Political Values There are core values that most

Political Values There are core values that most Americans share Liberty – the majority of Americans believe that people are entitled to the greatest amount of freedom possible. (if it does not harm others!) Equality - the majority of Americans believe that people should all have opportunity regardless of race, gender, religion. (some go further - sexual orientation) Democracy - the majority of Americans believe that authority comes from the people through a process that allows those people to choose their leaders. Free enterprise - the majority of Americans support capitalism as the best economy. They accept the fact that under such a system there are winners and losers. Justice and Law - the majority of Americans believe that society should be ruled by laws that are fairly and equally applied. Civic Duty - the majority of Americans believe that for this system to work, people have a responsibility to participate in civic and political affairs. (volunteering for the military, voting)

The Political Spectrum The idea of politics as a line from right to left came from the French Revolution. Political groups sat in different parts of the “Parlement” based on their views. The more Radical sat on the LEFT RIGHT The more Conservative sat on the

The Political Spectrum In America people’s views about the role of Government vary. The result is a division politically into Liberal /Democrat and. Conservative / Republican Liberals – tend to support Government involvement in the economy through regulation. Support economic equality, protection of the environment and health care reform Conservatives – tend to support limited Government involvement in the economy, and little or no regulation of business. Support reduction of taxes, limited government programs. NGOs should provide assistance.

The US has two major political parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. There are other political parties (Libertarians and Green plus a few) but almost all major positions, including President, have always been from the two major parties.

In the beginning there were no political parties…. Washington even warned against them. He feared they would divide the country. Thomas Jefferson also spoke against the party system as did John Adams, but both eventually led political parties. What is the purpose of political parties? q to get their candidates elected to office. q to organize groups with similar beliefs and goals q inform voters about issues The result of these ideas is the party’s PLATFORM.

Which is your party? Complete the worksheet to see which party you belong to…. http: //www. pbs. org/newshour/vote 2012/quiz/

It is often easy to predict how people will vote if you know some background. Ø Race Ø Religion Ø Where you live Ø Occupation Ø Gender Ø Wealth

Third Parties have played an important role in our nationals political history. Complete the worksheet to learn more about these guys. Want to change society in a major way Libertarians Ross Perrot Splinter Groups Form when party is divided over issues Dixiecrats

We have already stated that we have a twoparty system in the US. In many countries they have numerous strong political parties ISRAEL GREAT BRITAIN ITALY JAPAN

Country’s politics is dominated by one political party. Not democratic…. . often a dictatorship. CHINA NORTH KOREA CUBA

Special Interest Groups When particular groups try to influence policy making in favor of their cause. Examples – NRA, MADD, AARP

When one party gains too much control of a city or state – leads to corruption One of the most famous political machine existed in New York…Boss Tweeds Tammany Hall BOSS TWEED

In the past it was easy for political leaders to reward loyal supporters with government jobs. This is called patronage. Started by Andrew Jackson Making money off of government projects Sometimes bills have additions that create contracts in the representative’s district – PORK

Political Action Committees One of the main ways the special interest groups gain influence is through campaign contributions. (think about James Taylor from “Mr. Smith”) Congress tried to limit this by passing campaign finance laws limiting these in the hopes of reducing influence. However it resulted in the creation of PACs and now Super PACs which have fewer financial restrictions. . How might this affect contributions and elections?

Small Individual Contributors Large Individual Contributors Political Action Committees Self. Financing Other House Democrats 9% 47% 38% 3% 3% House Republicans 14% 48% 24% 12% 3% Senate Democrats 12% 53% 15% 12% 8% Senate Republicans 18% 42% 12% 20% 8%

To each candidate Individual may give To national party committee $2, 500 To state, district & local party committee $30, 800 To any other political committee $10, 000 Special Limits $5, 000 • $117, 000 overall biennial limit; $46, 200 to all candidates • $70, 800 to all PACs and parties National Party $5, 000 Committee may give No limit $5, 000 $43, 100 to Senate candidate per campaign State, District and $5, 000 Local Party Committee may give No limit $5, 000 No limit $15, 000 $5, 000 No limit $30, 800 $10, 000 $5, 000 No limit $5, 000 No limit PAC $5, 000 (multicandidate) may give PAC (not multicandidate) may $2, 500 give Authorized $2, 000 Campaign Committee may give

What does the money buy? Advertising Promotion of a cause or candidate Attack ads Lobbying lobbyists talk to members of the House and Senate testify as experts before Congress help draft legislation Public Opinion Shaped by Media Interest groups politicians

Where to go from here? Two routes Creation of policy – How a Bill becomes a law. Who decides? What issues are addressed? Election of candidates (next part) Elections in the US occur every 2 years. House reps are elected every 2 years President elected every 4 years Senators serve for 6 years. The Senate has elections every 2 years but only 1/3 of senators are up for re-election at each cycle. STEP 1 Who will run?

Before Mitt Romney could run as the REPUBLICAN candidate in 2012, the party had to pick him. There were others that wanted to represent the party.

Campaign Organization Obama Spending 2012 Romney Spending 2012 Need $!! Raised - $1. 072. 6 billion Raised - $992. 5 million Speech writers Spent – $985. 7 million Spent - $992. 0 million Posters / slogans Advertising In larger campaigns – lawyers, accountants, media consultants, pollsters. In a Presidential race much of this is duplicated in every State!

Selection process is called a OPEN Registered voters from both party can vote for a candidate CLOSED Only registered democrats or republicans can vote for a candidate

Every 4 years each party holds a national convention to decide on party platform and candidate for president.

q. Now the focus changes – not an appeal to your party (Primary) but a competition against the platform of oppositions parties. q. Often leads candidates to move to a more central position q. Sometimes this backfires if candidate had a strong position in the Primary, but “softens” in the election – Kerry was labeled a “flip-flopper” by Bush 2008

The Role of TV Grown considerably in the last 40 years. DEBATES Image V Substance – Nixon / Kennedy debate. People who listened on the radio had no clear winner. Those who watched said Kennedy won: “They said he looked poised, comfortable, tan and fit. He smiled at the camera. He was a sharp visual contrast to Nixon, who had just gotten out of the hospital. Nixon appeared thin and pale, and his frown at times was almost a scowl. ” Often the only way the majority of voters ever see or hear what candidates have to say on the issues. Have become a vital part of elections.

Who Wins? Usually the candidate who receives the most votes, but sometimes that is not even a majority Strong Third party candidates have split the vote – Ross Perot in 1990 s In Europe many countries have a proportional representation system Citizens vote for a party and the % of the total votes cast = that party’s seats. If a party receives 33% of the vote it gets 33% of the seats In Presidential races the votes are cast for the Electoral College. In most cases the State winner gets all the EC votes, but some have recently gone to split decision where votes are tallied in each district and divided among the

Electoral College Debate Why was it set up? Devised by the framers because they did not trust the voters to make wise selections. Is this system fair? Why not? 3 elections where most popular candidate did not win. What are the alternatives? Direct vote Needs Constitutional amendment. Small states lose importance. Split District Winner of each Congressional District receives that electoral college vote.