American Government and Politics Today Chapter 1 The Democratic Republic

Politics and Government Key Terms: –Politics: “who gets what when and how” –Institution: an ongoing organization that performs certain functions for society –Government: institution in which decisions are made that resolve conflicts or allocate benefits and privileges

Why Is Government Necessary? Order: Maintaining peace and security by protecting members of society from violence and criminal activity is the oldest purpose of government. Is there a difference between order and perceived order? Which would you prefer?

Why Is Government Necessary? (cont.) Liberty The greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society; can be promoted by or invoked against government. Liberty is a basic function of any government, do we in the U.S experience liberty? How?

Why Is Government Necessary? (cont.) Authority and Legitimacy –authority: the right and power of a government or other entity to enforce its decisions and compel obedience. –Legitimacy: is popular acceptance of the right and power of a government or other entity to exercise authority.

Which is more important for a government to have, Authority or Legitimacy? –Don’t be a pansy and say “we need both” pick a side, take a stand, make an argument.

Should the government rule with a certain amount of fear over its citizens? Would this make the government function more efficiently? What drawbacks could occur if a government ruled by fear?

Forms of Government Totalitarian Regime—government controls all aspects of the political and social life of a nation. Authoritarianism—A type of regime in which only the government itself is fully controlled by the ruler. Social and economic institutions exist that are not under the government’s control.

Is ignorance of government operations bliss? Are you okay not knowing what is going on as long as things seem fine?

Forms of Government (cont.) Aristocracy—Rule by the “best”; in reality, rule by an upper class. Based on wealth Democracy—A system of government in which political authority is vested in the people. Derived from the Greek words demos (“the people”) and kratos (“authority”).

Direct Democracy Political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by their elected representatives Attained most easily in small political communities. Local Government, ancient Greece

Direct Democracy Today Initiative–a procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment Referendum–an electoral device whereby legislative or constitutional measures are referred by the legislature to the voters for approval or disapproval Recall–a procedure allowing the people to vote to dismiss an elected official from state office before his or her term has expired –What is the difference between recall and impeachment?

Is Direct Democracy Dangerous? While the founders believed in government based on the consent of the people, they were highly distrustful of anything that might look like “mob rule.” Therefore, they devised institutions to filter the popular will through elected elites.

Would the country operate more efficiently if it exercised a direct democracy? Would the people be better represented? Would this change the apathetic view United States citizens have towards their government? Why?

A Democratic Republic Democratic republic and representative democracy really mean the same thing— government based on elected representatives

A Democratic Republic (cont.) Principles of Democratic Government –universal suffrage, or the right of all adults to vote for their representatives –majority rule, the greatest number of citizens in any political unit should select the officials and determine policies. Constitutional Democracy –limited government, states the powers of government should be limited, usually by institutional checks. Without such limits, democracy could destroy itself.

Think about it? Is it better to be feared or respected? Should a government be allowed to exercise its authority through force?

What Kind of Democracy Do We Have? Majoritarianism Elite theory Pluralism

Fundamental Values Political Socialization Liberty versus Order –Speech, religion, BOR, Privacy –Abortion, sexual preference Equality versus Liberty –Kelo v. City of New London –Economic Equality –Property Rights and Capitalism capitalism, an economic system characterized by the private ownership of wealth-creating assets and also by free markets and freedom of contract.

Should the government be allowed to ban or restrict your rights in a time of national security? –USA Patriot Act –NSA Should the government be allowed to “investigate Terrorists?” If you think of the definition of equality as people having equal worth, and Liberty as the greatest freedom of an individual in society; is it possible that both can exist, or are they by nature conflicting views?

Ideologies: Liberalism vs. Conservatism Conservatives tend to favor limited governmental involvement in the economic sector. Economic freedom is seen as a necessity for the good of the society. On social issues, conservatives advocate governmental involvement to preserve traditional values and lifestyles. Liberals tend to favor governmental regulation of the economy to benefit individuals within the society. On social issues, liberals advocate a limited governmental role. Social freedom is seen as a necessity for the good of the society.

Ideologies: The Traditional Political Spectrum Socialism, a political ideology based on strong support for economic and social equality. Socialists traditionally envisioned a society in which major businesses were taken over by the government or by employee cooperatives. Libertarianism, a political ideology based on skepticism or opposition toward almost all government activities.

The Traditional Political Spectrum

The Ideological Grid We can break down the electorate into cultural and economic liberals, cultural and economic conservatives, cultural liberals/economic conservatives (libertarians), and cultural conservatives/economic liberals. –Classifying the Voters. All four viewpoints have substantial support based on polling data. –Conservative Popularity. However, the term conservative, as a self-applied label, is more popular than any other label except “moderate.”

Other Ideologies Communism, revolutionary variant of socialism that favors a partisan (and often totalitarian) dictatorship, government control of all enterprises, and the replacement of free markets by central planning Fascism, a twentieth-century ideology—often totalitarian—that exalts the national collective united behind an absolute ruler, and rejects liberal individualism, values action over rational deliberation, and glorifies war

Ideologies in the Islamic World While communism and fascism are the historical ideologies that totalitarianism was coined to describe, our current international problem is with radical Islamism as exemplified by Al Qaeda.

The Changing Face of America Aging Population Growth Ethnic Change –Changes in Hispanic Community Women in the Workforce

The Aging of America

U.S. Population

Questions for Critical Thinking Do you think a direct democracy is a rational option for governing in the United States? Describe the forms of direct democracy that exist and discuss the pros and cons of these mechanisms.

Questions for Critical Thinking Do you think some people in American society equate security and order with protection against fellow citizens who are racially, culturally, or economically different? If so, why? Do you think protection against discrimination should be considered a security issue as well as an issue of equality? Justify your answer.