American Politic Weeks 3-5

Question 1

What are the nature and purposes of a Constitution?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

The debate at the 1787 Constitutional Convention

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Virginia Plan

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

New Jersey Plan

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Divisions/disagreements and compromises at the convention

Answer 5

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

Question 6

The Constitutional Convention approves the new Constitution

Answer 6

The Convention votes to approve the new Constitution in 1787 (39 delegates vote in favor)

Question 7

Each state ratifies the new Constitution

Answer 7

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

Question 8

The “Bill of Rights” is added 3 years later

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Preamble:

Answer 9

Statement of goals

Question 10

The first three articles: the 3 branches

Answer 10

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)

Question 11

Articles 4 and 6: Federalism

Answer 11

“Federalism” regulates relations between the federal government and the states, as well as the relations among the different states

Question 12

The bicameral structure of the US CONGRESS

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Early history of federalism in the US

Answer 13

Hamilton, Madison and Chief Justice John Marshall (strong FEDERAL government)

Thomas Jefferson, John Calhoun and Chief Justice Roger Taney (strong STATE government)

Question 14

two levels of US gov’t

Answer 14

State and Federal

Question 15

Examples of expanding federal power

Answer 15

FDR, the Great Depression and the New Deal

Question 16

Most of Congress’ “Enumerated powers” are listed in article I, section 8 of the Constitution

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Constitutional provisions or interpretations used to restrict federal power and expand STATE power

Answer 17

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.”

Question 18

Constitutional provisions or interpretations used to expand FEDERAL power:

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Preemption

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Devolution

Answer 20

Allowing states to exercise greater power and limiting that of the federal government.
In the 1980s: Ronald Reagan supported devolution

Question 21

FISCAL FEDERALISM

Answer 21

the use of federal funding to induce states to implement policies promoted by the federal government

Question 22

Types of FEDERAL GRANTS

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Presidents and fiscal federalism

Answer 23

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

Question 24

The PRESIDENT is the head of the Executive Branch

Answer 24

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)

Question 25

The US CONGRESS makes laws

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

These are “executive tools” that Presidents can use without too much cooperation from Congress

Answer 26

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

Question 27

The Constitutional Powers of the US Congress

Answer 27

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

Question 28

The congressional committee system

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Which party has the majority in each House?
The DEMOCRATS

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Political culture (from the Jillson textbook)

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

Political socialization (from Jillson)

Answer 31

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.”

Question 32

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

Primary Groups

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Secondary groups

Answer 34

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

Question 35

Political socialization: the effect of social media

Answer 35

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

Question 36

Public opinion and polling in the US

Answer 36

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

Question 37

Public opinion polls and accuracy

Answer 37

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

Question 38

Public opinion and political socialization

Answer 38

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

Question 39

Social/moral regulation and “Law and Order”

Economic freedom, Laissez-faire, free market, free trade

Answer 39

CONSERVATIVES

Question 40

Expansion of personal freedoms; Individual choice/freedom more important than “Law and Order”

Economic freedom, Laissez-faire, free market, free trade

Answer 40

LIBERTARIANS

Question 41

Expansion of personal freedoms; Individual choice/freedom more important than “Law and Order”

Economic regulation and Socio-economic equality

Answer 41

LIBERALS

Question 42

Economic regulation and Socio-economic equality

Social/moral regulation and “Law and Order”

Answer 42

COMMUNITARIAN (POPULISTS)

Question 43

The US Constitution (FIRST AMENDMENT):

Answer 43

“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.

Question 44

The Media’s political reporting

Answer 44

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.

Question 45

Why do political campaigns in the US last so long and cost so much?

Answer 45

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

Question 46

POLARIZATION: How social media fuels the polarization of American politics

Answer 46

“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

Question 47

Who are the homeless?

Answer 47

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

Question 48

Possible, affordable solutions

Answer 48

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.

Question 49

The American political system comprises Federal and State GOVERMENTS

Answer 49

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

Question 50

How do ELECTIONS work (State and Federal)?

Answer 50

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

Question 51

A Promised Land

Answer 51

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

Question 52

President Obama’s family and early years

Answer 52

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)

Question 53

From Hawaii to LA, to NY, to Chicago, to Cambridge (MA), then back to Chicago.

Answer 53

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)

Question 54

From “APL”: The birth of “birtherism”

Answer 54

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.

Question 55

APL: The media amplifies the birthers’ claims

Answer 55

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”

Question 56

APL: Working as a STATE Senator

Answer 56

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

Question 57

APL: STATE politics as a bazaar

Answer 57

“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.”

Question 58

APL: A mistake and its aftermath

Answer 58

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.

Question 59

The realization:

Answer 59

“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”

Question 60

The American political system comprises Federal and State GOVERMENTS

Answer 60

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

Question 61

A few take-away points from Obama’s elections to (i) the Illinois State Senate and (ii) the US Senate

Answer 61

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.”

Question 62

Running for the US Senate

Answer 62

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.

Question 63

Working in the US Senate

Answer 63

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.”

Question 64

Interest groups and lobbying in the US

Answer 64

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.

Question 65

INTEREST GROUPS

Answer 65

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

Question 66

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution

Answer 66

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