Politics in America, National Version

by Dye, Thomas R.

• ISBN13: 9780130494252
• ISBN10: 0130494259
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

Politics in America, National Version, presents a clear, concise, and stimulating introduction to the American political system. It focuses on the struggle for power, describing the participants, the stakes, the processes, and the institutional arenas. This new edition includes the recent terrorist attacks on America, the “war on terror”, and its impact on the American psyche. The National Version of this book describes politics, the Constitution, the participants, the institutions, and the outcomes of our political system. For anyone interested in American politics, as well as those who are involved in the political arena, government, and policy-making.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
About the Author	xxii
PART I POLITICS
Harold Lasswell
Politics: Who Gets What, When, and How	2	(26)
Politics and Political Science	3	(1)
Politics and Government	4	(2)
What Do You Think?
Can You Trust the Government?	6	(1)
The Purposes of Government	7	(1)
A Conflicting View
American Politics as Violence	8	(1)
A Conflicting View
Sometimes It's Right to Disobey the Law	9	(2)
The Meaning of Democracy	11	(1)
Up Close
How Big Is Government and What Does It Do?	12	(2)
Compared to What?
Freedom and Democracy around the World	14	(2)
The Paradox of Democracy	16	(2)
Direct versus Representative Democracy	18	(1)
Who Really Governs?	19	(1)
Up Close
Terrorism's Threat to Democracy	20	(2)
What Do You Think?
Is the American Government ``Of, By and For the People''?	22	(2)
Democracy in America	24	(1)
Summary Notes	25	(1)
Key Terms	26	(1)
Suggested Readings	26	(1)
PoliSim	27	(1)
Political Culture: Ideas in Conflict	28	(28)
Political Culture	29	(1)
Individual Liberty	30	(1)
Dilemmas of Equality	31	(3)
Inequality of Income and Wealth	34	(1)
Compared to What?
Should Government Equalize Incomes?	35	(2)
Social Mobility	37	(1)
A Conflicting View
Success Is Determined by the Bell Curve	38	(1)
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration	39	(4)
Ideologies: Liberalism and Conservatism	43	(1)
What Do You Think?
Could You Pass the Citizenship Test?	44	(2)
Across the USA
Liberalism and Conservatism	46	(1)
People in Politics
Conservative with a Sense of Humor	47	(1)
P.J. O'Rourke
People in Politics
Defending Liberalism in Congress	48	(1)
Barbara Boxer
Dissent in the United States	49	(2)
What Do You Think?
Are You a Liberal or a Conservative?	51	(3)
Summary Notes	54	(1)
Key Terms	55	(1)
Suggested Readings	55	(1)
PoliSim	55	(1)
PART II CONSTITUTION
Harold Lasswell
The Constitution: Limiting Governmental Power	56	(50)
Constitutional Government	57	(1)
The Constitutional Tradition	57	(2)
Troubles Confronting a New Nation	59	(3)
Consensus in Philadelphia	62	(1)
People in Politics
George Washington, Founder of a Nation	63	(1)
Conflict in Philadelphia	64	(3)
Resolving the Economic Issues	67	(1)
A Conflicting View
An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution	68	(2)
Protecting National Security	70	(1)
The Structure of the Government	71	(2)
Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances	73	(2)
Conflict over Ratification	75	(1)
A Conflicting View
Let the People Vote on National Issues	76	(2)
A Bill of Rights	78	(1)
People in Politics
James Madison and the Control of ``Faction''	79	(1)
Compared to What?
Canada's Parliamentary System	80	(1)
Constitutional Change	81	(2)
A Conflicting View
Objections to the Constitution by an Anti-Federalist	83	(4)
Summary Notes	87	(1)
Key Terms	88	(1)
Suggested Readings	88	(1)
PoliSim	89	(1)
Constitution of the United States	90	(16)
Federalism: Dividing Governmental Power	106	(30)
Indestructible Union, Indestructible States	107	(2)
Why Federalism? The Argument for a ``Compound Republic''	109	(1)
Compared to What?
The European Union	110	(3)
What Do You Think?
Which Government Does the Best Job?	113	(1)
The Original Design of Federalism	114	(2)
A Conflicting View
The Dark Side of Federalism	116	(2)
A Conflicting View
Don't Make Everything a Federal Crime!	118	(1)
The Evolution of American Federalism	118	(2)
Up Close
Historical Markers in the Development of American Federalism	120	(4)
Federalism Revived?	124	(1)
What Do You Think?
Should Violence against Women Be a Federal Crime?	125	(1)
Money and Power Flow to Washington	126	(2)
Up Close
How Congress Set a National Drinking Age	128	(1)
Coercive Federalism: Preemptions and Mandates	129	(1)
A Devolution Revolution?	130	(1)
A Conflicting View
Liberals, Conservatives, and Federalism	131	(2)
People in Politics
Leadership in the States	133	(1)
Jeb Bush
Summary Notes	134	(1)
Key Terms	135	(1)
Suggested Readings	135	(1)
PART III PARTICIPANTS
Harold Lasswell
Opinion and Participation: Thinking and Acting in Politics	136	(40)
Politics and Public Opinion	137	(2)
Up Close
Can We Believe the Polls?	139	(2)
Socialization: The Origins of Political Opinions	141	(1)
Up Close
Abortion: The ``Hot-Button'' Issue	142	(2)
Compared to What?
How ``Exceptional'' Is Opinion in America?	144	(2)
What Do You Think?
College Students' Opinions	146	(4)
Ideology and Opinion	150	(1)
Gender and Opinion	151	(2)
Race and Opinion	153	(2)
Policy and Opinion	155	(1)
Individual Participation in Politics	155	(1)
What Do You Think?
Should Government Leaders Pay More Attention to Public Opinion in Policy Making?	156	(1)
Securing the Right to Vote	156	(4)
Why Vote?	160	(3)
The Politics of Voter Turnout	163	(1)
Up Close
The ``Butterfly'' Ballot	164	(2)
Voters and Nonvoters	166	(1)
Compared to What?
Voter Turnout in Western Democracies	167	(1)
Nonvoting: What Difference Does It Make?	168	(1)
Protest as Political Participation	169	(1)
Up Close
How to Run for Office	170	(3)
Summary Notes	173	(1)
Key Terms	174	(1)
Suggested Readings	174	(1)
PoliSim	175	(1)
Mass Media: Setting the Political Agenda	176	(30)
The Power of the Media	177	(3)
Sources of Media Power	179	(1)
Up Close
Media Is a Plural Noun	180	(2)
People in Politics
Stars of the Network News: Rather, Jennings, and Brokaw	182	(3)
The Business of the Media	185	(1)
The Politics of the News	186	(2)
Up Close
What the Public Watches on the News	188	(2)
What Do You Think?
Are the Media Biased?	190	(1)
A Conflicting View
Hollywood Is Corrupting America	191	(1)
Mediated Elections	191	(3)
Freedom versus Fairness	194	(1)
Up Close
Media Campaign 2000	195	(1)
Libel and Slander	196	(1)
People in Politics
Larry King Live	197	(1)
Compared to What?
America's TV Culture in Perspective	198	(1)
Politics and the Internet	198	(2)
Media Effects: Shaping Political Life	200	(2)
Up Close
The Media Age	202	(2)
Summary Notes	204	(1)
Key Terms	205	(1)
Suggested Readings	205	(1)
Political Parties: Organizing Politics	206	(42)
The Power of Organization	207	(1)
American Parties: A Historical Perspective	207	(5)
Up Close
The Donkey and the Elephant	212	(7)
Political Parties and Democratic Government	219	(2)
What Do You Think?
Which Party Does a Better Job?	221	(2)
Parties as Organizers of Elections	223	(3)
Where's the Party?	226	(2)
National Party Conventions	228	(3)
Up Close
Democratic and Republican Platforms: Can You Tell the Difference?	231	(1)
Party Finances	232	(2)
Party Voters	234	(2)
Up Close
A Typology of Donkeys and Elephants	236	(1)
Third Parties in the U.S. System	237	(2)
Across the USA
Democratic and Republican Party Strength in the States	239	(1)
Up Close
The Libertarian Party: A Dissenting Voice	240	(1)
The Rise and Fall of the Reform Party	241	(2)
Why the Two-Party System Persists	243	(1)
Compared to What?
Canada's Multiparty System	244	(1)
Summary Notes	245	(1)
Key Terms	246	(1)
Suggested Readings	247	(1)
PoliSim	247	(1)
Campaigns and Elections: Deciding Who Governs	248	(44)
Elections in a Democracy	249	(2)
Power and Ambition	251	(2)
The Advantages of Incumbency	253	(2)
Campaign Strategies	255	(2)
Up Close
Dirty Politics	257	(3)
How Much Does It Cost to Get Elected?	260	(1)
Raising Campaign Cash	261	(3)
What Do Contributors ``Buy''?	264	(3)
What Do You Think?
Does Money Buy Influence in Washington?	267	(2)
Regulating Campaign Finance	269	(1)
The Presidential Campaign: The Primary Race	270	(1)
Up Close
Campaign 2004, Off and Running	271	(3)
The Presidential Campaign: The General Election Battle	274	(1)
Up Close
Presidential Primary Races in 2000	275	(1)
Up Close
Bush v. Gore, 2000	276	(3)
The Voter Decides	279	(1)
What Do You Think?
Should We Scrap the Electoral College?	280	(4)
Up Close
The Presidential Debates	284	(2)
Across the USA
How the States Voted	286	(3)
Summary Notes	289	(1)
Key Terms	290	(1)
Suggested Readings	290	(1)
PoliSim	291	(1)
Interest Groups: Getting Their Share and More	292	(36)
Interest-Group Power	293	(1)
Origins of Interest Groups	294	(2)
Up Close
Superlobby: The Business Roundtable	296	(1)
People in Politics
Lobbying for the Poor	297	(1)
Marian Wright Edelman
The Organized Interests in Washington	298	(4)
Up Close
The Christian Coalition: Organizing the Faithful	302	(2)
People in Politics
People's Lobbyist	304	(1)
Ralph Nader
Leaders and Followers	305	(2)
The Washington Lobbyists	307	(2)
Up Close
Washington's Most Powerful Lobbies	309	(1)
The Fine Art of Lobbying	310	(4)
Up Close
AARP: The Nation's Most Powerful Interest Group	314	(3)
Up Close
Emily's List	317	(1)
PAC Power	318	(1)
Lobbying the Bureaucracy	318	(1)
What Do You Think?
Did Campaign Contributions Help Enron?	319	(3)
What Do You Think?
Is It What You Know or Who You Know?	322	(1)
Lobbying the Courts	323	(1)
Politics as Interest-Group Conflict	323	(3)
Summary Notes	326	(1)
Key Terms	327	(1)
Suggested Readings	327	(1)
PoliSim	327	(1)
PART IV INSTITUTIONS
Harold Lasswell
Congress: Politics on Capitol Hill	328	(58)
The Powers of Congress	329	(7)
Congressional Apportionment and Redistricting	336	(1)
Across the USA
Reapportionment, 2000	337	(4)
Getting to Capitol Hill	341	(4)
What Do You Think?
Why Do Voters Reelect Members of an Unpopular Congress?	345	(6)
People in Politics
Jim Jeffords Shakes Up the Senate	351
Life in Congress	350	(3)
People in Politics
Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate	353	(3)
Home Style	356	(1)
Organizing Congress: Party and Leadership	357	(4)
People in Politics
Whipping Democrats into Shape	361	(1)
Nancy Pelosi
In Committee	362	(4)
People in Politics
``Ted'' Kennedy: Keeping Liberalism Alive in the U.S. Senate	366	(1)
On the Floor	367	(2)
Decision Making in Congress	369	(1)
Up Close
What Are They Talking About?	370	(5)
People in Politics
Leading Senate Republicans	375	(2)
Trent Lott
Customs and Norms	377	(2)
A Conflicting View
Congress Can Act Responsibly on Occasion	379	(2)
Congressional Ethics	381	(2)
Summary Notes	383	(1)
Key Terms	384	(1)
Suggested Readings	385	(1)
PoliSim	385	(1)
The President: White House Politics	386	(42)
Presidential Power	387	(2)
What Do You Think?
How Would You Rate the Presidents?	389	(1)
Up Close
``9/11'' Transforms Bush and the Nation	390	(1)
Constitutional Powers of the President	391	(2)
Compared to What?
Mexican President Vicente Fox	393	(2)
Up Close
Sex, Lies, and Impeachment	395	(2)
Up Close
Watergate and the Limits of Presidential Power	397	(2)
Political Resources of the President	399	(3)
What Do You Think?
Should We Judge Presidents on Private Character or Performance in Office?	402	(1)
Chief Executive	403	(5)
Chief Legislator and Lobbyist	408	(5)
Global Leader	413	(4)
Commander-in-Chief	417	(1)
People in Politics
George W. Becomes Commander-in-Chief	418	(4)
The Vice Presidential Waiting Game	422	(2)
People in Politics
Presidential Confidant	424	(1)
Dick Cheney
Summary Notes	425	(1)
Key Terms	426	(1)
Suggested Readings	426	(1)
PoliSim	427	(1)
The Bureaucracy: Bureaucratic Politics	428	(42)
Bureaucratic Power	429	(1)
What Do You Think?
Do Bureaucrats in Washington Have Too Much Power?	430	(5)
Up Close
Why Government Grows, and Grows, and Grows	435	(1)
The Federal Bureaucracy	436	(4)
Compared to What?
The Size of Government in Other Nations	440	(1)
Up Close
The Department of Homeland Security	441	(4)
People in Politics
Managing the Nation's Economy	445	(1)
Alan Greenspan
Bureaucracy and Democracy	446	(3)
Bureaucratic Politics	449	(2)
The Budgetary Process	451	(3)
The Politics of Budgeting	454	(1)
Up Close
Bureaucratic Budget Strategies	455	(1)
Regulatory Battles	456	(1)
What Do You Think?
How Much Money Does the Government Waste?	457	(1)
A Conflicting View
Bureaucratic Regulations Are Suffocating America	458	(2)
Regulating America	460	(2)
Congressional Constraints on the Bureaucracy	462	(3)
Interest Groups and Bureaucratic Decision Making	465	(1)
Judicial Constraints on the Bureaucracy	466	(1)
Summary Notes	467	(1)
Key Terms	468	(1)
Suggested Readings	468	(1)
PoliSim	469	(1)
Courts: Judicial Politics	470	(38)
Judicial Power	471	(2)
People in Politics
John Marshall and Early Supreme Court Politics	473	(3)
Up Close
William Jefferson Clinton versus Paula Corbin Jones	476	(1)
Activism versus Self-Restraint	477	(1)
People in Politics
Sandra Day O'Connor, Holding the Middle Ground	478	(2)
Structure and Jurisdiction of Federal Courts	480	(3)
Across the USA
Geographic Boundaries of Federal Courts	483	(1)
The Special Rules of Judicial Decision Making	484	(2)
A Conflicting View
America Is Drowning Itself in a Sea of Lawsuits	486	(3)
The Politics of Selecting Judges	489	(3)
Up Close
The Confirmation of Clarence Thomas	492	(1)
Who Is Selected?	493	(1)
Supreme Court Decision Making	494	(3)
Politics and the Supreme Court	497	(2)
Bush v. Gore in the U.S. Supreme Court	499	(2)
Checking Court Power	501	(1)
Up Close
Bush v. Gore, Majority and Dissenting Opinions	502	(3)
Summary Notes	505	(2)
Key Terms	507	(1)
Suggested Readings	507	(1)
PART V OUTCOMES
Harold Lasswell
Politics and Personal Liberty	508	(44)
Power and Individual Liberty	509	(2)
Freedom of Religion	511	(7)
Freedom of Speech	518	(1)
Up Close
The American Civil Liberties Union	519	(3)
What Do You Think?
Do We Have a Constitutional Right to Burn the American Flag?	522	(2)
Up Close
Political Correctness versus Free Speech on Campus	524	(1)
Privacy, Abortion, and the Constitution	525	(3)
Obscenity and the Law	528	(2)
Up Close
Child Pornography	530	(1)
Freedom of the Press	530	(3)
Freedom of Assembly and Petition	533	(1)
The Right to Bear Arms	534	(2)
Across the USA
Gun Control and the Second Amendment	536	(1)
Rights of Criminal Defendants	537	(2)
What Do You Think?
Should Victims' Rights Be Added to the Constitution?	539	(7)
A Conflicting View
The War on Drugs Threatens Individual Liberty	546	(1)
The Death Penalty	547	(2)
Summary Notes	549	(1)
Key Terms	550	(1)
Suggested Readings	551	(1)
PoliSim	551	(1)
Politics and Civil Rights	552	(44)
The Politics of Equality	553	(1)
Slavery, Segregation, and the Constitution	554	(3)
Equal Protection of the Laws	557	(1)
Up Close
African American Politics in Historical Perspective	558	(4)
The Civil Rights Acts	562	(1)
People in Politics
``I Have a Dream''	563	(2)
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Equality: Opportunity versus Results	565	(3)
Affirmative Action in the Courts	568	(3)
A Conflicting View
The Constitution Should be Color-Blind	571	(1)
Battles over Affirmative Action	572	(1)
Up Close
Black and White Opinion on Affirmative Action	573	(1)
Hispanics in America	574	(2)
Hispanic Politics	576	(3)
Native Americans: Trails of Tears	579	(1)
Across the USA
Native American Peoples	580	(3)
The Rights of Disabled Americans	583	(1)
Gender Equality and the Fourteenth Amendment	584	(2)
Gender Equality in the Economy	586	(3)
Inequality and the Constitution	589	(1)
What Do You Think?
What Constitutes Sexual Harassment?	590	(2)
Summary Notes	592	(2)
Key Terms	594	(1)
Suggested Readings	594	(1)
PoliSim	595	(1)
Politics and the Economy	596	(32)
Politics and Economics	597	(1)
Competing Economic Theories	597	(3)
Economic Decision Making	600	(1)
People in Politics
In Defense of Free Markets	601	(2)
Milton Friedman
The Performance of the American Economy	603	(3)
Economic Globalization	606	(4)
Government Spending, Budget Priorities, and Debt	610	(1)
What Do You Think?
Does Globalization Help or Hurt America?	611	(1)
Up Close
Transfers and Entitlements Drive Government Spending	612	(3)
The Tax Burden	615	(2)
What Do You Think?
Should We Increase Government Services or Reduce Taxes?	617	(1)
Compared to What?
Tax Burdens in Advanced Democracies	618	(1)
What Do You Think?
What's Wrong with the Federal Income Tax?	619	(2)
Tax Politics	621	(1)
A Conflicting View
We Should Enact a Flat Tax	622	(3)
Summary Notes	625	(1)
Key Terms	626	(1)
Suggested Readings	627	(1)
PoliSim	627	(1)
Politics and Social Welfare	628	(26)
Power and Social Welfare	629	(1)
Poverty in the United States	629	(3)
Up Close
Who Are the Poor?	632	(1)
Up Close
Homelessness in America	633	(1)
Social Welfare Policy	634	(3)
Senior Power	637	(3)
Politics and Welfare Reform	640	(1)
What Do You Think?
How Should We Reform Social Security?	641	(3)
Up Close
Is Welfare Reform Working?	644	(1)
Health Care in America	645	(1)
Compared to What?
Health and Health Care Costs in Advanced Democracies	646	(3)
Politics and Health Care Reform	649	(3)
Summary Notes	652	(1)
Key Terms	653	(1)
Suggested Readings	653	(1)
Politics and National Security	654	(47)
Power among Nations	655	(2)
The Legacy of the Cold War	657	(7)
Nuclear Threats	664	(4)
A Conflicting View
We Should Defend Ourselves against a Ballistic Missile Attack	668	(1)
Post--Cold War Threats	669	(3)
Up Close
The Use of Force: Operation Desert Storm	672	(1)
When to Use Military Force?	672	(3)
People in Politics
An American Journey	675	(2)
Colin Powell
The War on Terrorism	677	(2)
Compared to What?
World Opinion about America's War against Terrorism	679	(1)
What Do You Think?
Do You Support the War against Terrorism?	680	(2)
Military Force Levels	682	(3)
Summary Notes	685	(1)
Key Terms	686	(1)
Suggested Readings	686	(1)
PoliSim	687	(1)
Appendix
The Declaration of Independence	688	(1)
The Federalist, No. 10, James Madison	689	(3)
The Federalist, No. 51, James Madison	692	(3)
Presidents and Vice Presidents	695	(1)
Presidential Elections and Voting	696	(4)
Party Control of Congress	700	(1)
Glossary	701	(9)
Notes	710	(9)
Photo Credits	719	(2)
Index	721