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If you’re wondering why you should buy this new edition of Government in America, here are 10 good reasons!, i
Copyright, iv
Preface, xiv
About the Authors, xxiii
1. Introducing Government in America, 1
Government, 7
Politics, 8
The Policymaking System, 9
People Shape Policy, 10
Policies Impact People, 11
Democracy, 12
Defining Democracy, 12
Traditional Democratic Theory, 13
Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy, 14
Challenges to Democracy, 15
American Political Culture and Democracy, 17
A Culture War?, 20
Preview Questions About Democracy, 20
The Scope of Government in America, 22
How Active Is American Government?, 23
Preview Questions About the Scope of Government, 24
Summary, 25
Chapter Test, 26
Internet Resources, 27
Get Connected, 28
For Further Reading, 28
2. The Constitution, 30
The Origins of the Constitution, 32
The Road to Revolution, 32
Declaring Independence, 33
The English Heritage: The Power of Ideas, 34
Jefferson’s Handiwork: The American Creed, 36
Winning Independence, 36
The “Conservative” Revolution, 38
The Government That Failed: 1776–1787, 38
The Articles of Confederation, 38
Changes in the States, 39
Economic Turmoil, 40
Shays’ Rebellion, 40
The Aborted Annapolis Meeting, 41
Making a Constitution: The Philadelphia Convention, 41
Gentlemen in Philadelphia, 41
Philosophy into Action, 42
The Agenda in Philadelphia, 43
The Equality Issues, 43
The Economic Issues, 45
The Individual Rights Issues, 48
The Madisonian Model, 49
Thwarting Tyranny of the Majority, 49
The Constitutional Republic, 51
The End of the Beginning, 53
Ratifying the Constitution, 53
Federalists and Anti-Federalists, 53
Ratification, 57
Constitutional Change, 57
The Formal Amending Process, 57
The Informal Process of Constitutional Change, 60
The Importance of Flexibility, 63
My State: The Length of State Constitutions, 64
Understanding the Constitution, 64
The Constitution and Democracy, 64
Young People and Politics: Lowering the Voting Age, 66
The Constitution and the Scope of Government, 66
Summary, 68
Chapter Test, 69
Internet Resources, 70
Get Connected, 71
For Further Reading, 72
3. Federalism, 73
Defining Federalism, 75
What Is Federalism?, 75
Why Is Federalism So Important?, 76
The Constitutional Basis of Federalism, 77
The Division of Power, 78
Establishing National Supremacy, 80
States’ Obligations to Each Other, 84
Intergovernmental Relations Today, 86
From Dual to Cooperative Federalism, 86
Young People and Politics: Federal Support for Colleges and Universities, 88
Devolution?, 88
Fiscal Federalism, 89
A Generation of Change: Functions of Federal Grants, 92
Understanding Federalism, 96
Federalism and Democracy, 96
You Are the Policymaker: Should Whether You Live Depend on Where You Live?, 97
My State: State and Local Spending on Public Education, 99
Federalism and the Scope of the National Government, 99
Summary, 102
Chapter Test, 103
Internet Resources, 105
Get Connected, 105
For Further Reading, 106
4. Civil Liberties and Public Policy, 107
The Bill of Rights—Then and Now, 109
The Bill of Rights and the States, 110
Freedom of Religion, 112
The Establishment Clause, 113
The Free Exercise Clause, 116
You Are the Judge: The Case of Animal Sacrifices, 118
Freedom of Expression, 118
Prior Restraint, 119
Free Speech and Public Order, 120
You Are the Judge: The Case of the Purloined Pentagon Papers, 121
Free Press and Fair Trials, 122
Obscenity, 123
Libel and Slander, 125
You Are the Judge: The Case of the Drive-In Theater, 126
Symbolic Speech, 127
Commercial Speech, 127
Regulation of the Public Airwaves, 128
Freedom of Assembly, 130
Right to Assemble, 130
You Are the Judge: The Case of the Nazis’ March in Skokie, 131
Right to Associate, 131
Right to Bear Arms, 132
Defendants’ Rights, 133
Interpreting Defendants’ Rights, 133
Searches and Seizures, 134
You Are the Judge: The Case of Ms. Montoya, 136
Self-Incrimination, 137
The Right to Counsel, 139
You Are the Judge: The Case of the Enticed Farmer, 139
Trials, 140
Cruel and Unusual Punishment, 142
You Are the Judge: The Case of the First Offender, 143
The Right to Privacy, 144
A Generation of Change: The Decline of Executions, 145
Is There a Right to Privacy?, 145
Young People and Politics: College Students Help Prevent Wrongful Deaths, 146
Controversy over Abortion, 147
My State: Laws on Abortions for Minors, 148
Understanding Civil Liberties, 150
Civil Liberties and Democracy, 150
Civil Liberties and the Scope of Government, 151
Summary, 151
Chapter Test, 152
Key Cases, 154
Internet Resources, 155
Get Connected, 155
For Further Reading, 156
5. Civil Rights and Public Policy, 157
Racial Equality: Two Centuries of Struggle, 159
Conceptions of Equality, 160
The Constitution and Inequality, 160
Race, the Constitution, and Public Policy, 163
The Era of Slavery, 163
The Era of Reconstruction and Resegregation, 163
The Era of Civil Rights, 166
Young People and Politics: Freedom Riders, 169
Getting and Using the Right to Vote, 170
Other Minority Groups, 172
My State: A Nation of Minorities, 173
Women, the Constitution, and Public Policy, 178
The Battle for the Vote, 178
The “Doldrums”: 1920–1960, 178
The Second Feminist Wave, 179
Women in the Workplace, 180
Wage Discrimination and Comparable Worth, 182
A Generation of Change: The Shrinking Gap Between Men’s and Women’s Wages, 183
Women in the Military, 183
Sexual Harassment, 184
You Are the Judge: Is Male-Only Draft Registration Gender Discrimination?, 185
Newly Active Groups Under the Civil Rights Umbrella, 186
Civil Rights and the Graying of America, 186
Civil Rights and People with Disabilities, 187
Gay and Lesbian Rights, 188
Affirmative Action, 190
You Are the Judge: The Case of the Santa Clara Dispatcher, 193
Understanding Civil Rights and Public Policy, 194
Civil Rights and Democracy, 195
Civil Rights and the Scope of Government, 195
Summary, 196
Chapter Test, 197
Internet Resources, 198
Get Connected, 199
For Further Reading, 199
6. Public Opinion and Political Action, 201
The American People, 203
The Immigrant Society, 204
The American Melting Pot, 205
You Are the Policymaker: Do We Need to Get Tougher with Illegal Immigrants?, 208
The Regional Shift, 209
The Graying of America, 209
How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization, 211
Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information, 213
How Polls Are Conducted, 213
The Role of Polls in American Democracy, 215
What Polls Reveal About Americans’ Political Information, 217
What Americans Value: Political Ideologies, 219
Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives?, 219
Young People and Politics: How Younger and Older Americans Compare on the Issues, 221
Do People Think in Ideological Terms?, 222
A Generation of Change: Attitudes Toward Gays and Lesbians, 224
How Americans Participate in Politics, 225
Conventional Participation, 225
Protest as Participation, 226
Class, Inequality, and Participation, 227
Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action, 229
Public Attitudes Toward the Scope of Government, 229
Democracy, Public Opinion, and Political Action, 230
Summary, 230
Chapter Test, 231
Internet Resources, 233
Get Connected, 233
For Further Reading, 234
7. The Mass Media and the Political Agenda, 236
The Mass Media Today, 238
The Development of Media Politics, 239
The Print Media, 242
The Broadcast Media, 243
Government Regulation of the Broadcast Media, 244
A Generation of Change: How Network News Broadcasts Are Going the Way of the Dinosaurs, 245
From Broadcasting to Narrowcasting: The Rise of Cable News Channels, 246
Young People and Politics: How the Under-30 Crowd Learns from Different Media Sources Compared to Older Americans, 247
The Impact of the Internet, 248
Private Control of the Media, 250
Reporting the News, 251
Finding the News, 251
Presenting the News, 252
You Are the Policymaker: Should the Networks Have to Provide Free Air Time to Presidential Candidates?, 255
Bias in the News, 256
The News and Public Opinion, 258
The Media’s Agenda-Setting Function, 259
Understanding the Mass Media, 260
The Media and the Scope of Government, 260
Individualism and the Media, 261
Democracy and the Media, 262
Summary, 262
Internet Resources, 263
Chapter Test, 263
Get Connected, 265
For Further Reading, 265
8. Political Parties, 267
The Meaning of Party, 269
Tasks of the Parties, 270
Parties, Voters, and Policy: The Downs Model, 271
The Party in the Electorate, 272
Young People and Politics: The Parties Face an Independent Youth, 274
The Party Organizations: From the Grass Roots to Washington, 275
Local Parties, 275
The 50 State Party Systems, 276
The National Party Organizations, 277
You Are the Policymaker: Was the Blanket Primary a Good Idea?, 278
The Party in Government: Promises and Policy, 279
Party Eras in American History, 282
1796–1824: The First Party System, 282
1828–1856: Jackson and the Democrats versus the Whigs, 283
1860–1928: The Two Republican Eras, 283
1932–1964: The New Deal Coalition, 284
1968–Present: Southern Realignment and the Era of Divided Party Government, 287
A Generation of Change: Realignment in the South, 287
My State: Partisan Control of State Governments, 2009, 289
Third Parties: Their Impact on American Politics, 290
Understanding Political Parties, 291
Democracy and Responsible Party Government: How Should We Govern?, 291
American Political Parties and the Scope of Government, 294
Is the Party Over?, 294
Summary, 295
Chapter Test, 296
Internet Resources, 298
Get Connected, 299
For Further Reading, 299
9. Campaigns and Voting Behavior, 301
The Nomination Game, 303
Competing for Delegates, 304
My State: How Obama and Clinton Visited Some States Far More than Others During the 2008 Nomination Campaign, 309
The Convention Send-Off, 310
You Are the Policymaker: National and Regional Presidential Primary Proposals, 311
The Campaign Game, 312
Organizing the Campaign, 312
Young People and Politics: Declining Interest in Working in Campaigns, 313
Money and Campaigning, 314
The Maze of Campaign Finance Reforms, 314
A Generation of Change: The Incredible Increase in Fund-Raising for Presidential Nomination Campaigns, 315
The Proliferation of PACs, 318
Does Money Buy Victory?, 320
The Media and the Campaign, 321
The Impact of Campaigns, 323
Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice, 324
Deciding Whether to Vote, 324
Registering to Vote, 325
Who Votes?, 325
How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions, 327
Party Identification, 328
Candidate Evaluations: How Americans See the Candidates, 328
Policy Voting, 330
2008: An Election About Change, 331
The Last Battle: The Electoral College, 335
Understanding Campaigns and Voting Behavior, 336
Are Nominations and Campaigns Too Democratic?, 336
Do Elections Affect Public Policy?, 337
Do Campaigns Lead to Increases in the Scope of Government?, 338
Summary, 339
Chapter Test, 340
Internet Resources, 343
Get Connected, 343
For Further Reading, 344
10. Interest Groups, 346
Defining Interest Groups, 348
Theories of Interest Group Politics, 349
Pluralism and Group Theory, 350
Elites and the Denial of Pluralism, 350
Hyperpluralism and Interest Group Liberalism, 352
What Makes an Interest Group Successful?, 353
The Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups, 353
Intensity, 356
Young People and Politics: The Virginia 21 Coalition, 357
Financial Resources, 357
How Groups Try to Shape Policy, 358
Lobbying, 359
Electioneering, 362
You Are the Policymaker: Should PACs Be Eliminated?, 363
Litigation, 364
Going Public, 365
Types of Interest Groups, 366
Economic Interests, 366
My State: Labor Union Membership as a Percentage of State Workforces, 368
Environmental Interests, 369
A Generation of Change: How Non-Labor PACs Shifted to the GOP, 370
Equality Interests, 371
Consumers and Public Interest Lobbies, 372
Understanding Interest Groups, 372
Interest Groups and Democracy, 373
Interest Groups and the Scope of Government, 374
Summary, 375
Chapter Test, 376
Internet Resources, 377
Get Connected, 378
For Further Reading, 378
11. Congress, 380
The Representatives and Senators, 382
The Job, 382
The Members, 383
Why Aren’t There More Women in Congress?, 385
Congressional Elections, 385
Who Wins Elections?, 386
The Advantages of Incumbency, 387
The Role of Party Identification, 391
Defeating Incumbents, 391
Open Seats, 392
Stability and Change, 392
How Congress Is Organized To Make Policy, 393
American Bicameralism, 393
Congressional Leadership, 395
The Committees and Subcommittees, 398
Caucuses: The Informal Organization of Congress, 403
Congressional Staff, 404
Young People and Politics: Are Opportunities to Intern Biased in Favor of the Wealthy?, 405
The Congressional Process, 406
Presidents and Congress: Partners and Protagonists, 408
Party, Constituency, and Ideology, 409
A Generation of Change: Polarization in Congress, 411
Lobbyists and Interest Groups, 413
Understanding Congress, 414
Congress and Democracy, 415
Congress and the Scope of Government, 416
Summary, 416
Chapter Test, 417
Internet Resources, 419
Get Connected, 420
For Further Reading, 421
12. The Presidency, 422
The Presidents, 424
Great Expectations, 424
Who They Are, 425
How They Got There, 427
You Are the Policymaker: Should the Senate Have Convicted President Clinton?, 429
Presidential Powers, 429
Constitutional Powers, 429
The Expansion of Power, 430
Perspectives on Presidential Power, 431
Running the Government: The Chief Executive, 432
The Vice President, 433
The Cabinet, 434
The Executive Office, 434
The White House Staff, 437
The First Lady, 439
Presidential Leadership of Congress: The Politics of Shared Powers, 440
Chief Legislator, 440
Party Leadership, 441
Public Support, 445
Legislative Skills, 447
The President and National Security Policy, 449
Chief Diplomat, 449
Commander in Chief, 450
War Powers, 451
Crisis Manager, 452
Working with Congress, 453
Power from the People: The Public Presidency, 454
Going Public, 455
Presidential Approval, 456
Policy Support, 458
Young People and Politics: The Generation Gap in Watching the President Mobilizing the Public, 459
The President and the Press, 460
Understanding the American Presidency, 463
The Presidency and Democracy, 463
Summary, 464
The Presidency and the Scope of Government, 464
Chapter Test, 465
Internet Resources, 467
Get Connected, 468
For Further Reading, 468
13. The Federal Bureaucracy, 470
The Bureaucrats, 472
Some Bureaucratic Myths and Realities, 472
My State: Federal Civilian Employees, 475
Who They Are and How They Got There, 475
The Other Route to Federal Jobs: Recruiting from the Plum Book, 478
How Bureaucracies Are Organized, 479
Independent Regulatory Commissions, 481
Cabinet Departments, 481
Government Corporations, 482
The Independent Executive Agencies, 483
Bureaucracies as Implementors, 483
What Implementation Means, 483
Why the Best-Laid Plans Sometimes Flunk the Implementation Test, 484
Young People and Politics: Drug Offenses and Financial Aid, 485
Privatization, 493
Bureaucracies as Regulators, 493
A Generation of Change: Trends in Regulation, 494
Regulation in the Economy and in Everyday Life, 494
Regulation: How It Grew, How It Works, 496
Toward Deregulation, 497
You Are the Policymaker: How Should We Regulate?, 498
Understanding Bureaucracies, 499
Bureaucracy and Democracy, 499
Bureaucracy and the Scope of Government, 504
Summary, 505
Chapter Test, 506
Internet Resources, 508
Get Connected, 508
For Further Reading, 509
14. The Federal Courts, 510
The Nature of the Judicial System, 512
Participants in the Judicial System, 513
The Structure of the Federal Judicial System, 515
District Courts, 516
Courts of Appeal, 517
My State: The Federal Judicial Circuits, 518
The Supreme Court, 519
The Politics of Judicial Selection, 521
The Lower Courts, 521
The Supreme Court, 523
The Backgrounds of Judges and Justices, 526
The Courts as Policymakers, 530
Accepting Cases, 531
Making Decisions, 532
Implementing Court Decisions, 535
You Are the Policymaker: The Debate over Original Intentions, 536
Understanding the Courts, 537
The Courts and Democracy, 538
Young People and Politics: The Supreme Court Is Closer Than You Think, 539
What Courts Should Do: The Scope of Judicial Power, 540
Summary, 542
Chapter Test, 543
Internet Resources, 546
Get Connected, 546
For Further Reading, 547
15. The Congress, the President, and the Budget: The Politics of Taxing and Spending, 548
Sources of Federal Revenue, 550
Income Tax, 550
Social Insurance Taxes, 552
Borrowing, 552
Taxes and Public Policy, 555
Young People and Politics: Education and the Federal Tax Code, 557
Federal Expenditures, 559
Big Governments, Big Budgets, 559
The Rise and Decline of the National Security State, 561
The Rise of the Social Service State, 562
Incrementalism, 565
“Uncontrollable” Expenditures, 566
Balancing the Budget, 567
You Are the Policymaker: Balancing the Budget, 568
Understanding Budgeting, 568
Democracy and Budgeting, 569
A Generation of Change: Fluctuating Deficits, 570
The Budget and the Scope of Government, 571
Summary, 571
Chapter Test, 572
Internet Resources, 573
Get Connected, 574
For Further Reading, 574
16. Social Welfare Policymaking, 575
What Is Social Welfare, and Why Is It So Controversial?, 577
Income, Poverty, and Public Policy, 578
Who’s Getting What?, 579
Who’s Poor in America?, 580
What Part Does Government Play?, 581
My State: Percent of Children Living in Poor Families, 582
Helping the Poor? Social Policy and Poverty, 583
“Welfare” as We Knew It, 583
Ending Welfare as We Knew It: The Welfare Reforms of 1996, 586
You Are the Policymaker: Should the Government Promote Marriage?, 587
Immigration and Social Policy, 588
Immigration Policy and Politics: Old and New, 588
Immigration and Policy: Washington and the States, 589
A Generation of Change: A Tale of Two Immigration Reforms, 591
Living on Borrowed Time: Social Security, 592
The New Deal, the Elderly, and the Growth of Social Security, 593
Young People and Politics: Social Security and UFOs, 595
How George W. Bush Tried and Failed to Reform Social Security, 596
Social Welfare Policy Elsewhere, 597
Understanding Social Welfare Policy, 597
Social Welfare Policy and the Scope of Government, 598
Democracy and Social Welfare, 598
Summary, 599
Chapter Test, 599
Internet Resources, 601
Get Connected, 602
For Further Reading, 602
17. National Security Policymaking, 604
American Foreign Policy: Instruments, Actors, and Policymakers, 606
Instruments of Foreign Policy, 606
Actors on the World Stage, 607
The Policymakers, 609
American Foreign Policy: An Overview, 615
The Cold War, 615
The Era of Détente, 618
The Reagan Rearmament, 619
The Final Thaw in the Cold War, 620
The War on Terrorism, 621
Afghanistan and Iraq, 621
Rethinking National Security Policy, 623
The Politics of Defense Policy, 625
Defense Spending, 625
Personnel, 627
Weapons, 628
Reforming Defense Policy, 630
The New Global Agenda, 630
The Changing Role of Military Power, 631
Nuclear Proliferation, 633
The International Economy, 635
You Are the Policymaker: Defanging a Nuclear Threat, 636
Young People and Politics: Embracing Globalization, 637
A Generation of Change: The Rising Trade Balance Deficit, 640
My State: U.S. Employment of Foreign Multinational Companies, 641
Understanding National Security Policymaking, 643
National Security Policymaking and Democracy, 643
National Security Policymaking and the Scope of Government, 644
Summary, 644
Chapter Test, 645
Internet Resources, 647
Get Connected, 647
For Further Reading, 648
Appendix, 649
Glossary, 671
Notes, 688
Acknowledgments, 715
Index, 717

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