1. POLS 21 The American Political System Introductory Remarks

2. What do these things have in common? Root canals NFL replacement refs Head lice Nickelback Colonoscopies Traffic jams Cockroaches Donald Trump France Genghis Khan Used-car salesmen Brussels sprouts

3. All of these things are more popular than CONGRESS

4. At least Congress remains more popular than… North Korea

5. The Kardashians

6. Schoolyard bullies

7. Meth labs

8. Gonorrhea

9. Word Cloud constructed from the responses people gave to a Pew Research Center poll in March 2010: “One word that best describes your impression of Congress"

11. RECESSION Health Care GAS PRICES Mortgage crisis Corruption Global warming Terrorism Immigration Moral values Crime Poverty and homelessness DRUGS Education War in Afghanistan DEFICITS

13. Presidential Job Approval, 2001-2008

14. Satisfaction with the United States, 1979-2008 XX X

15. On Campaign Stump, Candidates Preach the Importance of Optimism A Year Before Voting, a Nation of Discontent Got Hope? Voting for a Smile Economy Deteriorating; Jobless Numbers Fuel Pessimism Change We Can Believe In The Staggering Cost of a Long War

17. Presidential Job Approval, 2009-2013 20092010 2011 2012 2013

18. Confidence in American Institutions, 2012 Source: CNN/USA Today/ Gallup poll, June 7-10, 2012. " I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one--a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?" Confidence in government institutions is comparatively low.

19. Trust in the Federal Government, 1964-2011 "People have different ideas about the government in Washington. These ideas don't refer to Democrats or Republicans in particular, but just to government in general. We want to see how you feel about these ideas. How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right—just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?"

22. What message are these political cartoons trying to convey? “Politics is corrupt.”

23. What message are these political cartoons trying to convey? “Politicians lie.”

24. What message are these political cartoons trying to convey? “The system is rigged.”

25. What message are these political cartoons trying to convey? “Money always wins.”

26. What message are these political cartoons trying to convey? “Why should we care?”

27. What message are these political cartoons trying to convey? “Our votes don’t matter.”

28. What message are these political cartoons trying to convey? “Democracy is broken.”

30. Trust in the Federal Government, 1964-2010 "People have different ideas about the government in Washington. These ideas don't refer to Democrats or Republicans in particular, but just to government in general. We want to see how you feel about these ideas. How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right—just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?" ? Trust in government increased after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001—but only briefly.

31. Evaluating Government How well does the American system of government work? What are the most appropriate indicators? What do citizens really want from government? Are those expectations reasonable?