Chapter 1 Brainstorm: create a list of words that you associate with politics Define – construct a definition of politics Find a partner, you have 4 minutes!!!!!!

Politics = power struggle over who governs and to what ends… Who governs? To what ends? Who will/should lead? What policies should be pushed?

Who governs? To what ends? Overview Who governs / to what ends? : These are two distinct questions, not variations of the same!!!!!!! Who governs? Doesn’t always predict to what ends Civil rights act 1965, 19 th amendment Power / authority: how are they different? What is the source of authority in the U.S.? Constitution Under the Constitution for a local, state, or our federal gov’t to be legitimate it must be democratic

Who governs? To what ends? Overview 2. To what ends? What policy are you creating? What programs do you favor? Several factors that will influence this Such as?

Who should govern? We believe that personalities, beliefs, virtues and vices will affect how a person will govern Candidate ads, perfect example… /in-new-ads-focused-on-character-obama- and-romney-get-personal /in-new-ads-focused-on-character-obama- and-romney-get-personal Does personal character matter? Does consistency of views matter? Do you have to be ‘likeable’?

To what ends should they govern? What programs should be favored? How much influence should the gov’t have over certain issues Trend in US politics private becomes public Greater involvement in everyday lives of Americans Where should we go?: Always a central question in governing, clearly visible in this election (What Direction??????)

Who should govern? To what ends? There are many individuals and institutions with power, but who should have authority? Distinguishing between power and authority is, fundamentally, reflective of one’s political beliefs. In what kinds of institutions do you have confidence? Why do you trust them? In contrast, what kinds of institutions raise your suspicions? Why? institutions: school, church, government ( Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches) Due in class tomorrow 2 paragraphs: typed or neatly handwritten 1 st : in what institutions do you have confidence? Why? 2 nd : what institutions raise your suspicion? Why?

We operate politically within a democratic system: What type of democracy is best? Direct/ participatory What is it? Historic example? /Current example? Advantages? / Disadvantages? Concerns of the framers? Questions for reading: 1.List examples of the Framers trying to protect against ‘mobocracy’ 2.Starting with the progressive era, Americans have had more direct access to shaping policy. How have we been given more access? Do you think this is a positive step forward, or have we given individuals too much power? 3. After reading this article, what is your reaction to Hamilton’s quote (the one that introduces the article)? Representative What is it? How do you gain power in this system? Must have competitive elections!!! Questions to ask yourself: Do we have meaningful choices? Is our system elitist?

Who really influences policy decisions in a representative democracy? Majoritarian politics: officeholders follow the will of the people very closely Occurs when issues are simple and clear, benefits many – cost shared by many : social security (historically) When issues are more complex it is usually a smaller group of people who are more motivated to be actively involved that actually shape policy (not necessarily the will of the majority Elitist politics: rule by an identifiable group of persons who possess a disproportionate share of political power Marxist : Marx Proletariat(workers) vs. Bourgeoisie (capitalists) Now focused on power of the rich and multi-national corps. Power Elite :C.W. Mills Coalition of 3 groups: business leaders, top military officials, handful of key political leaders Now includes mass media, special interest groups, and labor union leadership in addition to original 3 Bureaucratic : Weber warns elected officials aren’t that important (500,000 vs million) those with power are the bureaucrats who are in charge of instituting policy Pluralist Don’t worry too much about elites because they are divided, policy is the result of complex shifting patterns of alliances, and no single group has a monopoly on political resources

Democracy and self- interest Is our system based on self interest? Elitist theories of politics may lead to the cynical view that politics is simply a self seeking enterprise in which everyone is out for political gain Historically it is clear that economic self interest is an important factor in decisions, but so is public interest!!!!! AFL-CIO fighting for Civil Rights Act of 1965 is a perfect example of this!!!!!

Who should govern? To what ends? – political theory Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau Similarities, differences, who’s theory do you buy?