ex: Soviet Union

anarchy

the absence of government and laws

democracy

a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the government process, usually throughout the selection of public officials

John Locke/Social Contract Theory

In order to prevent being caught in the state of war, people enter into contracts with the government. They agree to give up some specified liberties in order to obtain the benefit of safety and protection of private property. If the government breaks contract, people may form a new one

direct democracy

citizens make decisions about policy directly with no legislature

representative democracy (republic)

citizens vote for representatives who make decisions about a policy

elite democracy

limits the citizens’ role to choosing among competing leaders

pluralist democracy

citizen membership in groups is the key to political power

participatory democracy

citizens should actively and directly control all aspects of their lives and participate in all aspects of lawmaking

\-this requires the most preparation

costs of being a colony (2)

\-England is the primary trading partner

\-Goods sent to other countries must pass through England and are taxed

benefits of being a colony (2)

\-military defense

\-strong trading partner for raw materials

home rule

the colonies have their own governments that manage domestic affairs, including taxation

stamp act of 1765

tax on stamps used on legal documents, newspapers, magazines, playing cards, etc.

Townshend acts of 1767

tax on paper, paint, lead, glass, tea (Americans smuggle tea from the Netherlands to avoid tax)

tea act of 1773

\-allows East India Company to export tea directly to North America (bypassing London)

\-designated to lower the cost of the tea, but also get the colonies to pay the tax

\-this also hurts merchants who are smuggling

why write down the declaration of independence?

explain why, for history, hold king accountable

1st syllogism (all men created equal…)

social contract theory

2nd syllogism (right of people to alter/abolish…)

free/independent states, dissolve ties with Britain

confederation

a government in which independent states unite for a common purpose (such as political power or defense), but retain their own sovereignty

federalism

a system of government in which sovereignty is divided (shared) between a central (federal) government and state governments

Articles of Confederation

created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the powers with the state government

Shay’s Rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shay of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out

Bicameralism

the principle of a two-house legislature

Virginia plan

\-bicameral legislature

\-representation in each house proportional to population

\-strong national government

New Jersey Plan

\-unicameral legislature

\-all states have equal representation

\-weak national government

Connecticut Compromise

Compromise agreement by states at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with a lower house in which representation would be based on population and an upper house in which each state would have two senators

Article I: Legislative Branch

\-Expressed powers: power directly granted by the text of the constitution

\-Section 8: explicit power granted

\-Section 9: what congress can’t do

Article II: Executive Branch

\-provides for an independent, stronger, and more “energetic“ executive than the Articles of Confederation

\-the president is commander in chief, chief executive, and chief diplomat

\-Other powers include the nomination of executive and judicial officials and the power to grant reprieves and pardons

Article III: Judicial Branch

\-provides for a Supreme Court and other federal courts Congress can establish

\-Justices and judges have lifetime terms and are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate

\-Does not explicitly provide for judicial review

Article V: amendment process

2/3rds of both houses proposes

3/4ths of state legislatures or conventions ratify (illustrates the federal structure of the US government)

the federalist papers

Written by Hamilton, Jay, & Madison to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution

federalist 10 (What problem is Madison trying to solve)

\-faction

* two possible solutions

\-removing its causes

\-controlling its effects

* Not concerned with tyranny of a minority
* Concerned with tyranny for a majority

\-prevent the majority from sharing similar interests

\-use government to control its effects

\-the solution to protecting rights: make a country where there is natural disagreement so it will be hard to create a coalition to invade rights

federalist 51

\-how do you create a government that is powerful enough to govern (provide security, protect property) but won’t become tyrannical?

\- two options:

* through virtuous leaders
* through structure of government

\-separation of powers

\-checks and balances

\-federalism

Dahl’s critique of the Constitution (7)

\-endorses slavery

\-fails to guarantee suffrage

\-election of president (electoral college)

\-election of senators (originally state legislatures)

\-equal representation in senate

\-juducial power (not limited to unconstitutional)

\-congress power (lacks power to regulate Econ/tax)

bill of rights

\-antifederalist outcome

\-I limits congress

\-II, III, IV limits executive power

\-V, VI, VII, VIII limits courts

\-IX X limit national government

Lincoln, Fragment on the Constitution

\-gov made for the people (picture made for apple)

\-inherent rights

\-gov protects rights

unitary system

a government in which nearly all powers rest with the central government

Confederation

a government in which nearly all power rests with local governments

Federalism

a system in which power is divided between national and state governments (it’s about the relationship)

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits

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

full faith and credit clause

states are to recognize actions and decisions taken in other states as legal and proper

privileges and immunities clause

a state cannot discriminate against someone from another state or give special privileges to its own residents

Dual Federalism

\-powers were shared between the federal and state governments

\-states exercised the most important powers

\-it was called “dual federalism“ because the duties and operations of the different levels of government remained more strictly separate

McCulloch v. Maryland

Maryland was trying to tax the national bank and Supreme Court ruled that federal law was stronger than the state law (bank is constitutional, Maryland cannot tax)

Cooperative Federalism

marked by supportive relations, sometimes partnerships, between the federal government and the state and local governments

\-a rise in “grants-in0aid“ funds given by congress to state and local governments

MADD and federal highway funds

nationwide drinking age raised to 21 through federal highway funds

unfunded mandates

national standards or programs imposed on state and local governments without accompanying funding

marijuana legalization and federalism

\-marijuana is still illegal at the federal level

\-banks won’t interact with marijuana dispensaries

\-therefore, even instates where it is legal, marijuana is an all-cash business

\-individuals who use marijuana in states where it is legal rely on the federal government not enforcing its laws in certain states

reappointment

the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

redistricting

process of redrawing of district lines in states with more than one representative (each state designs own)

compactness

are districts geographically concentrated in a particular area (square)

fairness

does the distribution of seats yielded by the map represent the distribution of public opinion?

gerrymandering

manipulating voting borders to favor a particular class

partisan gerrymandering

districts are designed to advantage a particular party

incumbent gerrymandering

districts are designated to make incumbents safer

racial gerrymandering

districts are designated to reduce representation of racial minorities

packing

concentrate like-minded voters together in one district to reduce their powers in other districts

* this gives the minority representation in a single district but ensures that the majority can drown out their voice in the legislature

cracking

spread like-minded voters across multiple districts to dilute their voting power in each

\-this is a “riskier“ strategy for the party doing the gerrymandering, but has the possibility that the minority gets no seats

incumbent advantage

\-name recognition

\-casework

\-earmarks (public works projects/grants)

\-franking (send free mail)

\-campaign finance

delegate style of representation

a public official who mirrors the views of the voters and/or interest group contributors, or primary employers in one’s state or congressional district

trustee style of representation

a public official who votes independent of the voters, interest groups, or primary employers based on one’s perceived interest of the nation is higher than the state or congressional district

substantive representation

when a member of Congress represents constituents’ interests and policy concerns (Flint water bill)

descriptive representation

the idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it represents

Dyadic Representation

how well the sitting legislator acts as an agent for the constituency on legislative decisions

collective representation

the relationship between Congress and the United States as a whole, and whether the institution itself represents the American people (representation by proxy)

Fenno: types of constituency

\-every candidate has to develop their own personal style of interacting with voters

\-one way they can do this is by adopting one (or more) brands of interaction

Fenno: presentation of self

\-politicians seek to control their public image with “presentation of self“- the character they play when interacting with the districts

\-some must haves

* qualification: how the MC explains her qualifications
* identification: how the MC explains that she is “one of“ the district

\-beyond this, there are many possible “home styles“

\-Debbie Stabenow

committees

\-hearings

* committees bring outside experts who testify to the problem the bill is trying to solve, reactions to the bill from interested parties (people, agencies, businesses, etc.)

\-markups

* committees edit the bill together and make compromises designed to shore up support

\-issue reports

* fact finding committees (like the House Select Committee on Benghazi) issue reports that summarize their findings from hearings
* these reports are designed to get attention and coverage from the media

\-report legislation to the Chamber

Rules Committee

a standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house

open rule

any lawmaker may propose germane amendments

closed rule

no rank and file member may offer amendments

Speaker of the House

\-is the presiding officer over the chamber

\-is legislative strategist for the party

\-controls legislative agenda

\-appoints majority members to the Rules Committee

\-refers introduced bills to committee

\-appoints Select and Conference Committees

\-selected by majority of the party caucus

filibuster

the use of long speeches to prevent the vote on a bill

cloture

\-a motion to end the debate

0requires a petition by 16 to force a vote to cloture

\-requires 60 cotes for the motion to pass

\-Myth: cloture forces an immediate end to the debate

\-Minority is permitted another 30 hours of debate

hold

is a warning to the majority leader not to bring it up or they will filibuster

President Pro Tempore

Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the Vice President

Senate Majority Leader

\-Chief strategist for the majority in the Senate

\-Sets the agenda like the Speaker of the House

\-Majority leader has “right of first recognition“ from PPT

\-Selected by a majority of the party caucus

\-Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is the current majority leader

nuclear option

a maneuver exercised by the presiding officer in the Senate that eliminates the possibility of filibusters by subjecting votes on certain matters to a simple majority vote (Supreme Court Nominations)

hyperpatisanship

a commitment to party so strong it can transcend other commitments

polarization

greater ideology differences between the parties and increased ideological consensus within parties

conference committe

\-when House and Senate pass different versions of the same bill, they get together to resolve differences

\-The House and Senate must then re-vote on the revised bill

President’s Options (3)

\-sign

\-veto

\-pocket veto

sign

\-the bill becomes a law

\-if the president does not sign within 10 days and Congress is in session, it automatically becomes law

veto

\-president can overturn laws passed by Congress

\-Congress can overturn a veto with 2/3 vote in both houses

pocket veto

\-if the president does not sign within 10 days and congress is not in session, it does not become law

expectations gap

the gap between popular expectations of what modern presidents can and should do, and their constitutional powers to get things done

expressed powers

specific powers granted to the president under Article II

delegated powers

constitutional powers that are assigned to one government agency but exercised by another agency with the express permission of the first

inherent powers

powers claimed by a president that are not expressed but are inferred from it

executive order

a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of legislation

\-binding only the legislative branch

going public

a president’s strategy of appealing to the public or an issue, expecting that public pressure will be brought to bear on other political actors

FDR fireside chats

President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944, 30 speeches broadcast via radio, speaking on a variety of topics from banking to unemployment to fighting fascism in Europe. Millions of people found comfort and renewed confidence in these speeches

trends in presidential popularity

\-highest right after election

\-declines by midterm

\-loses congressional seats in midterm election

Harry Truman’s E.O. 9981 (1948)

Desegregates the military

Harry Truman’s E.O. 10340 (1952)

Directs Secretary of Commerce to take over steel plants, triggering Youngstown Sheet & Tube v. Sawyer