Political Science - Allt he notes fro POLS 155. Professor Tyler Hughes. PDF

Title Political Science - Allt he notes fro POLS 155. Professor Tyler Hughes.
Author Subasin Kattadige Gunasinghe
Course American Political Institutions
Institution California State University Northridge
Pages 27
File Size 358.6 KB
File Type PDF
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Summary

Allt he notes fro POLS 155. Professor Tyler Hughes....


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Political Science Iowa sets off the presidential primaries. Common themes Freedom Liberty Division of Sovereignty Individualism Power under the articles Congress (Reason why the articles of the confederacy failed.) Central Institution at the federal level Selected by state, paid by the states, recalled by the states. One vote per state. Legislation required a supermajority. Changes to the articles required unanimous consent. Could declare war. (No standing army) No power to tax. No power to regulate international agreements. No power to regulate agreements within states. The States Militias in each state, but no standing army. Create their own treats with foreign nations. Printed their own currencies, which weren’t always accepted by other states. Consequences No way to make international agreements at the national level Any military action required cooperation with state militia Economic concerns over debt, currency and taxation. Shays’ rebellion exemplifies these problems. Crafting a new constitution Issues with representation Need for public input, but “limiting” democracy. Protect commerce and property. While maintaining… Inalienable rights The social contract Representative government Limited government Nationalism. Federalist 51 A separation of powers Authorized by Madison Describes how the government should beset up Separate institutions

Checks and balances Each branch need to be independent Certain levels won’t involve popular elections. Usurpation of power cannot take place when instructions are separated. Federalism.

The Constitution The preamble “We the people” Very different than the articles Government draws power from the people Article I Bicameral legislature Listed first Upper and lower chambers Virginia plan New Jersey plan The great compromise - 2 chambers in the chambers Issues with slavery 3/5 compromise. Congress couldn’t prohibit the sale of slaves until 1808. Escaped slaves had to be returned to their owners. Elections Popular in the house Senate elected by state legislature Changes in 1913 Staggered elections Legislative powers Revenue bills originate in the house Bills must be passed in the both chambers and sent to the president. “Expressed powers.” Collect taxes, pay debts, provide for defense, currency, regulate commerce. Must apply to all states. “Implied powers” Necessary and proper (Elastic clause) Article I Powers denied to congress Cannot suspend habeas Corpus Prohibited from passing an income tax (16th) Free inter-state trade Powers denied to the states Cannot engage in the foreign relations Federal gov’t has monopoly on currently Federal gov’t has monopoly on war power

The bill of Rights The first amendment Freedom of speech religion, press, assembly, petition. Preferred position in the supreme court. Freedom of religion Establishment clause: Cannot establish official religion. Cannot favor oner religion over another. Cannot promote religion over non-religion (Wall-of-Separation) Free exercise clause: Cannot interface with the individual religious beliefs. Practices are not as protected. Lemon Test: Law must have a secular purpose. Law cannot advance or inhibit religion. Law must not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion. Example: School voucher program. Freedom of speech Some limitations: Clear and present danger test. Was the speech directed at the inciting lawless action? Was the speech likely to incite such action? Miller Test: Dominant theme appeal to interests based on community standards Is the material patently offensive? Does the work lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value? Symbolic speech. (Burning a flag) Libel and Slander are not protected. Burden of proof is on the person being slandered. The Second Amendment “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” The right to bear arms. Individual vs Collective rights. Total prohibition on handguns is unconstitutional . Can still have other “reasonable” prohibitions. DC v Heller (2008) McDonald v Chicago (2010) The Fourth Amendment

Search and Seizure Protects against state police powers.

The Fifth Amendment Grand juries in federal crimes. Double Jeopardy. Self-incrimination. Due process - Habeas Corpus. Eminent Domain. The Sixth Amendment Public trials by juries for criminal offenses. Rights of the accused. The Eighth Amendment No excessive bail. (Relative term) Cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment. Rights of the people. The Tenth Amendment Reserved power to the states - States have the power to regulate its citizens. The right to privacy The Ninth and the Fourteenth amendments (Equal protection under the law). Rights given to the people. Personal liberty and restrictions on the states. Griswold v Connecticut. (1965) Roe v Wade. (1973) Civil rights Motivation - What do civil rights mean to you? How and why have the views on cilvil rights changed over time? Protection by the government. Equality for historically disadvantaged groups. Provides the equal opportunities, privileges, and treatment under the law.

02/10/2020 Civil rights in the constitution Civil rights and race relations. Slavery The civil war amendments. 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments. Equal protection clause. Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) sets the stage. Separate but equal. Institutionalized discrimination. Jim Crow Voting discrimination. Examples: Grandfather clauses

Brown v Topeka BoE (1954) Ended de jure segregation. ( Segregation by law) Did not end de facto segregation. (Segregation that exists by nature through migrating patterns etc) Civil rights movement Continues to use the legal system. Civil rights act of 1957 and 1960 Attempts to curb voting discrimination. Civil rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. Suffrage (Voting) Discrimination in public accommodations. Discrimination in the workplace. More power to Federal government to combat discrimination. Shelby county v Holder. Affirmative action University of California v. Bakke Quotas are illegal Race can be a factor when it comes to areas that displays obvious discrimination. Johnson v. Transportation. Not a quota, but can do one-to-one promotions. Bollinger cases “Points” system in unconstitutional. Can Still take race unto account. Fisher v. University of Texas. (2016) American Indians Not considered American citizens till 1924 (Tribal government up to that point) Citizens of America and their sovereign nation. Other racial and ethnic groups. Very different historical experiences. Different cultural backgrounds. Farm worker movement. US v Arizona (2012) - Illegal to look for work without citizenship. State troops can check and arrest for not complying with the law. Lemon Grove (1931) Mendez v Westminister (1947) Internment camps. Korematsu v US. (1944) Sex discrimination Gained right to vote in 1920. Courts did not begin overturning gender discriminate laws until 1970s. Legislation. Equal Pay Act of 1963. Civl Rights Act of 1964. Title IX. Equal rights amendments. Same Sex-marriage

DOMA - Defense Of Marriage Act State laws. Obergefell v Hodges (2015) Workplace discrimination - Kansas. - Termination based upon sex identity. Political organizations. The “middle person” in American Politics. Connecting the masses with government institutions. Political parties and Interest groups. Collections of interests. Pluralism. Political parties. Organized groups. Gain office. Value voters with common political views. Exercise political control. Lawmaking coalitions. Recruitment Find and groom candidates. Provide resources. Money, media, supporters, issue positions, campaign organizations. Public supporters and the party label. Candidate stay close to the label. Accountability. Blunt tool but a powerful heuristic. Filling gaps. The constitution. Nothing about elections. (At least how they’re carried out.) Legitimacy in the electoral process. Cooperation between and within institutions. Citizens Political engagement. Ads, literature, public appearances. Coordination. Political label. Common beliefs about government and policy. A unifying label. Disagreement between the parties. There are three levels of parties. Parties-in-the- electorate. Voters identifying with a party. Part identification. Loyalty in elections . Extension of the”party network ”’ Parties-in-government. Elected officials. Can fill multiple roles.

Parties as organization. Party apparatus. National, State, and county levels. Coordinate campaigns, find money and volunteers. Leading officials are also “elites.” Lower levels are the party network. Network committee. (RNC and DNC) Coordinate primaries . Hold nominating conventions. Decide rules for nominations. Decide on policy platforms. Completing theories. Critical elections Incremental change Parties change, but politics don’t

Issue evolution

Duverger’s Law Single member district. Winner take all - Voting for individuals that are not required to gain the majority of the votes. Different than proportional representation. Plurality elections. First past the post. What are interest groups? (Older, Richer, More-Educated and white individuals participate in a higher rate) Formally organized association. Influence public policy. Extremely broad. Different from political movements. Large and informal. Seeking broad societal change. Narrow and public interests. Can still Frame narrow issue more broadly. Membership loos a lot like those who participate Differences across groups in society. Lobbying - Direct contact with a political structures in order to create a policy change. Direct influence of government. Personal contact. Gain access to officials. Provide information. Pre-New Deal Post-New Deal Seeking government benefits. 1960’s saw a huge growth in direct advocacy. Public interest groups. Broad classes of citizens. Single-issue groups. (NRA, Sierra Club, AARP, NAACP, ACLU)

Influence government actions on a very specific issue. Which interests have access to government? Majority are business interests. Corporations Trade association. (Businesses with similar interests with banding together) Ex: US Chamber of Commerce Other business associations Professional associates are a separate category. For example: Labor Unions. (Ex: CFA - California Faculty Association) Follow the money Business interests. Formal lobbyists in D.C. Underrepresentation Lower SES Homeless. People without health insurance. Strategies. Tactics are a part of strategies. Inside strategies. Direct personal contact. Lobbying - Spending. Contributing money. Outside Strategies. Gain popular support. Grassroots tactics. Citizen activism. Canvassing, events, public campaigns. Resources dictate strategies and tactics. Money, membership, prestige, and leadership. Regulations in lobbying. Must register with House and Senate clerks. Fairly broad definitions of lobbyists. Ban on direct monetary influence. Illegal “gifts” Deduced fair on airplanes. Meals. Better tracking of campaign funds. Super PACs No limitations on contributions. Does not give money directly to a campaign. Examples: 527s Leadership PACs (Tradition subject to limitations.)

Democracy and public opinion. Politicians pay attention. Aggregation of individuals on important issues. Usually collective through surveys. Weak, unstable, non-existent. General public isn’t very knowledgable. Inconsistencies Bradley effect Halo effect Making pubic opinion Make inferences based on a sample. Gathering information about a population. Randomization. Sampling error. Sample bias. Weighting. Question bias. Challenges to Polling Technology Phones. Internet. Where do opinions originate? Socialization. Learning of political values, beliefs, and opinions. Attributes of a participant. Income Education. Religious affiliation. Type of job. Race. Gender. Age. Political engagement Efficacy. Internal and External. Internal Efficacy - How much do you understand the politics around you. External Efficacy - How you feel you interact with the government. How much do you matter to the government. -Tied to other aspects of participationInterest. Information. Mobilization.

Direct and indirect. Targeting. Other types of participation. Activism Protests. Campaigns. Petitions. Lobbying. Community meetings/ town halls Resource = Time Social media. Consumer activism. Campaigns donations. Resource = Money.

The media Mass Media Communication with the general public. Television. Newspaper. Radio. dure. The rise of fake news. Ex: Pizzagate Prevalent on social media. The American aa. Privatization. Other democracies have government owned television outlets. PBS and NPR receive very small subsidies from national gov’t. No national newspaper in the U.S. Autonomy - Free from government influence. Objectivity. Media do not openly advocate for a political party or candidate — but they imply it. The fairness doctrine. “Watch dog “ or “Attack dog” media. What get reported. Market pressure. Attract as many viewers as possible. Soft news vs Hard news. Less policy content, more entertainment.

Rise of infotainment. 24 - hour news cycle produces lower standards. News paper are affected as well. Narrowcasting. - Sending news with agenda based purposes to a certain audience. Focus on conflict. (Horse race, image, scandals) Objectivity and Autonomy. The effects of media. Journalists. Gatekeepers. disseminators. Investigators. Mobilizers. Media as an Agenda setter. Priming. Importance. Framing. Persuasion. Selective perception. Media regulations. While maintaining. Equal time rule. Fairness Doctrine. Eliminated in the 1980s. Right to rebuttal . Right to respond to damages to reputation. Not strictly enforced. tld laws - Whether the government is able to reveal the source of information. Exists in most states. Not at federal level. A rational approach to decision making. The “Rational” person. Weigh all costs and benefits to an action. Benefits must outweigh the costs. Rational decisions maximize benefits and minimize costs. Example: Voting Costs : Time, Information. Benefits: Affecting an election -Very unlikely, Civic duty, Attachment to candidate. Costs, barriers and resources to voting. What makes voting : Registration. In-person voting. Photo IDs (In some states.) Knowledge. Why do we have elections.

Selection of leaders. Policy preferences. The value of efficacy. Educating the mass. Containing conflict. Legitimizing the system. Elections and Democracy. Mandates. Have clear policy alternatives. Vote based on policy alternatives. Results must articulate citizen policy preferences. Elected officials must be bound by their campaign promises. “What Donald Trump just pulled off was an enormous political feat…just earned a mandate.” - Paul Ryan -

Decision-making in Elections. Two modes of voting. Prospective voting. Predictions on what a candidate would do in the future. Retrospective voting. What if you don’t have a clear record? Incumbency advantage/ disadvantage. Partisan filters. Economic votes. Running for office. The incumbency advantage. Very high reelection rates (Over 90% for congress.) Name recognition. Low quality challengers. Large support network. Campaign money. Resources of the office. Record to fall back on (Or avoid) Double-edged sword Campaign Finance. Money! Necessary but not sufficient.

Winning campaign in the house = $1.4 million Every two years. Only 16% show financial parity. Winning a campaign in the senate = $25-50 million, Every is years. 2012 presidential race. Obama spent $720 million. Romney spent $450 million. Where money comes from. Super PACs Independent expenditure-only committees. May raise and spend unlimited. Can not directly donate to or coordinate funds with political candidates. Must report donors to Federal Election Commission. (FEC) Citizen United v FEC Prohibited the government fromirestricting independent campaign expenditures of Corporations, First Amendment - Political Speech. Still have restrictions for direct contributions

A brief CA history lesson CA was originally a part of Spanish Empire. Before being cede to the Mexican empire. And eventually the U.S. (1848) Statehood 31st state. Compromise of 1850. Entered as a free state. Future territories would decide by popular election. The first constitution.- The first draft. No slavery. Bicameral legislature, governor, judiciary (with multiple levels.) We have a similar system at the present time. Voting age was set to 21. Problems led to a new constitution. Financial crisis (1873) Big four survives (Railroad), but gouges shipping prices. CA still very agrarian. Set up railroad commission. State Board of equalization. Anti Big Business and Anti-Chinese interests.

Workmen Party. Creates one of the first “Progressive” movements in America. The Second Draft. Legislature. Still Bicameral. 80 state assembly (2 year term) 40 state senate (4 year terms) Alternative elections. Executive. Governor given special powers. Line-item veto. Special sessions. Judicial branch. Supreme Court (7 members) County, Appellate, and Supreme Amended over 500 times. Easier to amend than federal level.(27) State-wide elections. Requires 2/3 of state assembly and senate or signatures. To originate. Example: Proposition 8 Example: Proposition 98

Other effects of the progressive movement. Direct Democracy. Ballot initiatives. State laws and amendments. Law = 5% of signatures (based on previous governor’s election) Amendment = 8% signatures. Referendum. Blocking a law taking effect. Some exceptions,. 90 day to get required signatures. (5%) Recall election. Remove official from office. 12% signatures equal to votes cast for that office. This is how Arnold was elected. Examples of Direct Democracy from 2018 Housing bond measure. (Passed) Tax use for homeless (Passed) Bond for children’s hospital. (Passed) Provide permanent daylight saving time. (Passed) Band sales of meat from animals confined in small spaces. (Passed)

Examples of Direct Democracy from 2016. Tobacco Tax increase. Plastic Bag Ban Referendum. Repeal of Death Penalty. Issues on the Ballot for 2020. March Primary. Measure R: Sheriff civilian oversight committee subpoena power. Prop 13: $5B for K-12 capitol improvements (Defeated) November State- Wide initiatives. Criminal sentencing, Parole, and DNA Collection Initiatives. Tax on Commercial and Industrial Properties. Replace Cash Bail. Local Rent Control. Direct Democracy in CA Way more money spent on ballot initiatives than campaigns. 2008 $362 million on ballot initiatives. $60 million on state-wide initiatives. CA Elections. Primaries. Nominations for the general election. Australian ballot. Modified closed primary for CA presidential primaries. Must register GOP to vote in GOP. Must register Democratic or “No Party” to vote in Dem. Top two Method (Blanket Primary) State-Wide and congressional offices. Passed in 2010 as a ballot initiatives. CA Elections. The general election. Every two years, first Tuesday in November (Same as national.) Statewide executive offices are every four years. During national mid-term. The electoral college 55 votes in CA. 538 total in US. Assembly Bill 459 - Awarding based on national popular vote Interstate compact - Must be agreed upon by Congress.

The CA Executive Elections. The Governor. Chief Executive. Limited to two four-year terms. Jerry Brown served 16 years - Longest serving Governor in the United States. Elected in national “Midterm” elections. But we elect other position in the Executives. We have a “Plural Executive.” The Plural Executive. Lieutenant Governor. - Eleni Kounalakis. Assumes gubernatorial duties when the governor is absent. Not always the same party. Sits on commissions and boards. UC Board of Regents and CSU Boards of Trustees. The Attorney General. Considered second most powerful executive position. Represents the state in cicvil law cases. Basically, when people sue the state. CA Executive. Secretary of State. Top election official. Checks signatures on ballot initiatives. Voter pamphlets. Publish election results.

Superintend of Public Instruction. State insurance commissioner. Rat...


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