Contents
About the Authors xvi
Preface xvii
Who We Are: Individualism and
Solidarity? 26
The American Dream 27
Spreading the Dream 27
PART I IDEAS AND RIGHTS
What Do You Think? Individualism Versus
Solidarity 28
Challenging the Dream 29
1 Ideas that Shape American
Politics 2
The Spirit of American Politics 3
Who Governs? 4
How Does American Politics Work? 5
What Does Government Do? 7
Who Are We? 8
A Nation of Ideas 9
Liberty 10
“The Land of the Free” 11
The Two Sides of Liberty 11
The Idea of Freedom Is Always Changing 12
Self-Rule 13
Equality 31
Three Kinds of Equality 31
How Much Economic Inequality Is Too
Much? 32
Opportunity or Outcome? 33
Religion 35
Remaining Religious 36
So Many Religions 36
The Politics of Religion 37
How Do Ideas Affect Politics? 40
Ideas in American Culture 40
The Ideas in Political Institutions 41
Culture or Institutions? 42
Chapter Summary 43 Study Questions 44
What Do You Think? Negative Versus Positive
Liberty 14
One Side of Self-Rule: Democracy 14
Another Side of Self-Rule: A Republic 15
A Mixed System 16
Limited Government 17
The Origins of Limited Government 17
And Yet . . . the United States Has a Big
Government 18
Limits on Government Action 19
When Ideas Clash: Self-Rule and Limited
Government 20
What Do You Think? Self-Rule Versus Limited
Government 21
Individualism 22
Community Versus Individualism 23
The Roots of American Individualism:
Opportunity and Discord 24
2 The Constitution 46
The Colonial Roots of the Constitution 48
Why the Colonists Revolted 51
The Colonial Complaint: Representation 52
The Conflict Begins with Blood on the
Frontier 52
The Stamp Tax and the First Hints of
Independence 53
The Townshend Acts Worsen the Conflict 54
The Boston Tea Party 55
Revolution! 55
The Declaration of Independence 56
The Principle: “We Hold These
Truths . . .” 56
Grievances 57
ix
The First American Government: The
Articles of Confederation 57
The National Government 58
Some Success . . . 59
. . . And Some Problems 59
Winner and Losers 60
The First Step: Annapolis Convention 61
Secrecy 61
What Do You Think? Your Advice Is Needed 62
The Constitutional Convention 63
What Do You Think? Was Delegate Secrecy
Warranted? 63
1. How Much Power to the People? 63
2. National Government Versus State
Government 64
3. Big States Versus Small States 65
4. The President 68
5. Separation of Powers 70
6. “A Principle of Which We Were
Ashamed” 71
An Overview of the Constitution 74
Preamble 75
Article 1: Congress 75
What Do You Think? Have We Achieved the
Constitution’s Goals Today? 76
Article 2: The President 76
3 Federalism and
Nationalism 92
Why Federalism? 96
Choosing Federalism 96
Federalism’s Advantages 97
The Disadvantages 99
What Do You Think? Preserving Local Values or
Continuing a Terrible Injustice? 100
The Stakes 101
How Federalism Works 102
The Constitution Sets the Ground Rules 102
Dual Federalism 104
Cooperative Federalism 105
New Federalism 106
Battles over Federalism Today 107
Federalism and the Parties 110
What Do You Think? Intergovernmental Lobbying,
American Style 111
Federalism in the Courts 112
Nationalism, American Style 114
The Imagined Community 114
America’s Weak National Government 115
The Hidden Government 117
Chapter Summary 120 Study Questions 120
What Do You Think? Detention of Terrorism
Suspects 77
Article 3: The Courts 77
Article 4: Relations Between the States 78
Article 5: Amendments 78
Article 6: The Law of the Land 79
Article 7: Ratification 79
The Missing Articles 79
Ratification 79
The Anti-Federalists 79
The Federalists 81
Two Strong Arguments 82
A Very Close Vote 82
A Popular Surge Propels People into
Politics 84
Changing the Constitution 85
The Bill of Rights 85
The Seventeen Amendments 86
The Constitution Today 88
What Do You Think? How Strictly Should We Interpret
the Constitution? 88
Chapter Summary 90 Study Questions 90
x
4 Civil Liberties 122
The Rise of Civil Liberties 124
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties 124
The Slow Rise of Rights 126
Privacy 128
Penumbras and Emanations 129
What Do You Think? Is There a Right to
Privacy? 129
Roe v. Wade 130
Planned Parenthood v. Casey 130
Sexuality Between Consenting Adults 131
Freedom of Religion 132
The Establishment Clause 132
What Do You Think? May the Christian Youth Club
Meet in School? 134
Free Exercise of Religion 134
What Do You Think? David’s Law 135
Freedom of Speech 136
A Preferred Position 136
Political Speech 137
Symbolic Speech 139
Limits to Free Speech: Fighting Words 139
Limited Protection: Student Speech 140
Freedom of the Press 141
Prior Restraint 141
Obscenity 143
Libel 144
The Right to Bear Arms 144
A Relic of the Revolution? 144
Rights of the Accused 146
Americans Behind Bars 146
The Fourth Amendment: Search and
Seizure 148
The Fifth Amendment: Rights at Trials 149
The Sixth Amendment: The Right to
Counsel 150
The Eighth Amendment: The Death
Penalty 151
What Do You Think? End the Death Penalty? 152
Fighting Terrorism and Protecting Liberty 153
Chapter Summary 155 Study Questions 156
5 The Struggle for Civil
Gender 180
Suffrage 181
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 182
The Courts 183
Progress—But How Much? 184
Reproductive Politics 184
Hispanics 186
Challenging Discrimination 186
The Politics of Immigration 187
The Controversy over Language 188
Political Mobilization 189
Asian Americans 191
The Asian Stereotypes 191
What Do You Think? Simple Decency? Or Political
Correctness Run Amuck? 192
Native Americans 193
The Lost Way of Life 193
Indians and the Federal Government 194
Social Problems and Politics 195
Groups Without Special Protection 196
People with Disabilities 196
Sexual Orientation 197
Chapter Summary 200 Study Questions 201
Rights 158
Winning Rights: The Political Process 161
Seven Steps to Political Equality 161
How the Courts Review Cases 162
Race and Civil Rights: Revolt Against
Slavery 163
The Clash over Slavery 164
Dred Scott v. Sandford 165
The Second American Founding: A New Birth of
Freedom? 166
Freedom Fails 167
The Fight for Racial Equality 170
Two Kinds of Discrimination 170
The Civil Rights Campaign Begins 171
The Courts 171
The Civil Rights Movement 173
What Do You Think? Would You Have Protested? 173
Congress and the Civil Rights Act 174
The End of the Civil Rights Era 176
Affirmative Action in the Workplace 176
Affirmative Action in Education 177
What Do You Think? Higher Education and
Affirmative Action 178
Where Are We Now? 179
PART II POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
6 Public Opinion and Political
Participation 202
Measuring Public Opinion 204
Polling 101 205
Do Opinion Surveys Influence Us? 209
Sources of Public Opinion 211
Self-Interest: Voting Our Pocketbooks 211
What Do You Think? Calling the Election Early? 211
Demographic Effects: From Region to
Religion 212
Partisan Effects 213
Elite Influence 213
Wars and Other Focusing Events 214
Public Opinion in a Democracy 215
Is the Public Rational? 215
Do the People Know What They Want? 217
What Do You Think? How Do You Participate? 218
How Do the People Communicate Their
Desires? 218
Do Leaders Respond to the Public? 219
xi
Getting Involved: Electoral, Voluntary, and
Political Voice 221
Electoral Activities 221
Civic Voluntarism 223
What Do You Think? Volunteer Globally? 224
Political Voice 224
What Inspires Political Participation? 226
Political Socialization 227
Friends, Family, and Social Capital 228
Political Mobilization 229
Government Beneficiaries 229
Context 230
What Discourages Political
Participation? 230
Age, Wealth, and Education 230
Alienation 232
Institutional Barriers 232
Complacency 234
Shifting Mobilization Patterns 234
Generation Y and Political Participation 234
The Internet, Social Media, and
Participation 237
Chapter Summary 240 Study Questions 241
7 The Media 242
American Media Today: Traditional Formats
Are Declining 245
Where People Go for News 245
Newspaper Decline 245
Radio Holds Steady 249
Television: From News to Infotainment 250
Movies: Mirroring America 252
What Do You Think? Movies That Take a Stand 252
The Rise of the New Media 253
Scenario 1: Rebooting Democracy 254
Scenario 2: More Hype and Danger than
Democratic Renaissance 255
Is the Media Biased? 258
Reporters Are Democrats 259
Profits Drive the News Industry 259
Drama Delivers Audiences 259
Sex and Scandal 260
The Skeptical Media 261
The Fairness Bias 261
How Governments Shape the Media 262
The First Amendment Protects Print Media from
Government Regulation 262
xii
Regulating Broadcasters 262
Protecting Competition 264
How the Media Shapes Politics 264
News Stories Reinforce Existing Beliefs 264
The Political Agenda 265
Priming the Public 266
Framing the Issue 266
The Media’s Electoral Connection 267
The Campaign as Drama 268
Candidate Profiles 268
What Do You Think? Does the Media Enhance
Democracy? 270
Chapter Summary 272 Study Questions 273
8 Campaigns and Elections 274
How Democratic are American
Elections? 276
Frequent and Fixed Elections 277
Number of Elected Officials 277
What Do You Think? Too Many Elected Positions? 279
Financing Campaigns: The New Inequality? 279
Presidential Campaigns and Elections 283
Who Runs for President? 283
Presidential Campaigns Have Three Phases 285
Winning the Nomination 285
What Do You Think? Why Iowa and New
Hampshire? 286
Organizing the Convention 287
The General Election 287
Winning Presidential Elections 288
Predicting Presidential Elections 291
Congressional Campaigns and
Elections 292
Candidates: Who Runs for Congress? 292
The Power of Incumbency 294
Congressional Election Results 295
Redrawing the Lines: The Art of the
Gerrymander 296
Nonpartisan Districting and Minority
Representation 299
How to Run for Congress 301
Chapter Summary 306 Study Questions 307
9 Interest Groups and Political
Parties 308
Competition Intensifies 348
Partisanship and Its Discontents 349
What Do You Think? Winner Take All 351
What Interest Groups Do 312
What Do You Think? Th ird Parties 352
Public Advocacy Groups 312
Private Interest Groups 314
What Do You Think? Partisanship 353
Interest Groups, Representation, and
Power 316
Interest Groups and Representation 316
Interest Groups and Power 318
Lobbyist Spending 318
What Do You Think? Assessing the Influence of
Lobbyists 320
Regulating Interest Groups 321
Lobbying the Federal Branches of
Government 322
Rise of the Issue Network 323
Intergovernmental and Reverse Lobbying 324
Lobbying the Courts 325
Political Parties and US Government 327
What the Parties Do 327
Two-Party America 329
Third Parties in American Politics 331
How Parties Are Organized 333
Party-in-Government 334
Party Organization 335
Party in the Electorate 335
The Big Party Tents 336
America’s Party Systems: Origins and
Change 337
Beginnings: First Party System (1789–
1828) 338
Rise: Second Party System (ca. 1828–
1860) 338
War and Reconstruction: Third Party System
(1860–1896) 340
Business and Reform: Fourth Party System
(1896–1932) 341
Depression and New Deal: Fifth Party System
(1933–1972) 342
What Do You Think? Does the 2012 Election Suggest a
New Party Period? 342
The Sixth Party System: The Parties at Equal
Strength (1972–Present) 343
Party Identification . . . and Ideas 343
Building Party Identification 344
The Power of Party Attachment 345
What Do You Think? Personality and Party 345
Chapter Summary 354 Study Questions 355
PART III POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
10 Congress 356
Introducing Congress 360
Two Houses, Different Styles 361
What Do You Think? Senate Filibusters 362
The House and the Senate Have Some Unique
Roles 363
Congressional Representation 364
Trustees and Delegates 364
What Do You Think? Who Really Represents You? 365
What Do You Think? Two Views of Representation 366
Elections: Getting to Congress—and Staying
There 366
Congressional Elections 367
A Government of Strangerss 368
Congress at Work 369
The City on the Hill 369
Minnows and Whales: Congressional
Leadership 370
Committees: Workhorses of Congress 374
Leadership and Assignments 376
Legislative Policymaking 377
The Importance of the Legislative Process 378
Drafting a Bill 378
Submitting the Bill 379
Committee Action 380
Floor Action 381
Conference Committee 386
Presidential Action: Separated Powers, Once
More 386
Why Is Congress So Unpopular? 387
Partisan Polarization in Congress 388
What Do You Think? Is a Partisan Congress a Good
Thing? 389
Divided Government 390
Chapter Summary 392 Study Questions 393
Party Competition . . . and Partisanship 348
Parties Rise Again 348
xiii
11 The Presidency 394
Defining the Presidency 396
The President’s Powers 398
An Imperial Presidency? 399
A Weak Office? 400
What Presidents Do 402
Commander in Chief 402
Top Diplomat 404
The First Legislator 405
Chief Bureaucrat 410
Economist in Chief 411
The Head of State 411
Party Leader 412
The Bully Pulpit: Introducing Ideas 413
The Impossible Job 414
Presidential Leadership: Success and Failure
in the Oval Office 415
Managing the Public 415
Approval Ratings 416
Presidential Greatness—and Failure 418
Greatness in Context: The Rise and Fall of
Political Orders 418
The President’s Team: A Tour of the White
House 420
The Political Solar System: Presidential
Appointments 420
The Vice President 421
The Cabinet 422
The Executive Office of the President 423
The Heart of Power: The White House Office
(WHO) 425
The First Spouse 427
Chapter Summary 429 Study Questions 430
12 Bureaucracy 432
Bureaucracies in an American
Democracy 435
How the Bureaucracy Grew 435
The Bureaucratic Model 438
Bureaucratic Pathologies 440
The Democratic Dilemma 442
What Bureaucracies Do 443
Rule Making 443
Implementation 445
How the Bureaucracy Is Organized 446
The Cabinet Departments 446
Other Agencies 450
xiv
Who Controls the Federal Bureaucracy? 454
The People 454
The President 455
Congress 455
Interest Groups 456
Bureaucratic Autonomy 456
Democracy Revisited 457
Reforming the Bureaucracy 458
Open Up the System 458
Reinventing Government 458
Privatization 459
Chapter Summary 460 Study Questions 461
13 The Judicial Branch 462
Who Are We? A Nation of Laws . . . and
Lawyers 466
Embracing the Law—and Lawsuits 466
Declining Trust 466
Courts in American Culture 467
Organizing the Judicial Branch 468
Divided We Rule 468
State and Local Courts 469
Judicial Selection 470
What Do You Think? How Should States Select Their
Judges? 470
Federal Courts 471
Specialized Courts 472
What Do You Think? Identity on the Bench 474
Diversity in the Federal Judiciary 474
The Courts’ Role 475
Judicial Review 475
Activism Versus Restraint 476
The Judicial Process 477
Too Much Power?. . . or Still the “Least
Dangerous” Branch? 478
The Supreme Court and How It
Operates 479
Hearing Cases 479
Selecting Cases: Formal Requirements 480
Conference Sessions and Written Decisions 481
Confirmation Battles 482
Judicial Decision-Making and Reform 483
The Role of Law 483
Ideology and Partisanship 484
Collegiality and Peer Pressure 485
Institutional Concerns 485
Nineteen Cases You Should Know 486
1. Marbury v. Madison (1803) 486
2. McCullough v. Maryland (1819) 486
3. Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) 486
4. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) 487
5. Santa Clara Co. v. Southern Pacific Railroad
(1886) 487
6. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) 487
7. Lochner v. New York (1905) 488
8. Muller v. Oregon (1908) 488
9. Schenck v. United States (1919) 488
10. National Labor Relations Board v. Jones and
Laughlin Steel Corporation (1937) 489
11. Korematsu v. US (1944) 489
12. Everson v. Board of Education (1947) 489
13. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) 490
14. Mapp v. Ohio (1961) 490
15. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) 490
16. Roe v. Wade (1973) 491
17. US v. Nixon (1974) 491
What Do You Think? Name Another Landmark
The Federal Budget Process 517
The President’s Budget Proposal 518
Congressional Budget Resolution 519
Appropriations Committee Action 520
American Foreign Policy Goals 521
Goal No. 1: Security 522
Goal No. 2: Prosperity 522
Goal No. 3: Spreading American Ideals 525
What Do You Think? Is America Exceptional? 526
Foreign Policy Strategies Over Time 527
Strategy 1: Standing Alone (1918–1939) 527
Strategy 2: The Cold War (1945–1989) 528
Strategy 3: The New World Order (1989–
2001) 530
Strategy 4: The War on Terror (began
2001) 531
What Do You Think? Terrorists and the Rule of
Law 532
Chapter Summary 535 Study Questions 536
Case 492
18. Bush v. Gore (2000) 492
19. National Federation of Independent Business
v. Sebelius (2012) 492
Reforming the Judiciary 494
Ideas for Reform: More Resources 494
Term Limits 495
Chapter Summary 496 Study Questions 497
APPENDIX I
The Declaration of
Independence A-1
APPENDIX II
The Constitution of the United
States of America A-4
PART IV POLICYMAKING
14 Domestic and Foreign
Policy 498
Public Policymaking in Five (Not-So-Easy)
Stages 500
1. Agenda Setting 501
2. Framing 502
3. Policy Formation 504
4. Policy Implementation 506
5. Policy Evaluation and Feedback 508
Ex Post Policy Evaluations 509
US Social Policy 510
Wars and Social Policy 511
Old-Age Insurance: Social Security 513
Unemployment Benefits 513
Health and Disability: Medicare/Medicaid 514
APPENDIX III
The Federalist Papers 1, 10, and
51 A-25
APPENDIX IV
Presidential Elections,
Congressional Control, 1789–
2012 A-36
Glossary G-1
Notes N-1
Credits C-1
Index I-1
What Do You Think? Should We Reform Social
Security and Medicare? 516
xv