Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics

1. Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics

2. What is government? Government is the institutions through which public policies are made for a society. Examples: U.S. Congress, Supreme Court, the Presidency, and the Federal Bureaucracy. Government = institutions of power.

3. What is politics? Politics is the process determining the leaders we select and the policies they pursue. Politics is the process that decides “who gets what, when, and how.” The process includes voters, candidates, political parties, campaigns, interest groups, elections, and the mass media.

4. Process Participation Political participation is required to influence the process that is politics… You can vote, contact public officials, attend a rally, protest the crap outta somethin’, or even engage in civil disobedience. A lot of people just hash tag something…#, #, #...

5. Single-issue Groups If you find yourself hash tagging about the same issue (abortion, same-sex marriage, gun rights, the environment) then you may be unknowingly part of a single-issue group. Some people are so passionate about a single issue that they vote based on that single issue…they vote Republican simply because they are pro-life or Democratic simply because they support same-sex marriage. For them, it is out of the question to vote for someone who holds the opposite stance on this single issue.

6. Policymaking System Single-issue groups, or interest groups more generally, can influence the overall policymaking system by turning their particular concerns into political issues that become part of the policy agenda. Policymaking institutions (GOVERNMENT) make public policy (LAWS) based on the desires of the people expressed through linkage institutions such as political parties and interest groups that link people to the government.

8. Policymaking System Analyzed The policymaking system of the United States is democratic…the people express themselves and then the government passes laws that reflect the majority’s wishes…right? In reality, the policymaking system is more complex and is understood and analyzed using competing “theories of democracy.” Pluralism, Elitism, and Hyperpluralism…

9. Pluralism Pluralist theory argues that the policymaking process is influenced by numerous interest groups that compete with each other. Majority-rule is not seen as the way that decisions get made, but rather minority-coalitions gain and lose influence depending on the people’s priorities. Pluralist theory argues that everyone can have their voice heard through an interest group and that no one set of groups dominates at all times. Pluralism = interest groups are good and have appropriate power.

10. Elitism Elitist theory argues that a few powerful interest groups wield far more influence within the policymaking process than pluralist theory suggests. For example, Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) had far less influence than America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) on the Affordable Care Act. Elitist theory argues that a few powerful interest groups largely control the policymaking process regardless of which party has a majority in Congress. Elitism: interest groups are unequal and some have too much power.

11. Hyperpluralism Whereas pluralist theory sees interest groups having a positive impact on the policymaking process, hyperpluralist theory argues that too many interest groups are involved and that government is unable to act. Hyperpluralism argues, like elitism, that the public interest or the majority’s wishes are rarely reflected in public policy. For example, a majority of the population may favor increased background checks for gun purchases, but numerous interest groups both for and against increasing background checks will prevent any new law from being passed. Hyperpluralism: too many interest groups with too much power.

12. American Political Culture Political culture is the overall set of values widely shared within a society. The political culture of the United States is often understood as being comprised of five ingredients: -liberty -egalitarianism -individualism -laissez faire -populism Do you think our political culture is somewhat contradictory or paradoxical?

13. Liberty = freedom…to do what? Egalitarianism = equality…in what regard? Individualism = individual effort without government help…for what purpose? Laissez-faire = free markets without government interference…to what extent? Populism = the people vs. the elites…towards what goal?

14. American Political Culture Some of the ingredients of our political culture can either compete or complement each other. Liberty may conflict with populism… Egalitarianism may conflict with laissez-faire… Individualism may complement laissez-faire… How do we resolve the conflicts?

15. Resolving Our Conflicting Values In theory, we “the people” resolve these conflicts through our participation in the political and policymaking process. Three general possibilities exist: • Compromise between competing values • Status quo (nothing changes or gets done) • One value temporarily beats a competitor

16. “American history is defined by an irrepressible and ongoing tension between two core values: our love of individualism and our reverence for community…There is not a party of individualism competing at election time against a party of community…both interact, usually fruitfully, and sometimes uncomfortably, with that other bedrock American value, equality, whose meaning we debate in every generation…We are a nation of individualists who care passionately about community. We are also a nation of communitarians who care passionately about individual freedom. We believe in limited government, but also in active and innovative government…American arguments for individual liberty are always tempered by arguments for personal responsibility, celebrations of community, the idea of fraternity, and the need in self-governing republics for virtuous citizens…We appear to have abandoned the idea of one national history in favor of a series of partial accounts that suit the needs of our respective political tribes. The value we most seem to worship is choice, so we choose our version of history. The centrality of choice also means that we are building local community in ways that make it ever more difficult to bring ourselves together in a larger community…” E.J. Dionne Jr. Our Divided Political Heart (2012)