The American Democracy 10th ed. Thomas E. Patterson

PowerPoint Presentation by Diane Feibel, Ed.D.

Political Thinking: Becoming a Responsible Citizen Chapter 1

Learning to Think Politically Political thinking Involves the careful gathering and sifting of information to form a knowledgeable view about a political issue Important for responsible citizenship © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Learning to Think Politically Barriers to political thinking Main barrier: unwillingness of citizens to make the effort to self-inform Changes in media consumption: more people consume biased cable television and Internet blogs “Spin” by political leaders and government entities Research shows faulty perceptions becoming more prevalent © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Learning to Think Politically What political science can contribute to political thinking Political science: the systematic study of government and politics A descriptive and analytical discipline; can increase ability to think politically © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Learning to Think Politically What political science can contribute to political thinking Political science can provide deeper analysis Shows that America’s culture of individualism was important obstacle to whole-scale healthcare reform Individualistic culture has roots in colonial wilderness society Polls shows continued strength of individualism © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

© 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Social Welfare Spending in the United States and Selected European Democracies © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Politics and Power in America Politics: the means by which society settles its conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits and costs Power: the ability of persons, groups, or institutions to influence political developments Authoritarian and totalitarian governments: nondemocratic, repressive regime types © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Politics and Power in America A democratic system System in which the people govern, by direct or representative means In practice, majority rule through the free and open election of representatives Majoritarianism: the majority effectively determines what government does © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

America’s Governing Systems and Related Sources of Power © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Politics and Power in America A democratic system Pluralism: the preference of the special interest that largely determines what government does Authority: the recognized right of officials to exercise power © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Politics and Power in America A constitutional system The Constitution: elaborate checks and balances, Bill of Rights Constitutionalism: idea that there are lawful restrictions on government’s power Restraints on majority power Judicial action channel through which ordinary citizens can exercise power © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Lawyers per Million Persons © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Politics and Power in America A free market system Operates mainly on private transactions Some government intervention through regulatory, taxing, and spending policies Tax rate much lower in U.S. than in European countries Corporate power: influence firms have over policymakers Elitism: power exercised by the influential few © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Politics and Power in America Who does govern? Defining characteristic of American politics: widespread sharing of power Women and minorities initially excluded; their power will steadily grow over time © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Text’s Organization The constitutional system The political role of citizens and intermediaries Governing officials, the elective institutions, and their appointive bodies Focus on public policies throughout book Focus on difficulty of governing effectively, and how important it is to try © 2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.