U.S.

Political Culture,
U.S. Political Institutions
September 14, 2007

The Pledge

Who is this?

Tyranny and Democracy were thought to

be undesirable extremes

King George III

George Washington

Colonial Life
Under British
control for 100+
years
Property, free
religion & other
rights
Had about 4 million
non-natives
We were born
Lockean

Truth
Government
Aristocracies
Religious Institutions

The People

Truth
Government
Aristocracies
Religious Institutions

We The People

Rugged Individualism:
Success in life is pretty much determined by
forces outside of your control.

Pew Global Attitudes Survey, 44

nations, 2002.
Nigeria: 33% completely agree
Nigeria: 32% mostly or completely
disagree.
Nigeria: ratio is 32/33 or 0.96

Success in life is pretty much determined by

forces outside of your control.

South Africa
24% disagree with the statement
The ratio is 24/38, or 0.63
So the general sense in South Africa
is failure is someone elses fault.

Success in life is pretty much determined by

forces outside of your control.

India, 14% disagree, ratio 0.39

Japan, 52% disagree, ratio 3.47
Egypt, 42% disagree, ratio 2.00
Jordan, 39% disagree, ratio 2.60
Turkey, 17% disagree, ratio 0.37
Uzbekistan, 36% disagree, ratio 1.80
China, 25% disagree, ratio 1.74

Success in life is pretty much determined by

forces outside of your control.

Great Britain, 48% disagree, ratio 3.43

France, 44% disagree, ratio 2.32
Germany, 31% disagree, ratio 1.35
Poland, 29% disagree, ratio 1.45
Ukraine, 35% disagree, ratio 1.30
Russia, 36% disagree, ratio 2.25
United States, 65% disagree, ratio
7.22

Whats the proper role of the state?

It is the responsibility of the (state

or government) to take care of very
poor people who cant take care of
themselves.
% Completely Agree.
Turkey, 73%
Uzbekistan, 70%
India 74%

It is the responsibility of the (state or

government) to take care of very poor people
who cant take care of themselves.

% completely agree
Great Britain, 59%
Germany, 45%
Poland, 59%
Ukraine, 57%
Russia, 70%
United States, 29%

Its a Small
Welfare State
After All
Low spending
Low taxes

Colonial Life
Was there an ethos
of the frontier
Governments most
closely related to
English Shires

The Articles of Confederation

(1781-1787)

Shared beliefs:
Government in the
hands of people
Strong legislature

Articles of Confederation:
State representation
No executive
Weak national gov

Constitution

Constitutional Design

Article I: Legislative

Article II: Executive

Article III: Judicial

6 other articles

Only 8,000 words!

Checks & Balances

(Separation of Powers)

Federalism in the US

1 Federal Government
50 States & the District of Colombia
Puerto Rico & 4 Insular Areas
561 Federally-Recognized Indian Tribes
3034 County Governments
13,506 School Districts
16,504 Townships and Towns
19,429 Municipal Governments
35,052 Special Districts

Anyone care to guess

how many people hold
elected office in the
United States?

Ohio Congressional Districts

Changing Locations of Government

1807
1907
2007

Why Two Parties?

U.S. Voter Turnout is Low

Minor Parties in U.S. History

Single Member Districts

Plurality Rule

Grovner
Patterson
Aquino
Philips
Hartpense
Mackerson

27%
21%
18%
14%
11%
9%

Grovner

27%

Patterson, Aquino, Mackerson

48%
Philips
Hartpense

14%
11%

Grovner, Philips, Hartpense

(Party 1)
52%
Patterson, Aquino, Mackerson
(Party 2)
48%

Denmark -- Proportional Representation

Ok, time for a break

When we come back. Quickly.
Congress
The Executive Branch
The Courts

Two Brains

The Basics
House

435 Members
2 Year Terms
Committee Dominant
Majority Party
Dominant
110th Congress
Lots of Staff

Senate

100 Members
6 Year Terms
Committees Important
Majority Party
Important
110th Congress
Even More Staff

Representation
Representation

Representatives far more independent

of party influence in the U.S.
Delegate v. Trustee
States usually more heterogeneous than
districts

 How A bill Becomes a Law.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3xPXOr40XhI

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Introduction & Referral

Committee Hearings
Committee Markups
Committee Reports
Schedule Floor Action (Rules, UCRs)
Floor Votes
Conference Committee
Conference Report & Floor Vote
Presidential Signature (or Veto)

Committees

Chairs based on committee seniority.

Membership is party proportional.
Staff dominated by majority party
Committee Hierarchy
Exclusive
Non-Exclusive

Appropriations vs. Authorizing

The 2.6 Trillion Dollar Budget

The Basics
Presidents elected to 4 year terms.
May serve no more than 2 terms. (22nd
Amendment)
Must be a U.S. born citizen, at least 35
years old, who has lived in the U.S. for a
minimum of 14 years.

Formal
Formal Presidential
Presidential Powers
Powers
Administrative head of government
Commander-in-Chief of military
Veto (or sign) legislation
Nominate judges, cabinet secretaries
Treaties, pardons, convene Congress

Limits on Presidential Power

May not introduce legislation (cf. prime minister)
May not declare war
Legislative oversight
Judicial review
Impeachment possible
Must use bully pulpit and persuasion
Go public

Presidential Roles
1. Chief of State (ceremonial)
2. Chief Legislator (State of the Union)
3. Chief Executive
4. Opinion Leader (set national priorities)
5. Chief Diplomat
6. Commander in Chief
7. Party Leader

Review of Various Powers

Congress (Article 1, Section 8, elastic
clause.
States (10th Amendment -- reserves powers
to the states)
President (Inherent Powers -- largely
through Congressional delegation of
powers.)

Presidency is
Many People
EOP: OMB, NSC,
CEA, czars, VP,
and WHO
WHO: close advisors,
no Senate approval

Civilian Employees in Cabinet Departments

Agriculture
99,045
Commerce
40,166
Defense
666,923
Education
4,343
Energy
14,850
Health and Human Services
63,627
Homeland Security
165,435
Housing and Urban Development
Interior
69,383
Justice
104,958
Labor
15,275
State 9,847
Transportation
53,420
Treasury
119,474
Veterans Affairs
235,735

9,606

The Basics
Article 3 creates the Supreme Court, but
specifics of design were left to Congress
9 Justices on the Supreme Court, and they
may serve for life
State & Federal Courts are Separate
Civil and Criminal treated differently
300,000 federal cases filed annually, 80% are
civil.

Current Justices

Breyer, Thomas, Ginsburg, Alito

Kennedy, Stevens, Roberts, Scalia, Souter

Qualifications
Federal judges serve for life (good behavior)
Chosen by president with advice and consent
of the Senate
No age limits or other requirements
Size of Court? age? citizenship? education?

Powers
Original jurisdiction: ambassadors, U.S.
is a party, where states are the parties
Appellate jurisdiction: all other cases (99%)
(court of last resort, final interpreter)
Judicial review?
Lower courts to be created by Congress

Judicial Review
Greatest Supreme Court power not in Constitution!
Established by Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Judicial Review has come to encompass:

Power to declare national, state and local Laws invalid
if they violate the Constitution
Supremacy of federal laws or treaties
Role of Supreme Court as final authority on the
meaning of the Constitution

Structure of Federal Judiciary

State
courts

Supreme Court
9 Justices
Mostly appellate

Hears about 100

out of 5,500 requests

U.S. Courts of Appeals

13 districts with 170 judges
3-judge panels hear appeals
33,000 cases per year
U.S. District Courts
94 district courts with 650 judges
Trial courts with original jurisdiction
225, 000 cases per year

State Courts
Each state has its own court system
States handle 100 million cases per year
98% of criminal cases handled by states
Types of Cases
Criminal = charged by gov for breaking law
Civil = dispute between parties

How the Constitution Changes

Amendments (27 of them)
Amendment is proposed by a vote of at least
2/3rds of both houses of Congress
Amendment is ratified by the legislatures of at
least 3/4ths of the states (process for 26 of 27
amendments)

Judicial reinterpretations
Stare Decisis

Judge-Made Law
We are under a Constitution, but the
Constitution is what the judges say it is, and
the judiciary is the safeguard of our liberty
and our property under the Constitution.
Chief Justice Hughes, 1907

U.S. Political Culture,

U.S. Political Institutions
September 14, 2007