UNIT 1. Foundations of American Politics

Part A. Basic Documents

1. The Declaration of Independence, 1776, Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence,

This document formally announces that 13 former British colonies have become the free and independent United States of America. It eloquently identifies certain historic principles on which their claim to independence rests.

2. The Constitution of the United States, 1787, The Constitution of the United States,

The Constitution provides an organizational blueprint for the national government and for the federal relationship between the national government and the states. In addition, the first 10 amendments, commonly known as the Bill of Rights, spell out limits on what the government can do. A commentary accompanying the actual document provides a brief account of the writing of the Constitution and also notes some of its significant features.

3. The Size and Variety of the Union as a Check on Faction, James Madison, The Federalist Papers, No. 10, 1787

James Madison argues in support of the union of the 13 states under the new Constitution. According to Madison, a system of representative democracy governing a large territory and many people will help control the undesirable effects of “faction.”

4. Checks and Balances, James Madison, The Federalist Papers, No. 51, 1787

According to James Madison, both the separation of powers among three branches of government and the division of powers between the states and the central government will help preserve representative democracy under the new Constitution.

Part B. Contemporary Views and Values

5. Why Don’t They Like Us?, Stanley Hoffmann, The American Prospect, November 19, 2001

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Stanley Hoffmann explores the factors that have led to various strands of anti-Americanism around the globe. He also suggests ways of addressing legitimate grievances against the contemporary world’s sole superpower.

6. Bowling Together: The United States of America, Robert Putnam, The American Prospect, February 11, 2002

Robert Putnam reports that Americans’ levels of political consciousness and engagement, as well as their trust in one another, rose in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

7. The Black-White Wealth Gap, Dalton Conley, The Nation, March 26, 2001

Dalton Conley argues that gaps between the net worth of blacks and whites are telling indicators of continuing racial inequality in the United States.

8. Party On, Dudes! Ignorance Is the Curse of the Information Age, Matthew Robinson, The American Spectator, March/April 2002

Matthew Robinson provides a current update on the state of political knowledge—and ignorance—among Americans.

9. Federalism’s Ups and Downs, Carl Tubbesing, State Legislatures, February 2002

Using the views of Alexander Hamilton, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Benjamin Franklin as references, Carl Tubbesing explores three explanations for the growth of the national government’s power at the expense of the states.

Part C. Constitutional and Legal Matters

10. It’s a War, Stupid! Understanding and Misunderstanding the Detainees, Kate O’Beirne, National Review, September 16, 2002

Kate O’Beirne critically assesses the legal status of enemy combatants captured in military hostilities in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001. She concludes that the Bush administration’s practices have been consistent with relevant legal precedents.

11. Overruling the Court, Leon Friedman, The American Prospect, August 27, 2001

Leon Friedman notes that Congress can take action to “overrule” Supreme Court decisions interpreting congressional statutes. He argues that Congress should do so with respect to several civil rights laws that have been narrowly interpreted by the Court.

12. Guns and Tobacco: Government by Litigation, Stuart Taylor Jr., National Journal, March 25, 2000

Stuart Taylor identifies what he sees as a disturbing new trend: making public policy through litigation in the courts instead of in Congress and the executive branch of government.

UNIT 2. Structures of American Politics

Part A. The Presidency

13. Gone Are the Giants, Burt Solomon, National Journal, May 27, 2000

Burt Solomon argues that relatively unimpressive individuals—and not political “giants”—have come to occupy all three branches of government in recent decades. He also explores why this trend has occurred.

14. The Return of the Imperial Presidency?, Donald R. Wolfensberger, The Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2002

Donald Wolfensberger reviews the concept of the imperial presidency and explores the extent to which it has returned in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

15. Fixing the Appointment Process, Alvin S. Felzenberg, Brookings Review, Spring 2001

Alvin Felzenberg reviews problems that have plagued the appointment process in U.S. government and discusses seven ways suggested by various bodies to streamline and improve that process.

16. Confidence Men, Joshua Micah Marshall, The Washington Monthly, September 2002

Joshua Micah Marshall argues that the image of competence frequently associated with many high-ranking members of the Bush administration is unwarranted.

17. Washington’s Mega-Merger, The Economist, November 23, 2002

This selection reviews the details and the rationale for the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security as a reaction to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Part B. Congress

18. On Their Own Terms, Martha Angle, CQ Weekly, December 28, 2002

Martha Angle introduces the 60-odd women who serve in the 108th Congress. She suggests that they are mostly a different breed from their congressional predecessors.

19. Postcards From Sisyphus: What I Saw During the Confirmation Wars, Gary J. Andres, PS: Political Science and Politics, March 2002

Gary Andres identifies what he calls the “five deadly sins” that senators commit in efforts to delay or defeat presidential nominations to fill executive branch positions.

20. Improving Oversight: The Endless Task of Congress, Joel D. Aberbach, Society, November/December 2002

Joel Aberbach surveys congressional oversight, the process whereby Congress reviews executive branch functioning and evaluates the success of government programs. He concludes that the quest for more systematic and comprehensive oversight will continue endlessly and explains why.

21. John Dingell’s Staying Power, Brody Mullins, National Journal, July 28, 2001

Brody Mullins describes the powerful role that Congressman John Dingell, Democrat of Michigan, plays in the House of Representatives. Despite Dingell’s nearly 50 years in the House, he remains energetic and formidable.

22. Doc Politic, Kirk Victor, National Journal, September 21, 2002

Kirk Victor reviews the work of Senator Bill Frist, who, at the time this selection was first published, was viewed as an up-and-coming Republican officeholder. A few months later, Frist replaced Trent Lott as Senate majority leader.

23. Preparing for the Unthinkable: Bush’s “Shadow Government” Plan Is a Start—But Only a Start, Norm Ornstein, Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2002

Norm Ornstein identifies two problems in national government succession that, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, may require constitutional or legal remedies. He addresses the issues of congressional continuity and presidential succession should some event kill or disable large numbers of top officials in the executive and legislative branches.

Part C. The Judiciary

24. A Judge Speaks Out, H. Lee Sarokin, The Nation, October 13, 1997

H. Lee Sarokin, a former federal judge, argues that the recent politicization of the judiciary by politicians and news media alike is undermining the rule of law in the United States. He explains why he thinks it is crucially important for judges to uphold various controversial provisions of the Bill of Rights.

25. The Third Branch, The Economist, November 23, 2002

This selection explores the effect that Republican control of both the White House and the Congress will likely have on the composition and operation of the third branch of government, the judiciary.

26. Politics by Other Means, Cass R. Sunstein, The New Republic, October 21, 2002

In reviewing a recent book about the U.S. Supreme Court, Cass Sunstein assesses the role that the Supreme Court under Chief Justice William Rehnquist has played in the American political system in the last two decades.

27. One Branch Among Three, Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, July 29, 2002

Ramesh Ponnuru argues that courts have become too powerful in the American political system and points out a relatively simple method that Congress can use to remedy the situation.

28. Reconsidering “Bush v. Gore”, Gary Rosen, Commentary, November 2001

Gary Rosen weighs the implications of the involvement of the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts in resolving the presidential election of 2000. He suggests that the exercise of judicial restraint would have been the best course of action.

Part D. Bureaucracy

29. Turkey Farm, Robert Maranto, The Washington Monthly, November 1999

Robert Maranto examines the difficulties of firing an unproductive civil servant, the problems posed for the operation of government bureaucracy as a whole, and the possibilities for remedying the situation.

30. Reforming U.S. Intelligence After the Terrorist Attack, Craig R. Eisendrath and Melvin A. Goodman, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), November 2001

The authors chronicle intelligence failures by U.S. government agencies in recent decades, including failure to detect the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. They suggest a number of reforms, including closer oversight by both the president and Congress.

31. Police Blotter, Jason Zengerle, The New Republic, December 31, 2001/January 7, 2002

Jason Zengerle assesses significant changes in antiterrorist tactics introduced by the FBI since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He concludes that the new antiterrorist approach is a mistake and explains why.

32. Time for a Rethink, The Economist, April 20, 2002

This selection describes the complicated and unwieldy organizational structure that characterizes U.S. intelligence and suggests what reforms ought to be undertaken.

33. IT Changes Everything, Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., National Journal, May 11, 2002

Sydney Freedberg describes the tremendous advantages that modern information technology could bring to the operation of government bureaucracy. He also explains why government bureaucracies have so far lagged behind the private sector in this area.

UNIT 3. Process of American Politics

Part A. Politicians, Parties, Public Opinion, and Voters

34. Running Scared, Anthony King, The Atlantic Monthly, January 1997

Anthony King argues that the American political system is anchored in what he considers to be a permanent election campaign. In turn, according to King, American politicians are “hyper-responsive” and American government suffers accordingly.

35. Family Tree, Party Roots, Carl M. Cannon, National Journal, July 21, 2001

Carl Cannon traces the evolution of the Republican Party since the 1950s by examining the evolution of three generations of politicians from the Bush family: U.S. Senator Prescott Bush of Connecticut; his son, George H. W. Bush, who served one term as the 41st president of the United States; and his grandson, George W. Bush, the current president.

36. An Emerging Republican Majority?, Daniel Casse, Commentary, January 2003

Daniel Casse summarizes the recent electoral fortunes and current standing of the two major parties and concludes that the Republican Party has a good chance to become the new political majority in the United States.

37. Office Politics, Neil Munro, National Journal, September 14, 2002

Neil Munro notes that professionals are becoming more likely to vote Democratic and sets out to explain this important trend among the voting public.

38. Leaders Should Not Follow Opinion Polls, Robert Weissberg, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), May 2002

Robert Weissberg argues that government leaders should not follow public opinion polls for several reasons, including the absence of satisfactory participatory standards and the quality of advice obtained in polls.

Part B. The Conduct of Elections

39. Making Every Vote Count, Lani Guinier, The Nation, December 4, 2000

Lani Guinier discusses some basic questions about elections in the United States: who votes, how they vote, for whom they vote, how their votes are counted, and what happens after the voting.

40. A Better Way?, Alan B. Morrison, National Journal, January 4, 2003

Alan Morrison identifies several problems with the way our Electoral College system works and suggests ways that each problem can be resolved.

41. The Evil of Access, Mark Green, The Nation, December 30, 2002

Mark Green describes how the financing of American election campaigns erodes democracy. He suggests the bases for three sorts of reforms that will help remedy the problem.

Part C. Interest Groups

42. Government’s End, Jonathan Rauch, National Journal, January 8, 2000

Jonathan Rauch explains why the U.S. government has reached a state of perpetual stalemate. He describes the situation as one in which the government cannot become either much smaller or much larger and in which there is very little opportunity for change.

43. Associations Without Members, Theda Skocpol, The American Prospect, July/August 1999

Theda Skocpol outlines the ways that Americans’ civic and political associations have changed since the 1960s from traditional membership organizations to advocacy groups.

44. Identity Crisis, Shawn Zeller, National Journal, April 27, 2002

Shawn Zeller reports on how internal problems and external relationships that confront the American Medical Association have affected its success in lobbying government to get what it wants.

Part D. Media

45. Journalism and Democracy, Bill Moyers, The Nation, May 7, 2001

Bill Moyers outlines what he sees as the key role of journalism in the practice of American democracy. Along with other industry insights, he gives several examples of how powerful interests have tried to discredit important stories or even prevent them from appearing.

46. The Making of a Movement: Getting Serious About Media Reform, Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols, The Nation, January 7, 2002

The authors reveal how the current ownership structure of major media outlets distorts news reporting in the United States—at a time when a free and independent press is needed most. They suggest how major reform might occur and what the goals of a media reform movement should be.

47. Politics After the Internet, Yuval Levin, The Public Interest, Fall 2002

Yuval Levin suggests that the coming of the Internet may lead to greater intellectual isolation, downgrading the political importance of size and place and quickening the pace of politics. But he also writes that American democracy can and will continue to exist.

UNIT 4. Products of American Politics

Part A. Economic and Social Welfare Policy

48. The Beat Goes On, John Maggs, National Journal, May 25, 2002

John Maggs questions whether government taxing and spending policies actually affect the state of the American economy.

49. Liberal Lessons From Welfare Reform, Christopher Jencks, The American Prospect, Summer 2002

Christopher Jencks examines the effects of the 1996 welfare reform act. He suggests several reasons why it has worked out better than liberal critics had expected.

Part B. Homeland and National Security

50. The New Rome Meets the New Barbarians, The Economist, March 23, 2002

Joseph Nye suggests that the foreign policy challenges facing the United States in the coming decades are best understood in the context of the three different dimensions of power that he identifies.

51. Immigration and Terrorism, Robert McChesney, America, October 29, 2001

Robert McChesney explores contemporary U.S. public policy toward immigration and terrorism and how the two have been intertwined. He argues that, in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001, we need to carefully distinguish between the two when formulating public policy.

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