Chapter 1 Democracy in the United States © 2009, Pearson Education Fiorina, Peterson, Johnson, and Mayer New American Democracy, Sixth Edition

Chapter 1 Democracy in the United States

© 2009, Pearson Education

Fiorina, Peterson, Johnson, and MayerNew American Democracy, Sixth Edition


Government and Politics

Many Americans frustrated with governmentHealthy attitude?– Weber on government: that institution in

society that has a “monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force.”

– Because government has the ability to coerce, it is natural to distrust and fear it.

– So why have governments? Do we really need them?


Government and Politics

Governments are necessary because of people– Madison: “If men were angels, no government

would be necessary.”– government necessary because often people

do not agree and may not even get along– Hobbes: A world without government would be

nothing less than “a war of all against all.”So the next question might be: what kind of government?


Americans Are More Skeptical of National Government than in the Early 1960s


Types of GovernmentGovernment by One Person– monarchs and dictators– Acton’s quote on absolute power

Government by the Few– aristocracy: leaders chosen by birth– oligarchy: leaders chosen by virtue of wealth,

power or membership in political party


Types of GovernmentGovernment by the Many– Democracy: system in which governmental

power is widely shared among the citizens, usually through free and open elections


Traditional Types of DemocracyDirect democracy: type of democracy in which ordinary people are the government and making all laws themselves

Representative democracy: an indirect form of democracy in which the people choose representatives who determine what government does

•Delegate Style: type of representative democracy in which ordinary citizens participate actively and closely constrain the actions of public officials; prospective voting

•Trustee Style: citizens play more passive role; choose representatives, but do not tell them what to do; retrospective voting


Aristotle and Good Government


The New American DemocracyHalf a Million Elected Officials

More elections than other countries– 1 elected official for every 500 Americans

National elections– held every two years– determine the winner of the presidential ticket, 100 senators,

and 435 members of the House of RepresentativesState elections– choose governor, state legislature, and most also elect lieutenant

governor, treasurer, state’s attorney general, and many moreLocal elections – 3,000 county sheriffs– 90% of the nation’s 16,000 school boards

Judicial elections– Americans elect more than 1,000 state judges and about 15,000

county, municipal, and other local judges and officers of the court


The New American DemocracyNominating Candidates and Deciding Issues

Primary election– preliminary election that narrows the number of candidates by

determining who will be the nominees in the general electionGeneral election– final election that selects the office holder

Initiative– proposed laws or state constitutional amendments placed on the

ballot via citizen petitionReferendum– proposed laws or state constitutional amendment proposed by a

legislature or city council that do not go into effect unless the required majority of voters approve it

Proposition– shorthand reference to an initiative or a referendum– often enables citizens to bypass or overrule elected officials

Are elections responsible for “American exceptionalism”?


The Permanent CampaignThe new American democracy is marked by a permanent campaign.– Campaign literally NEVER ENDS.– Line between campaigning and governing has

disappeared– Governing becomes campaign strategy– At its worst can be harmful: public officials

sacrifice long-term good for short-term electoral advantage

The New American Democracy


The Permanent Campaign (continued)Seven developments have contributed to the permanent campaign– Separation of elections– Decay of party organizations– Spread of primaries– Proliferation of polls– Rise of mass communication– Profusion of interest groups– Rising campaign costs

The New American Democracy



Figure 1.2: Today’s Media Conduct - Their Own Polls

Bars represent the number of questions, mentioning one or both of the major-party presidential candidates, that selected media-sponsored polls asked.


The Power of the FewAmerican democracy may have moved in a popular direct, but majorities do not get their way constantly

Factors that give minorities an advantage:– Voter participation– Nominating process– Single-issue voter

• Voter who cares deeply about some particular issue so that a candidate’s position on this one issue determines his/her vote

– Campaign resources– Misinformed citizens


Popular and Responsible Democracy in the United StatesU.S. has always had more popular democracy than its European counterparts.

Principles of popular democracy important

– founders incorporated them into the their rules; created mechanisms such as checks and balances that divided power among different representatives chosen in different elections by different constituencies


Reform?Americans frustrated by nature of government, but should view proposals for radical reform cautiously.Examples — calls for more popular democracy– more elections– more opportunities to exert popular pressure– or more power for elected officials

Such reforms overlook the tremendous popular pressure from a diverse public that political leaders are already under. That may be part of the problem, not the solution.


Figure 1.3The Total Costs ofAmerican Elections HaveIncreased Dramatically inThe Last Five DecadesNote: All figures have been adjustedFor inflation in terms of 2001 CPI Dollars.



A Pretty Good Government

Irony: We have greater opportunity to influence government, but we are increasingly disappointed in it.

But there is more right than wrong with the U.S.– often critics apply unrealistic standards of

evaluation– compare to other countries– better in many areas, but not in everything– important to examine what works and what

does not – particularly important to understand the

effects of the permanent campaign


Benefits of an Electoral DemocracyChurchill: “democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried.”Areas that need improvement:– economic inequality and poverty rates– homelessness– absence of adequate medical care for many– murder and incarceration rates

It’s important to examine why his is the case.

Documents

Chapter 1 Democracy in the United States © 2009, Pearson Education Fiorina, Peterson, Johnson, and Mayer New American Democracy, Sixth Edition