Vallone , et al, “The Hostile Media Phenomenon”

1. The Ottoman Empire Vallone, et al, “The Hostile Media Phenomenon”

2. British mandate of palestine

3. 1947 Partition Plan

4. War of independence 14 May 1948 - Mandate ends Israel declares independence 15 May 1948 – Israel is invaded by Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan; later to be joined by Yemen and Saudi Arabia

5. What Presidential election provided the inspiration for this study? How did greater knowledge affect the three different groups? What were the two variables that increased the likelihood of perceiving bias? Questions for vallone

6. This paper focuses on issues of affective and cognitive orientations influencing the evaluative process. The affective variable was partisanship while the cognitive variable was knowledge of the conflict. What might this tell us about a polarized society? Discussion point

7. Zeitgeist – the spirit of the times Chapter 1, The Political Landscape

8. Starts with a discussion of Jamestown. • Text talks of dismal conditions, “the starving time”, and cannibalism. Attributed to a lack of strong leadership. Settlers forced to work, yet conditions remained harsh. Eventually, things got better. • Economic analysis of the situation: • Jamestown was an experiment in socialism which failed miserably. First, as a failure for each to pitch in for the good of all, second, with forced labor the community still did not thrive. The eventual success of Jamestown can be traced to the provision and protection of private property and the financial incentives provided by growing tobacco. Chapter 1 – The political landscape

9. Max Weber noted that economic development occurred more rapidly in Protestant states than in Catholic states. • Weber attributed this to differences within the faiths themselves. • Weber does not consider that Catholicism encourages adherence to church hierarchy and submission to authority while the Protestant religions originate in the idea of thinking and interpreting for oneself. • Diversity of religious denominations required nonreligious answers to questions of public policy. • Secularism is recognized as a key to economic development and pragmatic governance. Religion and successful development

10. Rostow would argue that it is not the abandonment of religious tradition that is required for development, but the abandonment of religion in the public policy arena if its traditions are stifling growth and progress. Rostow

11. Often the result of trial and error, experiment, compromise, and sometimes bloodshed. Whether we enact a policy or do nothing, we are experimenting in the macro world. From looking at history or similar situations elsewhere, we should have a good idea of what the outcome should be. If we are experimenting, should we be considering the outcomes provided by real world situations or theoretical mathematical models? Development of government institutions

12. Aristotle was concerned that democracy would degenerate into tyranny with the introduction of a demagogue. IE Hitler and Mussolini Republican government

13. Niccolo Machiavelli – Discourses on Livy – @ 1517 – Advocacy for republican forms of government and systems of checks and balances. Shared with Aristotle a distrust of democracy. Saw government as needing a monarchy, aristocracy, and polity to govern in concert with each checking the power of the others. Republican government

14. Mostly uncontroversial “Insure domestic tranquility” can be interpreted as providing political stability. Political stability goes hand in hand with economic stability. The poor, the starving, and the unemployed are more likely to revolt against a government. Ludlow Massacre vs Flint strike of 1936-7 preamble

15. Controversial – many interpret this as a throwaway clause. How do you define general welfare? Jeremy Bentham “it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong”, often shortened to “the greatest good for the greatest number.” The general welfare is often seen as a variation on Rousseau’s concept of the “general will”, but even Rousseau’s general will has been interpreted in opposing manners. Provide for the general welfare

16. The book discusses symbolic vestiges of American political culture, yet ignores that within our polarized society, these symbols have separate and often contradictory meanings Political culture

17. Where does one person’s liberty end and another’s liberty begin? As an individual I do not have the right to take another person’s life. What if my actions provide negative externalities that take the lives of others? Mining company polluting the groundwater – they have the right to move. Airline flying old planes – nobody forced them to buy a ticket. Drug company selling harmful drugs – nobody forced them to buy the drugs. Buying a home they couldn’t afford – they didn’t have to buy it. Regulation is often purported as stifling the liberties of business. Is this true, or is it protecting the life and liberty of those affected by the negative externalities? Liberty

18. We can distinguish between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome. Most will agree on the necessity of the first and the impossibility and undesirability of the second. However, an inequality of outcome in the first instance results in an inequality of opportunity in the second. Robert Dahl speaks of economic power, and therefore political power, as being cumulative. equality

19. Inequality is cumulative. Six of the 10 richest Americans inherited wealth. Minorities have the highest rates of poverty. When poverty increases or decreases, the poverty rates of minorities show greater variation. (Graph shown is poverty rates)

20. Representative as trustee or delegate – discussed further in Chapter 7. False consensus– the mistaken belief that an individual’s political views are shared by the population at large. Bolstered by the fact that people’s political views are often shared with those they discuss politics with. Two causes: we tend to discuss these things with people with whom we agree and we tend to adopt the views of our peers. Everyone you know may wish to cut Social Security benefits, but polling shows more than 75% of Americans are opposed. Popular consent, majority rule, and popular sovereignty

21. Politicians often discuss “what the American people want” even when polls show evidence of the opposite. Are these politicians echoing the ideas of supporters who in turn were convinced by the politician’s own rhetoric? False consensus

22. Not like Canadians - “If public operation of an enterprise will produce a greater net social utility, the services rendered by this enterprise should belong in the category of public goods.” Taxation and Welfare (New York: Macmillan Co., 1925), pp. 30-36, as quoted in Harold M. Groves (ed.), Viewpoints in Public Finance (New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1948), p. 551. , as quoted in Downs, Anthony. 1957. An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy. The University of Chicago Press 65 (April): 135-150. individualism

26. Does this seem to be effective or efficient health care policy? Single-payer vs private health care systems US as outlier - In statistics, an outlier is an observation that is numerically distant from the rest of the data.

27. Separation of church and state “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” Religious faith and religious freedom

28. Should we be the melting pot, or should we provide resources to allow for the development of communities that maintain the culture of their home countries? What does it mean to be an American? Greater diversity

29. Support for welfare programs are strongest where population is homogeneous. States with few minorities often have the most generous social benefits. Immigrants and “otherness” are often used to divide and conquer the working class. President Lyndon B. Johnson observed “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” This was an observation of how racial hatred of the time was utilized to keep workers distrustful of each other and to prevent organization. Immigration and “otherness”

30. Healthcare, Social Security, Medicare – you may not need it now, but you will. Can the young be turned against social security if they are led to believe it will not be there for them? Education and minimum wage. The old no longer need it, why support it? Pitting the young against the old

31. “The Civil War was later fought in part because of basic differences in philosophy toward government as well toward slavery, which many Northerners opposed.” Concentrated populations in the North versus large plantations in the South were the result of climate and malaria. White inhabitants frequently succumbed to disease while slaves from Sub-Saharan Africa were often immune due to the sickle-cell gene. Plantation systems were necessary to make the holding of slaves economically viable. Black slaves were necessary to keep the work force alive. The Southern economic system was based entirely on the institution of slavery. “It is very true that, in that portion of the Union where the labor of the negro race was found to be unsuited to the climate and unprofitable to the master, but few slaves were held at the time of the Declaration of Independence, and when the Constitution was adopted, it had entirely worn out in one of them, and measures had been taken for its gradual abolition in several others.” Chief Justice Taney, Dred Scott opinion Regional differences

32. As the South started to industrialize in the 1840s and 1850s with slave labor, industrialists in the North (and England) started organizing and financing abolitionist movements. Early astroturfing The tariff system that was in place prior to the Civil War favored Northern industrial companies while disadvantaging Southern landowners, effectively transferring wealth from the South to the North. The Civil War was about economics. Civil War and regional conflict

33. Prior to child labor laws, children were a source of income. Prior to social security, children were the retirement plan for many low income workers. These two policies moved children from being a necessity to being a luxury. A 2004 survey regarding women’s choices to have abortions found that: “The reasons most frequently cited were that having a child would interfere with a woman’s education, work or ability to care for dependents (74%); (or) that she could not afford a baby now (73%)…) Family and family size

34. “The COHERENT set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals.” Merriam-Webster online “the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program.” Random House ideology: “the body of doctrine, myth, symbol, etc. of a social movement, institution, class, or large group” What if an ideology is incoherent? What if a policy position that is acceptable one day is unacceptable the next? What if the beliefs of an ideology are based on facts that are demonstrably inaccurate? Political ideology

35. Rousseau – “However, when the social tie begins to slacken and the state to weaken, when particular interests begin to make themselves felt and sectional societies begin to exert an influence over the greater society, the common interest then becomes corrupted and meets opposition, voting is no longer unanimous; the general will is no longer the will of all; contradictions and disputes arises, and even the best opinion is not allowed to prevail unchallenged.“ Rousseau

36. Rousseau has been interpreted as both providing a framework for the “greatest good for the greatest number” but has also been interpreted as advocating a totalitarian state in which the tyranny of the majority would prevail. If we take the Rousseau quote above and combine it with Federalist Paper #10, we see that the polarization of a society is detrimental both to domestic tranquility and the general welfare as factions begin to oppress other factions. Rousseau, Madison, and factions

37. James Danziger

38. How these ideological labels are defined has changed over time. Conservatives in the 19th century did not want things to change and wanted to maintain the status quo. Conservatives in the late 20th century advocated change to a system that resembles the late 19th century. Liberals initially advocated for a minimal government role. This former liberal perspective could more readily be compared to libertarian today. Moving into the late 19th century and the Progressive movement, liberals have come to see democratic government as being able to improve the living conditions of people and solve many more societal problems. Shift from negative liberty/freedom to positive liberty/freedom. Conservatives and liberals

39. http://www.people-press.org/typology/quiz/ Extra credit • Follow the hyperlink to political typology quiz. Take the test. Print out your results. Answer the questions below. • Were you surprised by your score? Discuss why you were or were not surprised. • Do you believe the questions were an adequate way to measure your political beliefs? Why or why not? Be specific. • Read the description of your political group. Does it fit? • Three points toward your raw score are possible. This is the easiest three points available in this class.

40. “Some clearly want more for themselves and less for others.” This is the division of factions. Unions want higher wages, corporations want higher profits. With corporations reaching record profits and wages remaining stagnant or even dropping, who do you think has been more successful at influencing government? Don’t accept things at face value. What you read, hear, or even what you learn in college. I could be crazy or have my own political agenda. Dig deep and find the facts. Does the analysis fit the facts, or have they been twisted to support an agenda? Wrap up