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the rules or ‘basic law’ by which a government operates; a constitution establishes
a government (not vice versa); it sets up the structure & basic institutions of govt, defines authority & limitations of government over people; constitution is the ‘supreme law’ which can only be changed by ‘the people’ (or ‘representatives’ of the people), not by ‘the govt’ itself; a constitution (or amendment to it) is written by ‘the people’ and creates a government, not the other way around |
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| Constitutional Democracy: |
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| govt in which those who exercise powers do so as a result of winning free & frequent elections, and are subject to recognized, enforceable limits on their power… the elections make it democratic & recognized, enforceable limits on power make it constitutional |
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| set of arrangements such as checks & balances, separation of powers, federalism, rule of law, due process, and freedoms in the Bill of Rights; the concept that the constitution is the basic law, above all else, including elected leaders who are required to follow the constitution (limited govt); a government of laws, not of men, (also called ‘rule of law’) |
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| Preamble to US Constitution says “We the people, in order to form a more perfect Union, to ”… (1) establish justice, (2) insure domestic tranquility, (3) provide for the common defense, (4) promote the general welfare and (5) secure the blessings of Liberty…. “ |
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| : governmental compromise & decision making; the process by which society makes governing decisions & determines whose values will prevail in society; process by which the people resolve conflicts, decide who shall govern & what policies shall be adopted |
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| agreement among people to allow themselves to be ‘governed’ or to obey laws in return for government protection & services |
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| right to vote; Universal Suffrage: right of all / most people to vote for elected officials |
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| Sovereignty / sovereign powers |
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| no higher political authority’ exists or rules; ultimate authority to rule in a given geographical area; in USA, the states & national govt each have ‘sovereign powers’ |
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| : form of ‘shared’ power between national / federal & state governments where both have ‘sovereign’ powers (versus ‘unitary’ govt or ‘confederation’) |
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| the elected officials who fulfill the tasks of operating the government |
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| : the current holder (elected official) of a political office |
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| Constituents /constituency: |
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| people (voters) served by a particular elected official (incumbent); those who can or do vote for a particular official; an electoral district or all the voters in a district |
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| : ‘organization extending to all society, which can legitimately use force to carry out decisions’; the procedures & institutions by which people resolve conflicts & govern themselves |
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| the principle that ‘the people’ are the ultimate source & proper beneficiary of governing authority; essentially a government based on ‘majority rule’ |
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concept which says government does not have unrestricted authority over people; this is specifically stated in the Bill of Rights (added to US Constitution as condition of ratification)
- very closely related to ‘rule of law’ |
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| a political doctrine which says the power of officials dealing with citizens is limited by law; the idea that govt “may not deprive any person of ‘life, liberty or property’ without due process of law”; based on this principle, we say that we have ‘a government of laws, not of men’ |
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the ability to get others to do what you want; in politics, the ability of individuals or groups to control (or significantly influence) public policy; our political system has 4 basic Theories of Power:
- majoritarian says essentially that ‘the majority of people’ actually control govt decision making
- pluralist theory say groups (special interest & political parties) have dominant power
- elite theory says the govt is really controlled by a small group of ‘the wealthy elite’
- bureaucratic rule is theory that govt is run by career civil servants in the federal bureaucracy |
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| legitimate or accepted power; citizens accept government authority & comply w/ laws |
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| widespread acceptance (by people) of something (authority/laws) as right or binding |
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| the final result of govt action; the decision by govt to follow a given course of action |
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| an organization or group that significantly influences public policy; the three branches of govt (legislative, executive & judicial branches), the federal bureaucracy, mass media, political parties, special interest groups, & the ‘wealthy elite’ are generally considered the major ‘political institutions’ in our country |
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| concept of something as a model to be followed, in its most perfect form; a goal or principle of noble character; something that exists only in the mind, as one would wish it to be |
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include liberty, equality, self-govt, individualism, diversity & unity; these
somewhat mythical principles serve as a common bond among Americans and have a substantial influence on what we regard as reasonable & acceptable and what we will put up with from govt |
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| values’ are those things people think are ‘good’ |
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| ‘beliefs’ are those things people think are ‘true’ (whether they really are, or not) |
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division of political powers so one branch cannot dominate government
Checks & Balances: overlapping powers of branches of government to limit power of each other |
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| Judicial Branch (especially Supreme Court) ‘check & balance’ of reviewing laws passed by Congress & the states, and the actions of Executive branch, for ‘constitutionality’ |
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| two houses of Congress, with different terms of office & constituents; lower House of Representatives elected based on population and upper house (the Senate), elected at-large … originally by wealthy elite/state legislature, now by popular vote |
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| political system represented by two political parties, such as we have in USA; |
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| cooperation between the two major political parties |
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| the principle that individuals should be free to act & think as they choose, as long as they do not infringe unreasonably upon the rights & freedoms of others |
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| the notion that all individuals are equal in their moral worth, in their treatment under law, & in their political voice; the concepts of ‘liberty’ & ‘equality’ are often at odds with each other… |
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| the idea that people (individuals) should take the initiative to be self-sufficient & accumulate the material resources necessary for their own well- being |
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| the principle that Americans are one people & form an indivisible nation |
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| the principle that individual & group differences should be respected & are a source of national strength |
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| collective legal procedures essential to the guarantee of fair play before government may deny a person life, liberty or prosperity; protection of individual freedoms found largely in the Bill of Rights; the judicial branch is responsible for insuring ‘due process’ for individuals, protecting the rights of the accused from other branches of govt |
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| economic system based on free enterprise & individualism; based on ideas that govt should interfere with the individual & economic transactions as little as possible |
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| funds given directly to political candidates to spend as they choose |
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| campaign contributions given to political parties in support of a candidate or campaign; not given directly to candidates & therefore not subject to legal limits |
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‘aggregate of individual views, attitudes & beliefs shared by portion of community’ or ‘political attitudes, views & beliefs held & openly expressed by ordinary citizens’
- we get ‘public opinion’ from ‘agents of socialization’ as well as from socio-economic status, generational / life cycle effects, gender gap & race/ethnicity |
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| : a consistent pattern of value & beliefs about the political system; the role of government & the role of individuals in the political system; generally characterized as ‘liberal’ & ‘conservative’- definitions of Liberals & Conservatives have changed over time; currently, Democrats are generally considered Liberals and Republicans are generally considered Conservatives; this does not mean there are not conservative democrats or liberal republicans. These are just some of the values, beliefs & ideas of the two ideologies… |
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‘aggregate of individual views, attitudes & beliefs shared by portion of community’ or ‘political attitudes, views & beliefs held & openly expressed by ordinary citizens’
- we get ‘public opinion’ from ‘agents of socialization’ as well as from socio-economic status, generational / life cycle effects, gender gap & race/ethnicity |
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| campaign contributions given to political parties in support of a candidate or campaign; not given directly to candidates & therefore not subject to legal limits |
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| generally believe that individuals should take care of problems themselves, without government assistance, and individuals should be left alone to compete in free market enterprise without government control; they favor government support & funding for highways and to promote business, but they are generally against ‘social welfare’ programs to re-distribute wealth; they generally favor ‘morality’ and ‘law & order’ issues’ with stiff criminal penalties; Conservatives favor the ‘status quo’ & view change suspiciously; they emphasize ‘traditional values’ and are skeptical of human nature |
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| generally believe the government is supposed to take care of the problems of society and that it is necessary for the government to regulate the economy; they believe concentrations of wealth & power control government, destroy economic competition and weaken individual freedoms; they believe government power should be used to protect the disadvantaged & the ‘masses’ (in business & society), and they support ‘social welfare’ programs; they favor staunch government protection of civil liberties & individual rights, and strongly oppose any government interference with first amendment rights (freedom of religion, speech, etc) |
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& a people’s predominant values, beliefs, attitudes, ideals & evaluations of the political system of the country, & the role of the people in it; characteristic & deep-seated beliefs
- Political cultures are divided into ‘subcultures’, or variations on the prevailing values beliefs in society; three basic subcultures are traditionalistic, individualistic & moralistic
- - moralistic: often aligned with New England, Puritans; government is to promote public good & welfare, public service is a duty of wealthy
- - individualistic: sees politics as dirty business; politicians only in office for themselves, to gain & give favors; generally wants to be left alone by government
- - traditionalistic: hold over from European traditionalism & US ‘old south’ elitism; government & politicians are considered a ‘necessary evil’ |
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process by which political culture is passed on through generations; by which individual political outlook is acquired; by which we learn political values, beliefs, attitudes;
- the informal training that begins with early childhood & continues thru life; by which we learn about the basis of our govt & nation, and it instills in us identity, national pride & sense of belonging
- political culture & political socialization are related like the ‘chicken & egg’; the accumulation of individual values & beliefs constitutes political culture, and political culture shapes the beliefs & values acquired by the individual; we acquire our values & beliefs from ‘agents of socialization’
- - agents of socialization are family, school, church, peers/friends, employment, media (TV)
and political institutions & leaders |
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