Politics, Polls, and Parties 9/1-9/2

Warmup What are the names of the two dominant political parties in the United States? What other political parties do you know about?

Legislative Branch The Legislative Branch makes laws House of Representatives = 435 members Senate = 100 members Powers = collect taxes, create money, regulate commerce with foreign countries, declare war Congress

Executive Branch The Executive Branch carries out laws Made up of the President, Vice President, Cabinet members, and the heads of federal agencies (CIA, FBI, etc.) The President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, makes treaties, propose and veto legislation, appoints Cabinet members, nominates ambassadors and Supreme Court Justices Obama with his Cabinet members

Judicial Branch The Judicial Branch reviews the laws that the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch create They evaluate the laws by interpreting the Constitution and issue judgments 9 Justices (including 1 Chief Justice) Serve for life with good behavior 9 Supreme Court Justices 1 Chief Justice = John Glover Roberts, Jr.

Enumerated Powers These are expressed powers for Congress (powers that are specifically written down in the Constitution) – Article 1, Section 8 Examples: Congress can create money and raise taxes Punish piracy Elastic Clause – “all laws necessary and proper” Declare war

Checks and Balances Checks and balances is a system where each branch can “check up on” each other to be sure they’re following the rules/the law

Checks and Balances The President can “check” the legislation by vetoing a law they want passed Congress can “check” the President by passing a law with 2/3 majority (even if the President vetoes it) The judicial branch can “check” Congress and the President by ruling a law they pass as unconstitutional

Separation vs. Checks Separation of powers = different branches have different responsibilities/powers based on the Constitution Checks and balances = each branch can make sure the other branches are following their respective responsibilities/powers and the law

Videos Who has power?

American Population

Political Socialization AKA “How Americans learn about politics” Political socialization is the process of how people learn about and develop their own political knowledge/ideals Family Friends Mass/Social Media Coworkers

Political Socialization The Process of Political Socialization School Used by the government to socialize young people into political culture Better-educated citizens are more likely to vote and are more knowledgeable about politics and policy. Mass Media Radio, television, internet/social media, magazines, newspapers Chief source of information as children age

Political Socialization Political Learning Over a Lifetime Aging increases political participation and strength of party attachment.

How do we know what people are thinking about politics? How Polls Are Conducted Sample: a small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey to be representative of the whole Random Sampling: the key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample Sampling Error: the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll

Polls The Role of Polls in American Democracy Polls help politicians detect public preferences. But critics say polls make politicians think more about following than leading public Even though politicians do not track opinion to make policy Question wording may affect survey results

Polls The Role of Polls in American Democracy Polls may distort election process Exit Polls: used by the media to predict election day winners May discourage people from voting “Dewey Defeats Truman” Chicago newspaper reported incorrectly that Harry Truman was defeated by Thomas E. Dewey because they only read the exit polls in Chicago

Political Ideology Political Ideology: A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives? Predominance of conservative over liberal thinking Currently about 38% conservative, 24% liberal, 38% moderate Gender gap: women tend to be less conservative than men Ideological variation by religion, too

Political Ideology

Decline of Trust in Government

Political Parties There are two main political parties in the United States: Democratic Party: Roots back to Thomas Jefferson Modern-day party founded in 1828 Republican Party: Also called the “Grand Old Party” (GOP) Roots back to anti-slavery activists Founded in 1854

Democrats vs. Republican Presidents Democratic Presidents: Andrew Jackson Martin van Buren James K Polk Franklin Pierce James Buchanan Grover Cleveland Woodrow Wilson Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry Truman John F. Kennedy LBJ Jimmy Carter Bill Clinton Barack Obama Republican Presidents: Abraham Lincoln Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hays James Garfield Chester Arthur Benjamin Harrison William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt William Taft Warren Harding Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover Dwight Eisenhower Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush George W. Bush

Third Parties Tea Party Green Party Libertarian Party Working Families Party Conservative Party of New York State Independence Party of New York And A TON of minor political parties including the Socialist Party and the Communist Party

Vocab! Platform = A statement of a political party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on vital issues One-party system = A system in which only one political party exists because the government does not tolerate opposition (authoritarianism) Single-issue party = A political party that focuses exclusively on one major social, economic, or moral issue Single-member district = An electoral district in which only one candidate is elected to office

Interest Groups Interest Groups = Groups of people who share common goals and organize to influence government and policies

Lobbyists I'm Just A Bill Parody Crash Course Interest Groups Lobbyists = A paid representative of an interest group who contacts government officials on behalf of these interest groups Remy Danton – House of Cards

Snapshot of My Political Ideology Using the scoring system on the worksheet “A Snapshot of My Political Ideology”, you will score yourself on how strongly you agree/disagree on certain issues (front and back of worksheet) Total your score using a calculator Divide by 15 When you are finished, come see me for a sticker