Agenda: 9 /25/ 2012

1. Agenda: 9/25/2012 • Attendance sheet • NYT Sign Up Sheet • Review next week • STATE HOUSE TOUR on October 4, 2012 at 1 PM • Exam Study Guide • Finding good lectures (Presidential Debate Calendar) • Electoral College • Good websites for political information • Discuss federalism • One-Minute Paper

2. Looking Ahead: What is Coming Up next week and beyond Next week: Week 4 Week: 4, Tuesday, 9/25/2012 Federalism Reading: LAP, Ch 3, 88-134 Week: 4, Thursday, 9/27/2012 Federalism Today Reading: PPA, Section 3-2 Kettl, 80-103 Blackboard Reading Quiz 3 New York Times Op-Ed 2 Week: 5, Tuesday, 10/2/2012 Political Parties as Institutions and Review for Midterm Reading: LAP, Ch. 12 Prepare for Mid-Term Week: 5, Thursday, 10/4/2012 MIDTERM

3. Answer … how to control faction … • Control its effects • If the faction is NOT a majority • Majority can defeat via the vote • If the faction is a majority • Popular government enables sacrifice to the ruling passion • Pure Democracy cannot cure faction, but a Republic can. Here’s how … • Delegate government to a small number of citizens

4. A republican form of government • Refines and enlarges the public views by passing it through a group of people who are supposed to “discern the true interest of their country” • These people are patriotic, love justice, least likely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial considerations • Must have enough Representatives to “guard against the cabals of a few” — but a limited number so there’s not too much confusion • Elections: by allowing a great number of citizens to make the choice, the people will be more free to center on people who have merit, diffusive and established characters • Trade-offs • Too many electors means the rep. Will not know all the people very well, won’t know their local circumstances and lesser interests • Too few electors means the rep. Will not pursue the great and national interest • Thus — national and state legislatures solves this problem

5. Big Nation State • Size of Country • Small country — more easy for groups to oppress • Big country — less probable that majority will have common motive to invade rights of other citizens • Conclusion

6. Federalist 51 • We are not “angels.” • How do we get a government of non-angels to govern the governed, but to “govern” itself as well? • Solution: pit politicians against one another through the mutual vetoes embedded in the Constitution’s separation of powers and checks and balances. • By separating government officers into different branches (separation of powers) and giving them the authority to interfere with each other’s actions (checks and balances) they could defend the integrity of their offices: • bicameralism • popular election • presidential veto • Ambition is made to counteract ambition. . . . • This argument gave reassurances to those fence sitters who worried about a tyrannical government forming.

7. Federalist No. 10 and 51 • In summary, Federalist No. 10 conveys the theory of pluralism that guided the Constitution’s chief architect. • Federalist No. 51 explores how and why the governmental system that emerged from the political process in Philadelphia might actually work. • But did they overdo it? What criticisms can be leveled at the system? • Authority fragmented • Conservative political process in which legitimate majorities are frequently frustrated by some minority faction

8. What is Role of Government? Madison’s View • A good government should “break and control the violence of faction” • A dangerous vice • Concern 1: public good disregarded when rival parties conflict • Concern 2: decisions made according to the “superior force of an interested and over-bearing majority.” • Better that decisions be made based on rules of justice, rights of minority party

9. The Great Compromise • What was his logic? • If the state legislatures could corrupt the entire national government through their hold on the Senate, they also could corrupt the entire national government through Congress’s power to select the offices of the other branches. • They must be insulated in order to contain the Senate’s effort to subvert national policy.

10. House, Senate, PresidentHow many? Where? How elected? • US House of Representatives • 435 members • 2 year terms • Each elected from congressional district that has ~700,000 people\ • US President • 1 • 4 year term • Elected via Electoral college • US Senate • 100 members • 6 year terms • Each elected from a single state. • CA population • 38 million • WY population • 600,000 • MA Population • 6.5 million

11. http://www.slideshare.net/darkyla/electoral-college-10778363

12. Federalism • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ph2Ix85b18&feature=relmfu • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf5m0AmA9uU

13. Key Questions • Is there a rationale for having some government services supplied locally, others by the states, and still others by the national government? • Despite the Framers’ efforts to keep the national government out of the states’ business, was it inevitable that so many policies once left to the states are now handled by the federal government?

14. Federalism • When elected officials from the states challenge national authority, what determines who will have the final say over policy? • Scenario: • California’s landmark climate change legislation • How could a state governor trot around the globe to meet with world leaders and promote a state approach to climate change at odds with national policy? • Case decided by compromise with newly elected President Barak Obama

15. Question • Are there issues currently regulated by the national government that you think should be left up to the states?

17. Externality • Pollution and climate change are policy challenges that cross state borders • Environmental damage done represents an externality — an effect felt by more people than just the one who chose to cause it. • Who pays for externalities? • What are some examples?

25. American-Style Federalism • Federal System • authority divided between two or more distinct levels of government • United States: consists of federal and state levels • Hybrid of: • Confederation • Unitary System

26. Qualifications of Federal Systems • Three general conditions: • The same people and territory are included in both levels of government. • The nation’s constitution protects units at each level of government from encroachment by the other units. • independence • missing in Articles of Confederation • Each unit is in a position to exert some leverage over the other.

27. Evolving Definitions of Federalism • Two distinct forms of American federalism have been identified: • Dual federalism • Shared federalism

28. Dual Federalism • States and federal government have mutually exclusive “spheres of sovereignty” • Nationalization • Authority shifted to the national side and away from state governments. • Today the national government has a hand in almost all policies that “concern the lives” of the citizenry. • Dual federalism no longer describes the nature of federal-state relations.