American Politic Weeks 3-5 Flashcards
What are the nature and purposes of a Constitution?
The Constitution is superior to and trumps any other rule or law
The Constitution sets the basic rules of the political game
It is stable: amending it requires a complicated process that involves the participation of both State and Federal institutions
It creates the structure of the government and defines the powers of each federal institution (including Congress, the President and the Judiciary)
It allocates powers to the Federal Government and to the States (Federalism).
Sets the rules for the election or appointment to each institution
Ours is a written Constitution, that ensures the rules are known to all and all participants are put on notice (transparency and predictability)
Politicians must abide by the rules when they win and when they lose, and ensure a peaceful transition from one elected leader to his or her successor
The debate at the 1787 Constitutional Convention
The Convention and the 54 delegates
Managing the Convention:
Which 3 administrative decisions were made to manage the Convention efficiently?
Five principles agreed upon early on (what does each of these principles entail/mean?):
Limited government
Representative government
Federalism
Separation of powers
Checks and balances
Two plans: Virginia and New Jersey Plans
Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan was presented to the Constitutional Convention and proposed the creation of a bicameral legislature with representation in both houses proportional to population. The Virginia Plan favored the large states, which would have a much greater voice.
New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan was one option as to how the United States would be governed. The Plan called for each state to have one vote in Congress instead of the number of votes being based on population. It was introduced to the Constitutional Convention by William Paterson, a New Jersey delegate, on June 15, 1787.
Divisions/disagreements and compromises at the convention
How many seats in Congress for the BIG states and how many for the SMALL states?
What is the CONNECTICUT COMPROMISE on House and Senate seat allocation?
Northern states vs Southern states
How to measure each state’s population, in order to allocate seats in the House of Representatives (should slaves be counted?): the 3/5 compromise
How to measure each state’s population for purposes of determining how much money each state should contribute to federal expenses (should slaves be counted?): the 3/5 compromise
Regulation of commerce: how far should Congress go in regulating commerce? The Commerce Clause
Broad suffrage vs narrow suffrage
Strong versus weak Executive
The Constitutional Convention approves the new Constitution
The Convention votes to approve the new Constitution in 1787 (39 delegates vote in favor)
Each state ratifies the new Constitution
9 out of 13 states must ratify it for the Constitution to come into force
The Federalist Papers (James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay) support ratification
The Constitution is ratified in 1788 (ratification by the NINTH state, NH)
All states will eventually ratify it by 1790
The “Bill of Rights” is added 3 years later
10 Amendments are added to the new Constitution. They are ratified by the states in 1791. These AMENDMENTS include:
Freedom of speech
Freedom of religion,
Freedom of the press
The right to peacefully assemble and petition the government
Gun rights
Prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment
Preamble:
Statement of goals
The first three articles: the 3 branches
Article I: describes the structure and powers of the US Congress (Legislative branch)
Article II: describes the Presidency (Executive branch)
Article III: describes the Federal Courts (Judicial branch)
Articles 4 and 6: Federalism
“Federalism” regulates relations between the federal government and the states, as well as the relations among the different states
The bicameral structure of the US CONGRESS
Two “chambers” (two “Houses”) of Congress:
The House of Representatives
435 US Representatives, elected for 2 years
House seats are assigned to each state in proportion to that state’s population
The US Senate
100 US Senators, elected for 6 years
All states have the same number of US Senators: 2 US Senators per state, independent of the size of its population
Early history of federalism in the US
Hamilton, Madison and Chief Justice John Marshall (strong FEDERAL government)
Thomas Jefferson, John Calhoun and Chief Justice Roger Taney (strong STATE government)
two levels of US gov’t
State and Federal
Examples of expanding federal power
FDR, the Great Depression and the New Deal
Most of Congress’ “Enumerated powers” are listed in article I, section 8 of the Constitution
Power to tax and spend for the general welfare and the common defense
to borrow money.
To regulate interstate commerce and commerce with other nations (this is the “Commerce Clause”).
to establish citizenship naturalization laws and bankruptcy laws
to coin money
to punish counterfeiters of money and stocks
to establish post offices and roads
to regulate patents and copyrights
to establish federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court
to define piracy and other sea crimes
to declare war
to raise and support Army
to provide and maintain a Navy
to regulate land and naval forces
to call up and regulate the militia (National Guard today)
to govern the District of Columbia and properties for federal government purposes
Constitutional provisions or interpretations used to restrict federal power and expand STATE power
The ENUMERATED POWERS: Congress (the federal government) has no other powers but those expressly listed (enumerated) in the Constitution
The RESERVED POWERS - the 10th Amendment says:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”
Constitutional provisions or interpretations used to expand FEDERAL power:
IMPLIED POWERS under the “necessary and proper” clause. Congress shall “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the federal government”
The COMMERCE CLAUSE: Congress shall regulate interstate and international commerce
The SUPREMACY CLAUSE
The requirement that all officials swear an OATH to support the US (federal) Constitution
The INHERENT POWERS doctrine
Preemption
The power of the federal government to preempt state authority in some areas.
In 1930s and 40s, FDR and in the 60s, Lyndon B Johnson, supported preemption
Devolution
Allowing states to exercise greater power and limiting that of the federal government.
In the 1980s: Ronald Reagan supported devolution
FISCAL FEDERALISM
the use of federal funding to induce states to implement policies promoted by the federal government
Types of FEDERAL GRANTS
Categorical Grants: the money is transferred to states subject to specific conditions regarding how it is used and how the relevant programs are implemented
Special revenue sharing (SRS) or block grants: many grants intended for various programs are bundled together and states can decide how to apportion the funds to each of the listed programs.
General revenue sharing (GRS): funds are transferred to the states and the states are given very broad discretion as to how to spend the funds.
Presidents and fiscal federalism
JFK and LBJ (1960s): aggressive use of federal grants (often “categorical grants”) to induce states to support social programs and civil rights initiatives (Creative Federalism or Coercive Federalism)
Richard Nixon (1969-1974): Nixon’s “New Federalism”. Large use of block grants (special revenue sharing) and general revenue sharing to fund programs while leaving great discretion to states as to how to allocate the funds.
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989): drastic cuts in federal grants to states. New federal tax cuts reduce revenues of federal government. States run out of funds and they have to suspend and terminate many existing social programs
The PRESIDENT is the head of the Executive Branch
Term of four years: 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, etc.
The Vice-President replaces a President who dies in office or retires
Presidents can only be removed through Impeachment (by the House of Representatives), Trial and conviction (by the US Senate - 2/3 majority vote required)
The US CONGRESS makes laws
House of Representatives: 435 members, 2-year term. All seats are up for election every two years
US Senate: 100 Senators (2 per state), 6-year term, 1/3 of the Senate is up for election every 2 years.
MIDTERM elections: when all seats of the House and 1/3 of the Senate are up for election BUT NOT THE PRESIDENCY: 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, etc.
These are “executive tools” that Presidents can use without too much cooperation from Congress
Issue executive orders
Appoint top federal officials of Departments and Agencies, and all federal judges (subject to Senate confirmation)
Influence rulemaking by departments and federal agencies
Sign Executive Agreements
Use the so-called “Bully pulpit”
Add signing statements to approved bills
Issue Proclamations
Influence funding and staffing of agencies and departments
Carry out executive reorganizations
The Constitutional Powers of the US Congress
Legislative powers
Power of the Purse (approves the federal budget)
Confirmation (Senate only)
Treaty ratification (Senate only)
Congressional oversight powers
Impeachment powers
The House impeaches
The Senate tries (and convicts by 2/3 majority or acquits)
Power to declare war
The congressional committee system
There are about 20 Standing Committees (i.e., permanent committees) in each of the House of Representatives and the US Senate;
There are a total of about 250 Committees and Sub-Committees in Congress as a whole
Three main tasks of these Committees are:
legislation,
appropriation and
oversight
Which party has the majority in each House?
The DEMOCRATS
House of Representatives
Democrats hold the majority
221 Democrats
212 Republicans
\
US Senate: Democratic majority
Democrats and Independents 50
Republicans 50
VP Kamala Harris has tie-breaking vote
Political culture (from the Jillson textbook)
The term POLITICAL CULTURE refers to patterns of thought and behavior that are widely held in a society and that define the relationships of citizens to their government and to each other in matters affecting politics and public affairs. Our political culture has long been referred to as the AMERICAN CREED. Both terms refer to the ideas of the American founding: liberty, equality, opportunity, popular sovereignty, limited government, the rule of law, and the like.
Political socialization (from Jillson)
Political socialization refers to the process by which the central tenets of the political culture are communicated and absorbed. Political socialization is the process by which the next generation of children and the next wave of immigrants come to understand, accept, and approve the existing political system.
Political scientist Fred Greenstein described political socialization as the study of “(1) who (2) learns what (3) from whom (4) under what circumstances (5) with what effects.”
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
Agents of socialization are the PERSONS by whom, and the SETTINGS in which the process of political socialization is accomplished.
PERSONS include parents, family, friends, teachers, coworkers, and associates of various kinds, as well as those whose views are transmitted through the media and online.
SETTINGS include homes, churches, schools, workplaces, clubs, union halls, and professional associations.
Primary Groups
Family, friends, coworkers:
Early and/or longer-term, frequent contacts
Broad-scope communication/sharing a wide variety of matters
Face-to-face, often intimate, members share similar background
Secondary groups
Churches, unions, military, clubs, professional associations
Tends to have a specific focus; influence is limited to specific issues
Later, less frequent contacts
Larger, more diverse groups, members from a variety of backgrounds
Political socialization: the effect of social media
Social media lessens the influence of family and school, and preempts other traditional sources of knowledge (books, reputable news)
On social media one tends to seek and consume material that confirms one’s biases (selective exposure), and social media’s algorithms reinforce this tendency
Social media facilitates and encourages connections among like-minded people (echo chambers)
Social media facilitates access to oversimplified and distorted information about complex matters
The process of political socialization can be substantially influenced by:
TRANSFORMATIVE EVENTS, and
the way in which POLITICAL LEADERS RESPOND to them.
Examples of transformative events and leaders:
Lincoln and how he lead the county through the Civil War
FDR and how he managed the combined crises of the Great Depression and World War II
George W Bush and the response to the 9/11 terror attacks
Donald Trump and the pandemic
Public opinion and polling in the US
Polling methods and US history
The Literary Digest debacle of 1936:
10 million mass mailing straw poll: names drawn from magazine subscription list, car registration and phone directory
The poll predicts easy win of Republican candidate, Alfred Landon against incumbent Roosevelt (FDR)
Roosevelt wins in a landslide
The 1948 election surprise
Contrary to most predictions, Dewey DOES NOT defeat President Truman and Truman is reelected
The “sampling” problem
Public opinion polls and accuracy
Polls by serious/credible institutions: Gallup, ABC, New York Times, Pew Research Center, etc.
Have a powerful incentive to get it right, to be accurate
Credibility and accuracy are key assets
They have a brand to defend
Campaign or partisan polls tend to be less reliable/credible:
Accuracy is not their main or only objective
They may promote a candidate by exaggerating his/her approval ratings
“Push polls” are used to undermine or harm the reputation of the opposing candidate
Even when your main goal is accuracy, there are inherent challenges in measuring public opinion through polling
The accuracy of the findings can be substantially impacted by:
Getting the sampling right
The precise wording of each question
The order in which the questions are posed
The communication method used to interact with the respondent
The timing
Public opinion and political socialization
Types of polls:
Benchmark poll
Preference poll
Opinion surveys
Focus groups
Tracking poll
Exit poll
Push poll (not a credible/legitimate poll)
Political socialization (the process through which political culture is developed and/or transmitted) can be significantly affected by one’s:
Socio-economic class
Race
Ethnicity
Gender
Age
Religion
Other factors
Social/moral regulation and “Law and Order”
Economic freedom, Laissez-faire, free market, free trade
CONSERVATIVES
Expansion of personal freedoms; Individual choice/freedom more important than “Law and Order”
Economic freedom, Laissez-faire, free market, free trade
LIBERTARIANS
Expansion of personal freedoms; Individual choice/freedom more important than “Law and Order”
Economic regulation and Socio-economic equality
LIBERALS
Economic regulation and Socio-economic equality
Social/moral regulation and “Law and Order”
COMMUNITARIAN (POPULISTS)
The US Constitution (FIRST AMENDMENT):
“Congress shall make no laws abridging the freedom of the press”
This restriction has been interpreted to apply to all government entities (federal and state)
The restriction does not apply to private entities and individuals
New York Times v United States (1973) – the Pentagon Papers case:
The US Supreme Court said that you would need to show “grave and irreparable danger” in order to prevent publication (i.e., in order to justify “prior restraint”).
The Court allowed the publication of the classified documents (Pentagon Papers) that had been shared with several newspapers by Daniel Ellsberg starting in 1971.
The Media’s political reporting
US viewers and readers can choose among a variety of very high-quality newspapers and news programs with honest, competent and courageous reporters and editors.
Some of the best newspapers and news programs in the world are American, e.g., Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, the PBS Newshour.
However, in order to expand the audience and hold on to it, some political reporting tends to:
Focus on conflict, scandal and mistakes, rather than political success stories and achievements.
Portrays campaigns and politics in general as a horse race, a sports league with wins and losses.
Avoids complex explanations and tends to oversimplify issues. This often leads to simplistic criticisms instead of sober assessments of the complexities involved.
Blurs the lines between entertainment and information.
Blurs the lines between editorial commentary and journalism/news.
Why do political campaigns in the US last so long and cost so much?
In a General Election in the US, how long does the political campaign last?
Almost 2 years of continuous campaigning!
How long do campaigns last in other advanced democracies?
Canada: 36-74 days
Australia 33-77 days
Japan 2 weeks
France 2 weeks
England 5 weeks
Elections in the US have become an enormous business ($14 billion in 2020)
A very substantial portion of campaign expenditures goes to pay for:
media advertising time/space (between 25% and 50%);
The salaries and consulting fees of legions of fund raising managers, pollsters, media consultants, etc.
Designing and conducting polls, surveys, focus groups, etc.
14 billion dollars spent in 2020:
In the 2020 general elections candidates spent $14 billion
POLARIZATION: How social media fuels the polarization of American politics
“SELECTIVE EXPOSURE” leads us to seek out messages and information that confirm our biases, give us satisfaction and comfort, provide entertainment
Social media companies want to attract and hold on to users: THEY USE ALGORITHMS TO FEED USERS WHAT THEY LIKE (i.e., information which confirms the user’s biases and makes the user’s conviction more extreme)
We end up living in “ECHO CHAMBERS” where we hear everyone echoing our own biases; this reinforces our belief that we are right
Who are the homeless?
Approx. 600,000 people in the US are homeless according to the WH
Almost half are in California, followed by DC, NY, Hawaii, Oregon
The cities with the highest concentration are Boston, NY and Washington DC (more than 100 per 10,000 inhabitants)
40% are veterans (8% of homeless veterans are women)
38% are dealing with alcohol problems
26% are dealing with drug problems
25% struggle with mental health issues
Possible, affordable solutions
Reduce subsidies for homeowners: they enjoy capital gain breaks, interest payment deduction, etc. These funds could go to voucher programs for the homeless.
Build more affordable housing: affordable housing has declined significantly in recent years
Promote affordable housing construction through tax credits and government funds
Do not concentrate poverty: build subsidized/affordable housing in mixed-income developments including suburbs.
The American political system comprises Federal and State GOVERMENTS
FEDERAL:
The three branches of the FEDERAL government are:
Executive Branch: the US President
Legislative Branch: US Congress (US House of Representatives and US Senate)
Judiciary: the Federal Courts
STATE:
EACH STATE has its own three branches of government.
In ILLINOIS, for example we have:
Executive Branch: Illinois Governor
Legislative Branch: Illinois General Assembly includes an IL House (118 seats) and an IL Senate (59)
Judiciary: Illinois Courts
How do ELECTIONS work (State and Federal)?
The typical election process involves TWO stages:
PARTY PRIMARIES: voters from each party select their party’s candidate who will compete in the general election against the other party(ies)’ candidate(s)
GENERAL ELECTION: elects one of the candidates from the different parties to state or national (federal) office.
Obama’s political campaigns: first at the State level, then at the Federal level
At the STATE level: first elected in 1997
Member of the Illinois Senate (from 1997 to 2005);
At the FEDERAL level:
Failed to get elected to the US House of Representatives: in 2000 Obama was resoundingly defeated in the Democratic Primary by Bobby Rush
US Senate: he was elected US Senator in 2004
Presidency of the United States: elected in 2008 and reelected in 2012
A Promised Land
An account of the journey from a single-mother household in Hawaii to the White House
A record of 8 years of Administration (2009-2017; Volume 2 will cover 2011-2017)
An insider’s explanation of how American politics works
A personal view of what it means to be President
President Obama’s family and early years
Barack Obama, Jr. was born in Hawaii in 1961
His mother was Ann Dunham, a white woman from Kansas.
Barack Obama’s father was Barack Hussein Obama, Sr.
Barack Sr. was a Kenyan graduate student. He divorced Ann in 1964 and returned to Kenya where he worked for the government.
He spent a month with Barack Jr. when his son was ten.
He died in a car accident in 1982.
Barack Jr. was raised by his mother and his maternal grandparents in Hawaii and Indonesia.
His mother married an Indonesian student colleague in 1965 and she and Barack moved to Indonesia where Barack went to Indonesian school from age 6 to 10 (1967-1971). His stepsister, Maya Soetoro, was born in Indonesia during that time.
Barack returned to Hawaii at 10, lived there from 1971 to 1979 and graduated from High School. For part of these years he lived with his grandparents while his mother continued her graduate studies in Indonesia (PhD in 1992)
From Hawaii to LA, to NY, to Chicago, to Cambridge (MA), then back to Chicago.
Barack moved to LA (Occidental College, 1979-1981) then New York (Columbia, 1981-1983), where he graduated with a BA in International Relations and English Literature
Works various jobs in NY (1983-1985)
Moves to Chicago to work in local politics, as a community organizer (1985-1988)
Harvard Law School (1988-1991)
He is back in Chicago starting in 1991:
Local activism
Teaches part-time Constitutional Law at University of Chicago
Joins a small local law firm (1993)
Publishes “Dreams of My Father” (1995)
From “APL”: The birth of “birtherism”
Is that, I wondered, what my presidency was now reduced to? Fighting rearguard actions to keep the republicans from sabotaging the American economy and undoing whatever I’d done? Could I really hope to find common ground with a party that increasingly seemed to consider opposition to me to be its unifying principle?
[There was] an emotional, almost visceral, reaction to my presidency, distinct from any differences in policy or ideology. It was as if my very presence in the White House had triggered a deep-seated panic, a sense that the natural order had been disrupted.
Which is exactly what Donald Trump understood when he started peddling assertions that I had not been born in the United States and was thus an illegitimate President. For millions of Americans spooked by a Black man in the White House, [Trump] promised an elixir for their racial anxiety.
I hadn’t just been born in Kenya, the story went, but I was also a secret Muslim socialist , a Manchurian candidate who’s been groomed from childhood – and planted in the United States using falsified documents – to infiltrate the highest reaches of the American government.
APL: The media amplifies the birthers’ claims
What I hadn’t anticipated was the media’s reaction to Trump’s sudden embrace of birtherism – the degree to which the line between news and entertainment had become so blurred, and the competition for ratings so fierce, that [media] outlets eagerly lined up to offer a platform for a baseless claim.
Other claims made by “birthers” and similar advocates (from APL):
Obama “doesn’t have a birth certificate.”
“There was something fishy about my getting into Harvard given that my “marks were lousy.””
[Obama’s neighbor Bill Ayers] “was the true author of Dreams of My Father since the book was too good to have been written by someone of my intellectual caliber.”
“The more oxygen the media gave them, the more newsworthy [these claims] appeared.”
“Polls were showing that roughly 40% of Republicans were convinced that I hadn’t been born in America”
APL: Working as a STATE Senator
The 3.5-hour commute Chicago-Springfield (TUE through THU)
Illinois is a good training ground for national office:
Medium-size state: 144,000 sq km
13 million inhabitants
Illinois includes all the major demographic groups, each with its own political culture and priorities, needs, expectations:
It includes both rural and metropolitan areas with large suburbs; factory towns; city neighborhoods; substantial racial, religious and ethnic diversity, etc.
At the state capitol:
He is a freshman from the minority party: he (and his party) wield very little influence. The Republicans are in the majority and they call the shots.
Lots of learning: the ordinary citizens coming to the capitol with their grievances, claims, demands and personal stories
He develops a network of friends, including the democratic Senate minority leader, Emil Jones. These will help him later when he decides to run for national office
APL: STATE politics as a bazaar
“The GOP [Republican Party] exercised absolute control over what bills got out of committee and which amendments were in order”
“That was politics in Springfield: a series of transactions mostly hidden from view, legislators weighing the competing pressures of various interests with the dispassion of bazaar merchants.”
All the while keeping a careful eye on the handful of ideological hot buttons – guns, abortion, taxes – that might generate heat from their base.”
“Bucking party orthodoxy to support an innovative idea … could cost you a key endorsement, a big financial backer, a leadership post, or even an election.”
“The lines of my district, like those of almost every district in Illinois, had been drawn with surgical precision to ensure one-party dominance.”
“I did not need to convince my constituents.” “They probably agreed with me already.”
“The futility of being in the minority, the cynicism of so many of my colleagues worn like a badge of honor.”
APL: A mistake and its aftermath
In 2000, he decides to challenge Bobby Rush for a seat in the US House of Representatives and loses badly in the Democratic Primary.
Subsequently, he is shunned at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
He is almost 40, broke, has suffered a humiliating defeat, his marriage is showing some strains.
“[I had run for Congress] out of a need to justify the choices I had already made, or to satisfy my ego, or to quell my envy of those who had achieved what I had not. I had become a politician – and not a very good one at that.”
The crushing defeat triggers a reassessment
He comes close to leaving politics
Two factors induce him to give politics another chance:
The Democrats have been given the opportunity to redraw the state districts and have a good chance of becoming the majority party in the IL Senate at the next election
His starts traveling periodically across the state, visiting and engaging with the state’s different communities.
The realization:
“Ultimately, wasn’t this what I was after? A politics that bridged America’s racial, ethnic and religious divides as well as the many strands of my own life?”
“Build a new covenant between [America’s] citizens. The insiders would no longer be able to play one group against the other.”
“The media ought to take notice and examine the issues based not on which side won and lost but on whether our common goals were met.”
“I needed to speak to and for the widest possible audience”
The American political system comprises Federal and State GOVERMENTS
FEDERAL
The three branches of the FEDERAL government are:
Executive Branch: the US President
Legislative Branch: US Congress (US House of Representatives and US Senate)
Judiciary: the Federal Courts
STATE:
EACH STATE has its own three branches of government.
In ILLINOIS, for example we have:
Executive Branch: Illinois Governor
Legislative Branch: Illinois General Assembly includes an IL House (118 seats) and an IL Senate (59)
Judiciary: Illinois Courts
A few take-away points from Obama’s elections to (i) the Illinois State Senate and (ii) the US Senate
In the US, most elections involve a two-step process: party primaries choose one nominee for each party. They are followed by the “real” (general) elections
Importance of choosing the right seat to run for and the right time. You have better chances if:
There is NO incumbent running for reelection (i.e., the seat is “open”)
There is NO superstar from your own party running against you in the party primary for that same seat
Getting your name on the ballot is a complicated process. Sometimes petitions and other technicalities in the campaign process have significant effects
In party primaries, candidates also compete for the support of their own party’s leaders (who have significant influence on party voters)
The primary is often the toughest contest, especially in districts or states where the other party is very weak and has few chances of winning
The socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, ideological characteristics of one’s constituency (the electoral district or the state as a whole) shape the politics of the elected official: Illinois’ diversity shaped those of Obama
Electoral Districts have to be redrawn every 10 years after the national Census: who is in charge of redrawing them? The State legislatures are in charge and the shape of each district can significantly affect the outcome of future elections.
Obama comments on the media’s feeding frenzy and how fast one can be catapulted to stardom or shot down
Obama belongs to that genre of politicians who aspired to build bridges among different groups, to unite and not to divide
Obama notes that Lobbyists knocking at the doors of the US Senate “were more skilled at wrapping their clients’ interests in the garb of grand principles.”
Running for the US Senate
There is NO INCUMBENT: Republican US Senator Peter Fitzgerald, decides not to run for reelection.
There is NO HEAVYWEIGHT contender in Democratic Primary: Former Democratic US Senator Carol Moseley Brown says she will not run
7 contenders in the Democratic Party primary.
Obama needs to reach out to the white working class and the rural electorate.
The controversial speech in Federal Plaza about the war: the war against Iraq being threatened by the US (we are in 2002) would be a “stupid war.”
Seeks support from VIP Democrats:
Jesse Jackson Jr says he won’t run for the US Senate seat and offers support
His friend Emil Jones from the IL Senate
Illinois state representatives/senators
Members of the Illinois Congressional delegation
Recruits star media consultant : David Axelrod
After months of campaigning:
The leading newspapers endorse him
Some very effective ads are produced by Axelrod
A catchy motto is coined: Yes We Can
A top democratic primary contender withdraws after stories of domestic abuse surface
In March 2004: Obama wins the Democratic Primary with 53% of the vote
It’s like “being shot out of a cannon”
National notoriety follows immediately
He is invited to give the keynote address at the 2000 Democratic National Convention that nominates John Kerry for the Presidency.
His speech at the Convention bestows on Obama immediate national and international fame.
In November 2004, Obama wins the US Senate seat
But the Democratic Party loses the Presidential election (Bush defeats John Kerry) and the Republican Party holds on to the majority in both Houses of Congress.
Working in the US Senate
Setting up the Senator’s Office and hiring the staff
Peter Rouse, is hired as Obama’s Chief of Staff.
Befriending and networking with other Senators:
HARRY REID is the new Democratic Senate Minority Leader. Grew up “dirt-poor”, in a shack without indoor plumbing or a telephone and had to work as US Capitol Police officer to pay for law school.
Like Emil Jones in the State Senate, Harry Reid helps Obama in the US Senate, with Committee assignments, etc.
The senior Senator from Illinois, DICK DURBIN helps Obama
Polarization has been rising in the US Senate
The “old bulls” in the Senate seem willing to bridge party differences and cooperate with those across the aisle. But a new generation is emerging that is more ideologically programmed, who will make the Senate more polarized.
Learning to deal with lobbyists
Lobbyists at the US Senate level “were more skilled at wrapping their clients’ interests in the garb of grand principles.”
Keeping in touch with constituents:
In one year, 30 town hall meetings in different locations in Illinois
The importance of the “Correspondence office”: answering mail and learning about the federal bureaucracy so as to be able to respond to requests for help from constituents
A particular interest in foreign policy
Nuclear weapons and non-proliferation: the trip with Sen. Lugar to Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan to monitor progress under the Nunn-Lugar Act (to secure the safe dismantling of Soviet WMDs)
Hurricane Katrina hits the United States as Obama is returning from Europe
The trip to Iraq: the war is not going well
Obama grows impatient:
“If I’d been on the edge of feeling content, thinking I was in the right job, doing the right thing at an acceptable pace, Katrina and my Iraq visit put a stop to all that. Change needed to come faster – and I was going to have to decide what role I would play in bringing it about.”
Interest groups and lobbying in the US
Organizations where the members share the same interests and attempt to influence society and public policy in ways that advance those interests.
Often seen as examples and tools for elitism or pluralism
Protected by first amendment as freedom of speech, press, and right to peacefully assemble and petition the government
Has always existed, 1930s when Germans used lobbying to promote American isolationism and 1950s when pro-Taiwan advocates lobbied against better relations with People’s Republic of China. And Pre-World War 1 when grassroot groups lobbied for and against the US participation in the war.
INTEREST GROUPS
Jillson analyzes three types of motivations for joining a special interest group (explain each):
Material benefits
Purposive benefits
Solidary benefits
There are different types of special interest groups:
Occupational/professional groups from the private and public sector, and business trade associations
Public interest and citizen groups interested in broader issues
What are the key resources of SIGs that make some SIGs are more effective or influential than others?
Size of the SIG in terms of membership, degree of unity and cohesiveness,
Intensity of the commitment of the members to the group’s objectives or principles
Financial resources
Competence, credibility, expertise on specific issue(s), and national prestige
Quality of the organization and of its leadership
the ability to form coalitions with other special interest groups and collaborate on specific issues
The Second Amendment to the US Constitution
Two parts to the 2nd Amendment:
“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state,
the right of the people to bear and keep arms shall not be infringed”
Does the first part qualify (and/or limit) the second? In DC v Heller, Justice Scalia says: NO.
DC v Heller (2008): individual right exists independent of the militia reference
Does the second amendment apply to states as well? In McDonald v Chicago, Justice Alito says YES
McDonald v Chicago (2010): protection of one’s gun rights applies against state and local laws as well as federal government
There are only THREE countries in the world who have a provision in their CONSTITUTION protecting the right to own guns:
Guatemala (right to own guns “unless prohibited by law”)
Mexico (right to own guns but with severe restrictions)
United States
