Dr. Tabakian’s Political Science 1 US Government – Spring 2013

Power Point Presentation #9

COURSE LECTURE TOPICS

• Bureaucratic Power

• Iron Triangles

• Presidential Control Of The Bureaucracy

• Congress And Its Members

• Congress Versus The Executive Branch

• Supreme Court

• Legitimacy Factor In Law Making

• Federal Court Structure

• Elite Propaganda & Cinemocracy

• Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”

BUREAUCRATIC ELITE

THE BUREAUCRATIC ELITE

Bureaucratic Power comes from technological advances,

information explosions, and societal growth and complexity.

1. The Washington Bureaucratic Elite is a major base of power in

American society.

2. Iron Triangles are three major power bases coming together to

decide an issue outcome.

3. Revolving Doors are public-private sector power trades of

knowledge, experience, and contacts.

4. The Power of Regulatory Commissions derives from

independence and oversight responsibilities.

5. Fiscal Responsibility is the power to establish national

priorities within the boundaries of available resources.

AMERICAN MILITARY POWER

The United States possesses the

most advanced military hardware

known to man. Here is a sample of

our overwhelming firepower.

Students will be asked the

following question following this

video presentation: “What prevents

the United States from utilizing its

full military capacity?

PRESIDENTS & BUREAUCRACIES

Presidential Control of the Bureaucracy is a power

delegated by the Constitution.

1. Appointments allow the president to manage

programs and enforce policy using loyal officials.

2. Reorganization allows the president to prioritize his

policy initiatives.

3. The Budget with Congress allows the president to

make a policy statement about the role of

government.

MASSES & PARTIES

Activists are most likely to participate

in campaign activities. These are the

most partisan among typical voters.

Two of the most common activities

aside from voting is donating personal

labor and financial resources. Political

pandering refers to how parties cater

to their core base of activists. Those

found in the Republican Party tend to

be more conservative than the

average Republican voter.

Democratic activists on the other

hand tend to be more liberal than the

average Democratic voter.

COLD WAR MANIPULATION

Propaganda is a necessary tool.

“Make Mine Freedom” is a 1948

Cold War-era cartoon that uses

humor to tout the dangers of

Communism and the benefits of

capitalism. Various points made

in this presentation touch on

John Locke’s “Second Treatise

Of Government”. Can you pick

them out?

COLD WAR MANIPULATION

Elite manipulation has existed

in our country even prior to the

days of our founding. Masses

are susceptible to manipulation

as they are highly emotional.

Elites utilize symbolism to pull

these emotional heartstrings at

will. Enjoy this 1952

government sponsored film

vilifying communism.

COLD WAR MANIPULATION

The “Kitchen Debate” was held in

Moscow on July 24, 1959. Vice-

President Richard Nixon debates

Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev in a

make-believe kitchen. The day before,

Vice-President Richard Nixon had

flown to Moscow in a "cultural

exchange" program between the two

countries. The stated goal of the

exchange was to promote

understanding about the cultures of

the two superpowers. Both men were

focusing on promoting their respective

systems to the non-aligned countries.

CONGRESS

Congress is a less representative branch than the Founding

Fathers intended.

1. Members of Congress are political entrepreneurs recruited

from the upper classes of their home constituencies.

2. Members of Congress represent the elites of their districts and

responsibly vote on their behalf with strong regularity.

3. Members of Congress have a reputation for using incumbency

advantages and consistently raising money to seek reelection.

4. Leadership procedures and structures in Congress appear to

form interlocking conglomerates of policy responders, iron

triangle members, and status quo protectors.

CONGRESS VS. THE PRESIDENT

The Constitution gives Congress an Invitation to Struggle

with the President.

1. Congress responds to policy proposals initiated by the

president.

2. Congress and the president have engaged in highly publicized

budgetary battles.

3. Congress has used investigations and impeachment in an

attempt to control the president’s actions for perhaps purely

political reasons.

MANIPULATION EXAMPLE

How can we protect

ourselves against the

threats of germs and toxins?

Cold War America gears up

to fend off threats from

unconventional bioweapons.

This is another example of

how propaganda is utilized

to foster fear within society.

Enjoy this example.

COURTS – 1

Judicial decision making by the Supreme Court involves

most important policy questions.

1. Judicial review gives the federal court system power to say

whether actions of the two political branches are constitutional

or unconstitutional.

2. Jurisdiction gives the Court the opportunity to hear and decide

a case and seek compliance with its ruling.

3. Judicial philosophy gives justices the tools to make wise

decisions about constitutional issues.

4. Politics is a useful decision making aid when a case does not

present a liberal-conservative dimension.

COURTS – 2

1. The backgrounds of all Supreme Court justices generally

reflect ties with the upper social strata that rule the nation.

2. The style of judicial policy making contributes to the power of

the Supreme Court.

3. The hierarchical structure of the federal court system and the

Supreme Court contribute to their influence in the political

system.

4. The Court as ruler of the nation is an appropriate description

for an institution that resolves key conflicts in society and is not

even elected.

PROPAGANDA

Governmental elites may believe

that their national policies are so

concrete that it is necessary to utilize

various forms of propaganda to

incite specific reactions from its

citizens. Various forms of

propaganda have been utilized to

drum up mass support to better

assure elite legitimacy. Cinemocracy,

the relationship between motion

pictures and government is one way

governmental elites sell their

agenda. Enjoy this classic cartoon,

“The Ducktators”.

THOMAS PAINE’S “COMMON SENSE” – 1

Arguments against British rule in Common Sense:

• It is ridiculous and against natural law for an island to rule a

continent.

• Europe is unlikely to see peace for long and whenever a war

breaks out between England and a foreign power, the trade

of America would go to ruin due to the economic connection.

• It is no longer a "British nation"; it is composed of influences

from all of Europe.

• Even if Britain was originally the "mother country" of

America, that makes her current actions all the more

horrendous, for no true mother would harm her children so

deplorably.

THOMAS PAINE’S “COMMON SENSE” – 2

• Remaining a part of Britain will drag America into

unnecessary European wars, and keep it from the

international commerce at which America excels.

• That government is best that governs least. Society

represents all that is good about humanity, government

represents all that is bad about it.

• The distance between the two nations makes the lag in

communication time about a year for something to go round

trip. If there was something wrong in the government, it

would take a year before the colonies would hear back.

THOMAS PAINE’S “COMMON SENSE” – 3

• The New World was discovered shortly after the

Reformation. This was evidence for the Puritans that God

wanted to give them America as a safe haven free from the

persecution of British rule.

• Criticizes the English Constitution, saying that the right for

the House of Commons to "check" the king is ridiculous, as

the king is given the right to rule by God, therefore, he

needs no "checking".