Consider : Is democracy the best form of government? The Last Word: Assignment 3 for Tuesday; no quiz tomorrow "Today is Bill Clinton's birthday. Hillary sent Bill an e-birthday card and out of habit she immediately deleted it." –Conan O'Brien 'The beautiful Heidi Klum is on the show tonight. Donald Trump was actually quoted as saying that Heidi is 'no longer a 10.' Heidi said the comment didn't bother her, especially coming from someone who was never even a 4.' –Jimmy Fallon "Up to 11 states are poised to legalize weed, which would bring the total to 14 states. Marijuana activists are thrilled. They're saying, 'Wow, 14 states. That's more than half of the states.'" –James Corden "According to a new poll, Jeb Bush saw a 6 percent drop in support after the first debate, but experts say he still has a shot because he's 'likable' and 'qualified.' Then Donald Trump said, 'Weird, the opposite is working for me.'" –Jimmy Fallon "The White House is worried about Joe Biden's potential run for president, and a source says they fear that it wouldn't have the right outcome. That's right, they think he might win." –Jimmy Fallon

Types of Government and Theories of Democracy AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS: CHAPTER 1

The Big Questions  Once we realize that government is necessary, we now need to answer these 2 great questions:  Who (should) govern (power), and to what ends (purpose)? How have societies throughout history answered those 2 questions differently?

Key Aspects of Government Power  What is your definition?  What are some of the different ways that people exercise power? …In a democracy, the right to use power is based on… Legitimacy  The mass feeling that governmental authority is rightful and should be obeyed.  Disagreeing with a policy or a politician and believing in a lack of legitimacy of the government are two different things.  Why might we feel that democratic governments are more legitimate than other governments?  What is the source of governmental legitimacy in the United States?

Types of Government Monarchy Aristocracy Totalitarianism Oligarchy Democracy Direct democracy, Representative democracy, elite democracy(?) 1.2

Types of Government, or… The Parable of the –isms … or, “you have 2 cows…”  DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. A vote is held, and the cows win.  SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes one of them and gives it to your neighbor.  CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one of them, and buy a bull. The cow and bull have a great love life; you sell the movie rights to Hollywood. Then you go into real estate.  ANARCHISM: You have two cows. You steal your neighbor's bull and ignore the government.  BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.  DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both cows and drafts you.  NAZISM: You have two cows. The government takes both and then shoots you.  LIBERTARIANISM: Go away. What I do with my cows is none of your business.  UNITED NATIONISM: You have two cows. France vetoes you from milking them. The United States and Britain veto the cows from milking you. New Zealand abstains.

What is Democracy? Certain basic principles are necessary in any definition of democracy. – Free and fair elections between competing political parties How do we define “free”, “fair” and/or a legitimate competition between parties? – Majority rule while preserving minority rights – Freedom of expression – within limits Can you “flip off” a cop? – Freedom of assembly and the right to protest Are we missing anything?

Types of Democracy -Direct Democracy -Aka Participatory Democracy -Representative Democracy -Aka Republics

Direct Democracy δημοκρατ ί α – demokratia – Rule by the (whole) people – Built on the Athenian model – Still present in US town hall meetings. – “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” – Thomas Jefferson – He was referring to this type of “democracy”…a narrow definition. Is our system really a “democracy” in the Greek sense of the word?

Representative Democracy – Another name for rep dem = republic – Majoritarian politics: the idea that the will of the majority should be paramount in the decisions of a society – Success of this model requires 3 things: people express their desires clearly leaders know what the people want What people want can actually be done Assumptions : – Voters are aware. – Voters are rational. – Voters are tolerant. – Voters are informed.

Types of Democracy  What is the major difference between direct and indirect democracy ?  Are there issues with direct democracy?  Is it possible to try this system today? “Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear.” - Alan Coren, British writer and satirist

Who Governs in a Democracy?  Pluralist view  the belief that relatively fair competition among all affected interests shapes public policy.  An optimistic view of the democratic process  No single group dominates the political process.  Competing interests often check each other, result is compromise  Win-Win, or Lose-Lose?

Who Governs in a Democracy? Hyperpluralism – There are so many groups which influence government, action becomes difficult, if not impossible. A more pessimistic view – Multitude of competing interests most often causes gridlock and inaction. – Since all interest groups try to protect their self-interest, the policies that result from their pressure are haphazard and ill-conceived.

Critiquing Democracy  Examining aspects:  Free, fair elections  Separation of powers  Majority rule  Lobbying (Interest Groups/PACs)  Campaign finance  Congress  The Supreme Court  The Presidency Most can agree that our nation has problems that, at times, it struggles to solve. Is our current democratic structure able to meet these challenges in the 21 st century?

Consider: Why does Plato think democracy is NOT such a great idea? Who does he think should govern? The Last Word: Assignment 3 for Monday

Is democracy the best system?  What makes a government “good”, “effective”, or whatever we want it to be?