U.S. Political Culture,U.S. Political Institutions

September 14, 2007

The Pledge

Who is this?

Tyranny and Democracy were thought to be undesirable extremes

King George III

George Washington

Colonial Life

• Under British control for 100+ years• Property, free religion & other rights•Had about 4 million non-natives•We were “born Lockean”

Truth

Government

Aristocracies

Religious Institutions

The People

Truth

Government

Aristocracies

Religious Institutions

“We” The People

Rugged Individualism:“Success in life is pretty much determined by

forces outside of your control.”

• Pew Global Attitudes Survey, 44 nations, 2002.

• Nigeria: 33% “completely agree”• Nigeria: 32% “mostly or completely

disagree.”• Nigeria: ratio is 32/33 or 0.96

“Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside of your control.”

• South Africa• 24% disagree with the statement• The ratio is 24/38, or 0.63

So the general sense in South Africa is – failure is someone else’s fault.

“Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside of your control.”

• India, 14% disagree, ratio 0.39• Japan, 52% disagree, ratio 3.47• Egypt, 42% disagree, ratio 2.00• Jordan, 39% disagree, ratio 2.60• Turkey, 17% disagree, ratio 0.37• Uzbekistan, 36% disagree, ratio

1.80• China, 25% disagree, ratio 1.74

“Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside of your control.”

• Great Britain, 48% disagree, ratio 3.43• France, 44% disagree, ratio 2.32• Germany, 31% disagree, ratio 1.35• Poland, 29% disagree, ratio 1.45• Ukraine, 35% disagree, ratio 1.30• Russia, 36% disagree, ratio 2.25• United States, 65% disagree, ratio

7.22

What’s the proper role of the state?

• “It is the responsibility of the (state or government) to take care of very poor people who can’t take care of themselves.”

• % Completely Agree….• Turkey, 73%• Uzbekistan, 70%• India 74%

“It is the responsibility of the (state or government) to take care of very poor people

who can’t take care of themselves.”

• % completely agree• Great Britain, 59%• Germany, 45%• Poland, 59%• Ukraine, 57%• Russia, 70%• United States, 29%

It’s a Small Welfare State

After All

Low spending…

Low taxes…

Colonial Life

•Was there an ethos of the “frontier”

• Governments most closely related to English Shires

The Articles of Confederation

Shared beliefs:

Government in thehands of people Strong legislature

Articles of Confederation:

State representation No executive Weak national gov

(1781-1787)

Constitution

Constitutional Design

• Article I: Legislative

• Article II: Executive

• Article III: Judicial

• 6 other articles

• Only 8,000 words!

Checks & Balances(Separation of Powers)

· 1 Federal Government· 50 States & the District of Colombia· Puerto Rico & 4 Insular Areas· 561 Federally-Recognized Indian Tribes

· 3034 County Governments· 13,506 School Districts· 16,504 Townships and Towns· 19,429 Municipal Governments· 35,052 “Special Districts”

Federalism in the US

Anyone care to guess how many people hold elected office in the United States?

Ohio Congressional Districts

Changing Locations of “Government”

• 1807

• 1907

• 2007

Why Two Parties?

U.S. Voter Turnout is Low

Minor Parties in U.S. History

Single Member DistrictsPlurality Rule

Grovner 27%Patterson 21%Aquino 18%Philips 14%Hartpense 11%Mackerson 9%

Grovner 27%

Patterson, Aquino, Mackerson48%

Philips 14%Hartpense 11%

Grovner, Philips, Hartpense(Party 1)

52%

Patterson, Aquino, Mackerson(Party 2)

48%

Denmark -- Proportional Representation

Ok, time for a break

• When we come back…. Quickly….– Congress– The Executive Branch– The Courts

Two Brains

The Basics

• House– 435 Members

– 2 Year Terms

– Committee Dominant

– Majority Party Dominant

– 110th Congress

– Lots of Staff

• Senate– 100 Members

– 6 Year Terms

– Committees Important

– Majority Party Important

– 110th Congress

– Even More Staff

Representation

Representatives far more independentof party influence in the U.S. Delegate v. Trustee

States usually more heterogeneous thandistricts

Representation

• How A bill Becomes a Law…. http://youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3xPXOr40XhI

• Introduction & Referral• Committee Hearings• Committee Markups• Committee Reports• Schedule Floor Action (Rules, UCRs)• Floor Votes• Conference Committee• Conference Report & Floor Vote• Presidential Signature (or Veto)

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Committees

• Chairs based on committee seniority.

• Membership is party proportional.

• Staff dominated by majority party

• Committee Hierarchy– Exclusive– Non-Exclusive

• Appropriations vs. Authorizing

The 2.6 Trillion Dollar Budget

The Basics

• Presidents elected to 4 year terms.

• May serve no more than 2 terms. (22nd Amendment)

• Must be a U.S. born citizen, at least 35 years old, who has lived in the U.S. for a minimum of 14 years.

Formal Presidential Powers

• Administrative head of government

• Commander-in-Chief of military

• Veto (or sign) legislation

• Nominate judges, cabinet secretaries

• Treaties, pardons, convene Congress

Formal Presidential Powers

• May not introduce legislation (cf. prime minister)• May not declare war• Legislative oversight• Judicial review• Impeachment possible• Must use “bully pulpit” and persuasion• “Go public”

Limits on Presidential Power

1. Chief of State (ceremonial)2. Chief Legislator (State of the Union)3. Chief Executive4. Opinion Leader (set national priorities)5. Chief Diplomat6. Commander in Chief7. Party Leader

Presidential Roles

• Congress (Article 1, Section 8, “elastic clause.”

• States (10th Amendment -- reserves powers to the states)

• President (Inherent Powers -- largely through Congressional delegation of powers.)

Review of Various Powers

Presidency isMany People

EOP: OMB, NSC, CEA, “czars,” VP,and WHO

WHO: close advisors,no Senate approval

Civilian Employees in Cabinet Departments• Agriculture 99,045• Commerce 40,166• Defense 666,923• Education 4,343• Energy 14,850• Health and Human Services 63,627• Homeland Security 165,435• Housing and Urban Development 9,606• Interior 69,383• Justice 104,958• Labor 15,275• State 9,847• Transportation 53,420• Treasury 119,474• Veterans Affairs 235,735

The Basics

• Article 3 creates the Supreme Court, but specifics of design were left to Congress

• 9 Justices on the Supreme Court, and they may serve for life

• State & Federal Courts are Separate

• Civil and Criminal treated differently– 300,000 federal cases filed annually, 80% are

civil.

Current Justices

Breyer, Thomas, Ginsburg, Alito

Kennedy, Stevens, Roberts, Scalia, Souter

Qualifications

• Federal judges serve for life (“good behavior”)

• Chosen by president with “advice and consent”of the Senate

• No age limits or other requirements

• Size of Court? age? citizenship? education?

Powers

• Original jurisdiction: ambassadors, U.S. is a party, where states are the parties

• Appellate jurisdiction: all other cases (99%)(court of last resort, final interpreter)

• Judicial review?

• Lower courts to be created by Congress

Greatest Supreme Court power not in Constitution!

Established by Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Judicial Review has come to encompass:

– Power to declare national, state and local Laws invalid if they violate the Constitution

– Supremacy of federal laws or treaties

– Role of Supreme Court as final authority on the meaning of the Constitution

Judicial Review

Structure of Federal JudiciarySupreme Court

9 JusticesMostly appellate

Hears about 100out of 5,500 requests

U.S. Courts of Appeals13 districts with 170 judges

3-judge panels hear appeals33,000 cases per year

U.S. District Courts94 district courts with 650 judges

Trial courts with original jurisdiction225, 000 cases per year

Statecourts

State Courts

• Each state has its own court system

• States handle 100 million cases per year

• 98% of criminal cases handled by states

Types of Cases Criminal = charged by gov for breaking law Civil = dispute between parties

How the “Constitution” Changes

• Amendments (27 of them)– Amendment is proposed by a vote of at least

2/3rds of both houses of Congress– Amendment is ratified by the legislatures of at

least 3/4ths of the states (process for 26 of 27 amendments)

• Judicial reinterpretations– Stare Decisis

Judge-Made Law

• We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the judges say it is, and the judiciary is the safeguard of our liberty and our property under the Constitution.– Chief Justice Hughes, 1907

U.S. Political Culture,U.S. Political Institutions

September 14, 2007