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61 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is politics? |
The process through which individuals and groups reach agreement on a course of common or collective action, even as they disagree on the intended outcomes of those actions. |
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COnformity Cost |
The difference between what one group prefers and what the collective body requires. |
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Transaction Cost |
Time, effort and resources required to make decisions. |
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What are collective action problems? |
A problem when the most rational thing for one person to do for their own interest, hurts the group as a whole. An example of this is the Cold War, it would have been safer and cheaper to not stockpile weapons, but from the country's individual perspectives, stockpiling weapons made the most sense. |
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What is authority? |
Authority is having the ability to convince a person to do something they wouldn't normally do. |
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What is power? |
Power is the use of force to make someone do something they wouldn't normally do. |
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How does the government use authority and power? |
The government uses authority to create laws they expect you to follow out of your respect for their authority. The government uses power to force you into jail for not obeying the laws. |
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How does an individual use authority and power? |
An individual police officer uses authority when people obey laws more carefully when around him. He uses power when he must physically restrain and arrest someone for disobeying the law. |
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What was political life like under "home rule?" |
This was a period of limited self-government that the colonies had while still relying on Britain for major support. The colonists gained experience with local affairs but didn't have to deal with collective action problems. They relied on Britain for many things such as commerce regulation and military support, and therefore didn't have to worry about the consequences of their actions. |
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What was political life like under the Articles of Confederation? |
America had just become an independent nation. One branch of government that limited power from the states. Highly decentralized. Major laws needed the endorsement of nine of the thirteen states, amendments required unanimous agreement. States needed to recruit and outfit troops, congress had to requisition army and coordinate everything. Congress could borrow money but not tax. |
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What is political life like under the Constitution? |
Three branches of government; judicial, executive and legislative. The three branches enjoy a system of checks and balances over one another in order to ensure one section of government doesn't become too powerful. Bicameral legislature (Congress), upper house is the Senate, lower house is the House of Representatives. Lower is elected by their states population, upper is elected by lower via lists generated by their states legislature. Unanimous agreement role was changed to majority rule. At the time, this represented today's parliament rather than the current American system. |
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What is the Commerce Clause? |
This allows Congress to mediate interstate relations. |
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What is the Necessary and Proper Clause? |
Gave Congress the right to do whatever necessary to make the states listen and obey. |
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Facts about the Executive branch |
Limited authority Take Care Clause made President responsible for seeing laws "faithfully executed." Senate confirmed appointments and ratified treaties President can veto legislation Needs supermajority to override veto Elected President via electoral college |
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Facts about the Judiciary branch |
Supreme Court given the final decision between national and state differences Supremacy Clause states that the Constitution is the highest power in the land and nothing may contradict it. Marbury v. Madison established the courts ability to declare laws unconstitutional. |
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What did Madison want for a government? What was he criticized for? What was his plan called and who did he design it with? |
Madison wanted a bicameral legislature, but was criticized for giving the government too much power. He backed the Virginia Plan and came up with it with the nationalists. |
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What was the New Jersey Plan? |
This plan opposed the Virginia Plan. This was especially popular in small states that feared loss of influence due to their smaller populations. They gave Congress the power to tax and allowed for a simple majority rather than a super one. |
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What was the Great Compromise? |
The Great Compromise was an agreement between the people who backed the New Jersey plan and those who backed the Virginia Plan. Each party got to have one of the houses in the bicameral legislature fashioned to their liking. Madison and his nationalists got the House of Representatives, in which each state was represented in proportion to their population, whereas the Senate was won by those who backed the New Jersey Plan, in which each state was equally represented. |
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How can we change the Constitution? |
Amendments can be proposed by a two-thirds vote from both houses of congress, or application from two-thirds of the States. The amendment is enacted when three fourths of the states accept the amendment. |
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Under the Articles of Confederation, how many branches of government where there? |
One |
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Under the Articles of Confederation, what was needed in order to amend the Constitution? |
Unanimous agreement of all the colonies |
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Under the Articles, how many states out of the thirteen where needed to enact a major law? |
Nine. |
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What is the Take Care Clause? |
The clause stating that the President can veto legislation. |
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What is the Supremacy Clause? |
The clause stating that the Constitution is the highest power in the land and no law may contradict it. |
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How are collective action problems solved? |
Government Intervention |
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What are the two competing solutions to the tragedy of the commons? |
Liberal: Government Regulation Conservative: Privatization |
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What are the costs associated with solving collective action problems? |
Transaction and Conformity Costs |
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What are Civil Rights? |
Those protections enabled by government power; things government must secure on behalf of its citizens. |
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What are Civil Liberties? |
The protection provided to us by the constitution from government power. |
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The Bill of Rights |
Comes from the Great Compromise. Guarantees a set of basic rights for all U.S. citizens. This was demanded by the antifederalists. |
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What important law was passed in 1807? |
Congress ruled that the importation of slaves was now illegal. |
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What was a downside of the banning of slave importation? |
It raised the value of the slaves already in the states, essentially enriching current slaveholders and promoting slave breeding. |
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Missouri Compromise of 1820 |
All future states north of Missouri's southern border will be free states, all those south of the border will be slave states. |
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Wilmot Proviso |
David Wilmot convinces northern whites that their labor is undervalued due to the slave labor of the south. Turns more people on to the idea of abolition. |
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Missouri Compromise of 1850 |
The Fugitive Slave Law was passed in exchange for California to be admitted as a free state, as well as the ability of all future states to choose weather or not they would be free or slave states. |
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Why was California entering the country as a free state such a big deal? |
The Senate was no longer balanced between free and slave states. |
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Jim Crow Laws |
Intended to disenfranchise and segregate African Americans. These laws institutionalized segregation and implemented electoral laws to limit blacks from voting. |
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FDR's New Deal |
Evenhanded treatment of the black community Government assistance Rooted out racial discrimination of relief aid Appointed more than 100 black administrators Justice Department rejuvenated its civil liberties division. |
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1957 Civil Rights Act |
Lyndon Johnson's vehicle into national politics Allowed blacks to sue in court if their right to vote had been denied due to race Johnson became Kennedy's vice president |
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In the sixties, the civil rights movement shifted from litigation to what? |
Mass protest |
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1964 Civil Rights Act |
Ended segregation in public education and public accomodations |
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Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
Authorized the Justice Department to suspend restrictive electoral tests in southern states that had a history of low black turnout. Federal officers could be sent to register voters directly. States must check with justice department before changing their electoral laws. |
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How are political reforms given trial runs at the state level before being used at the national level? |
States are good laboratories for reform for many reasons. Others may observe the effects of reforms without the risk. If successful, other states may want to follow their lead, if not, that could be where the reform dies. |
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How do progressive reforms gain direct democracy? |
Referenda |
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What roadblocks stand in the way of large reforms? How can we bypass them? |
The Framers intentionally placed high transaction costs on attempts to change the system. Reforms require politicians to be involved, and often times they don't benefit from the change. |
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Three routes to reform |
People in government may yield to the change in order to remain popular. Some elected officials fearing loss of office may want to change the rules so they still have influence outside of office. Newer leaders may want to secure reforms before their power washes away. |
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How do politicians use media to achieve their goals? |
Politicians use their press secretaries to generate favorable news about them. |
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Trial Balloon |
A politician will float a policy or another idea with a reporter on the condition that the source remains anonymous do get people talking about the topic. |
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Leak |
A news strategy referring to giving strategically consequential information to the news media without allowing them to identify the source. |
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Inoculating Leak |
Leaking unfavorable info early to minimize future damage. |
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How does the media use politicians to achieve its goals? |
In the past, newspapers worked closely with politicians on the basis of mutual trust and profit |
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Prior Restraint |
The act of preventing publication, which is rarely upheld in courts |
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Libel and Slander Laws |
Intended to protect average citizens, much less protection for public figures such as government officials. |
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Two problems with privately financed elections |
Democracy demands political equality, but money is distributed unequally Raises the suspicion that elected officials will serve as agents of their contributors rather than their constituents |
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Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 |
No more "soft" money for federal campaigns, donors could no longer give as much money as they want to a party. |
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Super-PAC Loophole |
As long as a group doesn't give money directly to the candidate, they are free to spend as much as they want on political advertising. Groups must disclose who their donors are, but not necessarily during the elections |
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What four sources can Congressional Campaigns |
Individuals Political Action Committees Their own money Party Organizations |
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What are the major components of campaign spending? |
Advertising Generating favorable news coverage About a quarter spent on overhead (staff, facilities, etc.) |
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How to Presidential Campaigns spend their money? |
Concentrating on the states that could go either democratic or republican and ignore the states that are locked up by either side. |
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What is main reason its hard to limit campaign donations? |
Citizens United vs Federal Election Commission ruled that corporations have 1st amendment rights allowing them to give as much money to campaigns as they like. |
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What methods does Congress use to keep bureaucratic agencies in line? |
Inspector General Mandatory Reports Legislative Vetos Hearings and investigations |
