American Government and Organization

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American Government and Organization
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• PS1301
• Thursday, 9 September

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Announcements

• Take Quiz in Chapter 1-2
• Purchasing books on campus

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Separate Institutions with Shared Power

• Congress passes legislation but President can use
  a veto
• President appoints executive officers and
  negotiates treaties.
• Senate confirms top executive appointments and
  ratifies treaties
• Judicial review (established in Marbury vs.
  Madison, 1803)

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Examples of Supra Majorities

• Concurrent majorities (House and Senate)
• Treaty requires 2/3rds of approval by Senate
• Congress requires 2/3rds in both houses to over
  ride a presidential veto
• Constitutional amendments require 2/3rds approval
  by both House and Senate and 3/4ths of states or
• 2/3rds in both houses of Congress and ratified by
  conventions in 3/4ths of the states (used once
  21st Amendment--repealed prohibition)
• National constitutional convention call by 2/3rds
  of the state legislatures

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Process for Amendments
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Reforms at the National Level

• The U.S. Constitution was designed to preserve
  the status quo. However, it does allow for
  changes to be made through supra-majorities.
• There have been a total of 17 Amendments since
  the original Bill of Rights
• Examples
• Voting extended to nonwhites (1870, 15th
  Amendment)
• Direct election of senators (1913, 17th
  Amendment)
• Women given right to vote (1920, 19th Amendment)
• Elimination of poll tax (1964, 24th Amendment)
• Extend voting rights to 18 yr olds (1971, 26th
  Amendment)

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Ideology

• A package of ideas, a way of organizing ones
  thinking about political issues and leaders.
  Anchored by core values that serve to structure
  other ideas

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Liberal vs. conservative

• A core value that distinguishes them and
  influences their positions on a variety of issues
  is whether government should actively promote
  individual equality.
• Liberals favor active government intervention to
  promote equality of outcomes
• flat rate vs. regressive rate
• income tax vs. sales tax
• Conservatives believe that government should be
  limited to ensuring equality of opportunities in
  economic matter. In social matters, however,
  conservatives favor a more expansive role for
  government

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Right vs. Left

• Direction comes from French political tradition
• Those who generally supported the policies of the
  monarch were seated to his right and those who
  proposed changes in the system were arranged to
  his left.
• At the extremes individuals are extremely
  dissatisfied and want revolutionary change

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Distribution of Ideology over Time
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Opinions about Government Spending

• Link to Figure 6.2 in the Text.

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Opinions about Federal Spending
Source American National Election Study (NES)
2002
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Opinions about Federal Spending
Source American National Election Study (NES)
2002
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Opinions about Federal Spending
Source American National Election Study (NES)
2002
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Views of Ideological Groups
Source American National Election Study (NES)
2002
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Views of Groups by Ideology
Source American National Election Study (NES)
2002
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Views of Institutions by Ideology
Source American National Election Study (NES)
2002
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Views of Interest Groups
Source American National Election Study (NES)
2002
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Interpersonal Trust
Source American National Election Study (NES)
2002
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Distribution over time
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Who are the Liberals?

• Poor
• Low Education
• Low Strata Occupation
• Minority
• Urban
• Jew, Catholic
• Democrats

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Who are the Conservatives?

• Wealthy
• High Education
• High Status Occupation
• White
• Suburban
• Protestant
• Republican

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Minimum Wage
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Homosexuals Serving in the Military
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Ideology and Issues