U.S. Political Culture, U.S. Political Institutions September 14, 2007.
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Transcript of U.S. Political Culture, U.S. Political Institutions September 14, 2007.
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