Political Science 1100, Introduction to American Politics, February 18, 2015
Current Events
Part 2 of the Course: Why do Americans seem so Divided Today?
Participation in Politics
How do Americans Participate in Politics?
1. There are
some kinds of political participation
we take for granted, such as
Voting
Contacting officials (Calling, writing, emailing)
Social Media
Petitioning
Joining political organizations
(parties, interest groups)
Lobbying
Rallies and protests
Litigation (Going to court)
A very important form of participation today: Donating money to campaigns
2. Who Participates?
The Pyramid of Participation:
Most Americans are Political Spectators who register to vote,
Fewer are Serious players who contact officials, contribute money and work for candidates
Still fewer are Intensive players who join parties, work in campaigns, or run for office
Serious and Intensive Players are not typical of the
average American citizen:
• More partisan and ideological than average• Enjoy above average incomes and jobs than average• Older than average• Less often racial minorities than average
Example: Campaign contributions:
.01% of donors contribute over 24% of campaign contributions
Result: Many of the people who are most involved in American politics are more partisan, ideological, and uncompromising than the average American.
Who donates Money in American Politics?
A very important example
of the way a small number of people who
participate have a big impact
Citizens who are
partisan,
older and better off
participate more
& give more money
Because they are more
partisan,
they contribute more to partisan conflicts
3. American Government Was Designed
to Control & Mange Participation
The Fragmentation of American government
a Made it hard for anyone to build majorities and use government by y
Providing Lots of places to participate
(national and state governments;
legislatures, courts, and the executive)
and lots of Alternatives for Opponents to block each other
Which makes political compromise essential for making American government work
Voting and Elections
1. THE IDEAL FOR AMERICAN ELECTIONS: PROSPECTIVE VOTING
PROSPECTIVE VOTING
Under Ideal Circumstances,
Rational Voters Cast Prospective Votes For the Candidates That Offer Future Policies They Prefer
Prospective voting assumes that voters
- are well informed
- carefully consider several candidates, and
- vote for the candidate who will do what the individual voter thinks is best
2. THE
REALITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS: American Circumstances are far from idea.
Turnout tends to be Low
Those who
turnout are not perfectly representative of voting age adults.
Four Reasons that Voters Choose One Candidate Over Another
a. Party Identification
b. The Image Of The Candidates
c. Candidates' Stands On Major Issues
d. Incumbents' Past Performance in Office
In Reality, we tend to cast Retrospective Votes: We Tend To
Retrospective voting is particularly important in voting for President
2008: A Change election favors challenger Obama
2012: Obama was now the incumbent