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Why Do You Need This New Edition?, i
Copyright, iv
Preface, xiv
Thinking Critically..., xvi
Tools for Understanding, Evaluating, Analyzing, xix
Resources In Print and Online, xx
Improve Results with mypoliscilab, xxi
Acknowledgments, xxii
Part 1. Introduction: Main Themes, 1
Chapter 1. Democracy and American Politics, 2
Robert Moses and the Struggle for African American Voting Rights, 3
Democracy, 4
Democratic Origins, 5
Direct versus Representative Democracy, 6
Benchmarks of Representative Democracy, 7
Mapping American Politics: All the States Are Purple, 8
Objections to Majoritarian Representative Democracy, 13
Democracy as an Evaluative Standard: How Democratic Are We?, 15
By the Numbers: Is the United States the most democratic country in the world?, 16
A Framework for Understanding How American Politics Works, 18
Organizing the Main Factors of Political Life, 18
Connecting the Main Factors of Political Life, 19
Using the Framework: How was Southern resistance to black political participation overcome?, 21
Understanding American Politics Holistically, 22
Part 2. Structure, 25
Chapter 2. The Constitution, 26
Detainees, Checked and Balanced, 27
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 28
The American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence, 28
Key Ideas in the Declaration of Independence, 30
Important Omissions in the Declaration, 31
The Articles of Confederation: The First Constitution, 31
Provisions of the Articles, 31
Shortcomings of the Articles, 32
Factors Leading to the Constitutional Convention, 33
The Eighteenth-Century Republican Beliefs of the Founders, 33
Why the Founders Were Worried, 34
The Constitutional Convention, 36
Who Were the Framers?, 37
Consensus and Conflict at the Convention, 38
Mapping American Politics: Equal and Unequal Representation in the House and Senate, 40
What the Framers Created, 41
Using the Framework: Why was slavery allowed in the Constitution of 1787?, 42
By the Numbers: Did George W. Bush really win the 2000 presidential vote in Florida?, 44
The Struggle to Ratify the Constitution, 50
The Changing Constitution, Democracy, and American Politics, 52
Using the Democracy Standard: How democratic is the Constitution?, 53
Chapter 3. Federalism: States and Nation, 56
Who’s in Charge Here?, 57
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 58
Federalism as a System of Government, 58
The Nature of Federalism, 59
Comparing American Federalism, 59
Federalism in the Constitution, 61
Independent State Powers, 61
The States’ Roles in National Government, 62
Relations Among the States, 63
The Evolution of American Federalism, 65
The Perpetual Debate About the Nature of American Federalism, 66
Federalism Before the Civil War, 68
The Civil War and the Expansion of National Power, 70
Expanded National Activity Since the Civil War, 70
Mapping American Politics: Federal dollars: Which states win and which ones lose?, 76
Fiscal Federalism, 76
Origin and Growth of Grants, 76
Types of Grants, 77
Debates About Federal Money and Control, 79
By the Numbers: How do we know how many people there are in each of the states?, 80
U.S. Federalism: Pro and Con, 82
Using the Framework: I thought that attending a public university would save a lot of money, but it hasn’t because I have to pay out-of-state tuition. Why do I have to pay so much money?, 83
What Sort of Federalism?, 84
Using the Democracy Standard: American federalism: How democratic?, 85
Chapter 4. The Structural Foundations of American Government and Politics, 88
Boeing Goes Global, 89
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 90
America’s People, 91
A Growing Population, 91
More Diversity, 92
Changing Where We Live, 95
Getting Older, 96
More Inequality, 97
Using the Framework: Why didn’t the tremendous economic growth of the 1990s make much of a dent in the number of poor people in the United, 100
America’s Economy, 101
Industrialization and the Rise of the Corporation, 101
By the Numbers: Is America becoming more unequal?, 102
Globalization and Hyper-Competition, 105
Mapping American Politics: How big is the American economy compared with others?, 106
America in the World, 108
America’s Political Culture, 109
Individualism, 110
Free Enterprise, 111
Distrust of Government, 113
Democracy and Freedom, 113
Populism, 114
Religious Beliefs, 114
Using the Democracy Standard: Do structural factors in the United States support democracy?, 116
Part 3. Political Linkage, 119
Chapter 5. Public Opinion, 120
The Vietnam War and the Public, 121
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 122
Democracy and Public Opinion, 122
Measuring Public Opinion, 124
Public Opinion Polls, 124
Challenges of Political Polling, 125
By the Numbers: Do Americans support stem cell research? How do we know which survey to believe?, 126
Political Socialization: Learning Political Beliefs and Attitudes, 128
How and Why People’s Political Attitudes Differ, 130
Race and Ethnicity, 130
Social Class, 133
Region, 134
Education, 135
Gender, 135
Age, 136
Religion, 137
Partisanship, 139
The Contours of American Public Opinion: Are the People Fit to Rule?, 141
What People Know About Politics, 141
The Collective Public Opinions of Americans, 143
The System in General, 143
Government Performance, 144
Party Identification, 145
Liberals and Conservatives, 147
Policy Preferences, 148
Mapping American Politics: Spending Compared to Other Nations, 150
The Peoples’ “Fitness to Rule” Revisited, 151
Using the Democracy Standard: Does the public’s opinion determine what government does?, 152
Using the Framework: If a majority of Americans say they want gun control, why hasn’t the federal government done much about it?, 155
Chapter 6. The News Media, 158
Big Stories Without Legs, 159
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 160
Roles of the News Media in Democracy, 160
Watchdog Over Government, 160
Clarifying Electoral Choices, 161
Providing Policy Information, 161
Mainstream and Nonmainstream News Media, 162
Alternatives to the Mainstream, 162
The Continuing Importance of the Mainstream, 163
How the News Media Work, 165
Organization of the News Media, 165
Political Newsmaking, 167
By the Numbers: How much serious crime is there in the United States?, 168
Mapping American Politics: The Limited Geography of National News, 170
Is the News Biased?, 175
Prevailing Themes in Political News, 177
Using the Framework: Why did the news media pay so much attention to the Monica Lewinsky story?, 179
Effects of the News Media on Politics, 181
Agenda Setting, 181
Framing and Effects on Policy Preferences, 182
Fueling Cynicism, 182
Government Regulation of the Media, 183
Print Media, 183
Electronic Media, 183
Using the Democracy Standard: Do the news media help or hinder democracy?, 187
Chapter 7. Interest Groups and Business Corporations, 190
Earmarks Here, Earmarks There, Earmarks Everywhere, 191
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 192
Interest Groups in a Democratic Society: Contrasting Views, 192
The Evils of Factions, 193
Interest Group Democracy: The Pluralist Argument, 193
The Universe of Interest Groups, 194
Private Interest Groups, 196
Public Interest Groups, 197
Why There Are So Many Interest Groups, 198
The Constitution, 199
Diverse Interests, 199
A More Active Government, 199
Disturbances, 200
What Interest Groups Do, 201
The Inside Game, 201
The Outside Game, 204
By the Numbers: Is there a reliable way to evaluate the performance of our representatives in Congress?, 206
Interest Groups and Inequality in American Politics, 206
Representational Inequalities, 207
Resource Inequalities, 208
Using the Framework: How did the long-awaited prescription drug benefit get added to Medicare in 2003, and why were drug and insurance companies so happy about it?, 209
Access Inequality, 212
The Privileged Place of Business Corporations, 212
Mapping American Politics: Fueling the American Driving Habit, 214
Curing the Mischief of Factions, 216
Using the Democracy Standard: Do interest groups help or hinder American democracy?, 217
Chapter 8. Social Movements, 220
Women Win the Right to Vote, 221
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 222
What Are Social Movements?, 222
Major Social Movements in the United States, 224
The Abolitionists, 224
The Populists, 225
Women’s Suffrage, 225
The Labor Movement, 225
The Civil Rights Movement, 225
Contemporary Antiwar Movements, 226
The Women’s Movement, 227
Mapping American Politics: Worldwide Demonstrations Against the Invasion of Iraq, 228
The Environmental Movement, 228
The Gay and Lesbian Movements, 228
Religious Conservatives, 229
The Antiglobalization Movement, 229
Undocumented Immigrants Movement, 230
Social Movements in a Majoritarian Democracy, 230
Encouraging Participation, 230
Overcoming Political Inequality, 231
Creating New Majorities, 231
Overcoming Constitutional Limitations on Change, 231
Factors That Encourage the Creation of Social Movements, 232
Real or Perceived Distress, 232
Availability of Resources for Mobilization, 233
A Supportive Environment, 234
A Sense of Efficacy Among Participants, 234
A Spark to Set Off the Flames, 235
By the Numbers: Just how many people were at that demonstration?, 236
Tactics of Social Movements, 236
Why Some Movements Succeed and Others Do Not, 239
Low-Impact Social Movements, 239
Repressed Social Movements, 240
Partially Successful Social Movements, 240
Successful Social Movements, 240
Using the Framework: Why didn’t Bill Clinton deliver on his promise to drop all restrictions on gays and lesbians in the military?, 241
Using the Democracy Standard: Do social movements make us more or less democratic?, 243
Chapter 9. Political Parties, 246
Moderates at Risk, 247
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 248
The Role of Political Parties in a Democracy, 248
History of the Two-Party System, 250
The First Party Era: Federalists Versus Democratic Republicans, 251
The Second Party Era: Democrats Versus Whigs, 252
From the Civil War to 1896: Republicans and Democrats in Balance, 252
The Party System of 1896: Republican Dominance, 253
The New Deal Party System: Democratic Party Dominance, 254
The Sixth Party Era: Dealignment and Parity, 254
The Seventh Party Era: The Parties at War, 255
Mapping American Politics: The Shifting Geography of the Parties, 256
Why a Two-Party System?, 256
Electoral Rules, 257
Restrictions on Minor Parties, 259
The Role of Minor Parties in the Two-Party System, 259
The Democratic and Republican Parties, 260
The Parties as Organizations, 260
By the Numbers: Are you a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent?, 262
Associated Interests and Advocacy Groups, 267
Party Ideologies, 267
The Parties in Government and in the Electorate, 271
Using the Framework: How did the Republicans manage to pass so many laws with such small majorities after they came to power in 2001?, 272
Using the Democracy Standard: How do our major political parties affect democracy?, 274
Chapter 10. Voting, Campaigns, and Elections, 276
Obama Wins the 2008 Presidential Election, 277
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 278
Elections and Democracy, 278
The Prospective (or Responsible Party) Voting Model, 279
The Electoral Competition Voting Model, 279
The Retrospective (or Reward and Punishment) Voting Model, 280
Imperfect Electoral Democracy, 281
Using the Framework: Have elections ever changed the course of American government? Do elections ever really change what government does?, 282
The Unique Nature of American Elections, 283
Voting in the United States, 285
Expansion of the Franchise, 285
Low Voting Turnout, 287
By the Numbers: Is voting turnout declining in the United States?, 288
Who Votes?, 292
Income and Education, 292
Race and Ethnicity, 292
Age, 294
Gender, 294
Does It Matter Who Votes?, 295
Campaigning for Office, 295
Gaining the Nomination, 295
The General Election Campaign, 302
Mapping American Politics: Ad Buys and Battleground States, 304
Money in General Elections, 306
Election Outcomes, 308
How Voters Decide, 308
The Electoral College, 312
Using the Democracy Standard: Do voting and elections make government leaders listen to the people?, 314
Part 4. Government and Governing, 317
Chapter 11. Congress, 318
Democrats Consolidate Their Control of Congress, 319
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 320
Constitutional Foundations of the Modern Congress, 320
Empowering Congress, 320
Constraining Congress, 321
Bicameralism and Representation, 321
Federalism, 322
Representation and Democracy, 323
Styles of Representation, 323
Race, Gender, and Occupation in Congress, 323
The Electoral Connection, 326
By the Numbers: Can congressional districts be drawn to include equal numbers of voters, yet favor one party over the other?, 330
How Representative?, 335
Using the Framework: If Republicans favor small government, why did they push through an expensive highway bill when they were in control?, 336
How Congress Works, 337
Political Parties in Congress, 338
Congressional Leadership, 341
Congressional Committees, 343
Rules and Norms in the House and Senate, 346
Mapping American Politics: Majorities, Minorities, and Senate Filibusters, 348
Legislative Responsibilities: How a Bill Becomes a Law, 349
Legislative Oversight of the Executive Branch, 353
Using the Democracy Standard: Is Congress out of touch with the American people?, 354
Chapter 12. The Presidency, 358
Bush’s War Presidency, 359
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 360
The Expanding Presidency, 361
The Founders’ Conception of the Presidency, 362
The Dormant Presidency, 362
The Twentieth-Century Transformation, 363
How Important Are Individual Presidents?, 365
The Powers and Roles of the President, 365
Ceremonial Responsibilities, 365
Domestic Policy Leader, 366
Chief Executive, 368
Foreign Policy and Military Leader, 369
Mapping American Politics: Kyoto and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 372
By the Numbers: Are Americans worried about U.S. foreign policy?, 374
Head of His Political Party, 375
The President’s Staff and Cabinet, 376
The White House Staff, 376
The Executive Office of the President, 377
The Vice Presidency, 378
The Cabinet, 379
The President and Congress: Perpetual Tug-of-War, 380
Conflict by Constitutional Design, 380
What Makes a President Successful with Congress?, 381
Using the Framework: Why did President Bush fail to get his way with Congress on Social Security reform after winning the 2004 election?, 383
The President and the People: An Evolving Relationship, 384
Getting Closer to the People, 384
Leading Public Opinion, 385
Responding to the Public, 386
Presidential Popularity, 387
Using the Democracy Standard: Presidents and the American People, 388
Chapter 13. The Executive Branch, 392
Cutting Fat or Cutting Bone?, 393
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 394
The American Bureaucracy: How Exceptional?, 394
Hostile Political Culture, 395
Incoherent Organization, 396
Divided Control, 396
How the Executive Branch Is Organized, 396
What Do Bureaucrats Do?, 400
Executing Programs and Policies, 400
Regulating, 401
Using the Framework: How can unelected bureaucrats make important rulings that affect people’s lives?, 402
Adjudicating, 404
Discretion and Democracy, 404
Who Are the Bureaucrats?, 404
The Merit Services, 404
Political Appointees, 406
Political and Governmental Influences on Bureaucratic Behavior, 407
The President and the Bureaucracy, 407
Congress and the Bureaucracy, 409
Mapping American Politics: Tracking Where Homeland Security Dollars End Up, 410
The Courts and the Bureaucracy, 412
The Public and the Press, 413
Interest Groups, 414
Reforming the Federal Bureaucracy, 414
Scaling Back Its Size, 415
By the Numbers: How big is the federal government?, 416
Becoming More Businesslike, 418
Protecting Against Bureaucratic Abuses of Power, 419
Increasing Presidential Control, 419
Using the Democracy Standard: Does the bureaucracy advance or retard democracy?, 419
Chapter 14. The Courts, 422
The Battle for the Courts, 423
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 424
The Foundations of Judicial Power, 424
Constitutional Powers, 424
The Power of Judicial Review, 425
The U.S. Court System: Organization and Jurisdiction, 427
Constitutional Provisions, 427
Federal District Courts, 428
U.S. Courts of Appeal, 429
The Supreme Court, 430
Appointment to the Federal Bench, 432
Who Are the Appointees?, 432
The Appointment Process, 433
The Supreme Court in Action, 434
Norms of Operation, 435
Controlling the Agenda, 435
Deciding Cases, 437
The Supreme Court as a National Policymaker, 439
Structural Change and Constitutional Interpretation, 439
Using the Framework: If the Supreme Court exists to protect individual rights, why did it allow the military to keep Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II?, 442
The Debate Over Judicial Activism, 444
Outside Influences on the Court, 446
Governmental Influences, 447
Political Linkage Influences, 448
Using the Democracy Standard: Does the Supreme Court enhance American democracy?, 450
Part 5. What Government Does, 453
Chapter 15. Civil Liberties: The Struggle for Freedom, 454
Campus Speech Codes and Free Speech, 455
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 456
Civil Liberties in the Constitution, 456
Rights and Liberties in the Nineteenth Century, 458
Economic Liberty in the Early Republic, 458
Economic Liberty After the Civil War, 459
Nationalization of the Bill of Rights, 460
Freedom of Speech, 463
Freedom of the Press, 466
Religious Freedom, 468
Free Exercise of Religion, 469
Establishment of Religion, 469
Privacy, 473
Rights of Those Accused of a Crime, 474
Using the Framework: Why did executions in the United States peak in the 1990s, then decline?, 478
Mapping American Politics: Violent Crime and the Death Penalty, 480
Civil Liberties and the Fight Against Terrorism, 481
Using the Democracy Standard: Has the state of American freedom improved?, 484
Chapter 16. Civil Rights: The Struggle for Political Equality, 488
The Return of Segregated Schools, 489
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 490
Civil Rights Before the Twentieth Century, 490
An Initial Absence of Civil Rights, 490
The Civil War Amendments, 491
The Contemporary Status of Civil Rights for Racial Minorities, 494
Ending Government-Sponsored Separation and Discrimination, 495
Affirmative Action, 497
Using the Framework: Why has the Supreme Court narrowed the scope of affirmative action programs?, 501
Mapping American Politics: Comparing Women’s Progress, 502
The Contemporary Status of Civil Rights for Women, 503
Intermediate Scrutiny, 504
Abortion Rights, 505
Sexual Harassment, 507
Broadening the Civil Rights Umbrella, 507
The Elderly and the Disabled, 507
By the Numbers: How much sexual harassment is there on the New York subways?, 508
Gays and Lesbians, 510
Using the Democracy Standard: Is equal citizenship a reality in the United States?, 512
Chapter 17. The Budget and Economic Policies, 516
Meltdown, 517
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 518
The Policy Process, 518
Public Policies, 518
Stages of the Policymaking Process, 519
Theories of Public Policy, 521
An Overview of Economic Policies, 523
Why Government Is Involved in Economic Policymaking, 523
The Goals of Economic Policy, 523
By the Numbers: How well is the American economy performing?, 524
The Main Players and Influences on Economic Policy, 527
Structural Factors, 527
Political Linkage Factors, 527
Governmental Factors, 527
The Government’s Macroeconomic Policy Tools, 529
Fiscal Policy, 529
Monetary Policy, 529
Mapping American Politics: Comparing Research and Development, 530
Debates About the Best Use of the Government’s Economic Tools, 530
Taxing, Spending, and the Federal Budget, 532
Fashioning the Federal Budget, 533
Federal Spending, 536
Federal Taxes, 538
Annual Budget Deficits and the National Debt, 539
Regulation, 541
Why Government Regulates, 541
A History of American Regulation, 542
The Future of Regulation, 543
Using the Framework: How did Republican President George W. Bush and a Democratic-controlled Congress manage to get a deal done to make cars more efficient?, 545
Using the Democracy Standard: Do Americans get the economic policies they want from government?, 546
Chapter 18. Social Safety Nets, 550
The Fight Over Private Accounts in Social Security, 551
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 552
Why Safety Net Programs?, 552
Structural Factors, 553
Political Linkage Factors, 554
An Outline of American Safety Net Programs, 555
Types of Safety Net Programs, 555
The Costs of Social Welfare State, 556
Social Insurance, 558
Social Security, 558
Medicare, 560
Unemployment Insurance, 561
Do Social Insurance Programs Work?, 562
Means-Tested Programs, 563
By the Numbers: How many Americans are poor?, 564
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, 566
Using the Framework: Why did our welfare system change so drastically in 1996?, 567
Mapping American Politics: Childhood Poverty and Federal Child Nutrition Programs, 568
Food Stamps, 569
Medicaid and Health Insurance for Poor Children, 570
The Earned Income Tax Credit, 571
Differences in the American System of Social Safety Nets, 571
How Exceptional?, 571
Factors That Influence the Shape of the American Welfare State, 573
Using the Democracy Standard: Do Americans get the safety net policies they want from government?, 575
Chapter 19. Foreign Policy and National Defense, 578
Unhappy (and Uncooperative) Allies, 579
Thinking Critically About This Chapter, 580
Foreign Policy and Democracy: A Contradiction in Terms?, 580
How Exceptional? The World’s Superpower, 582
The American Superpower: Structural Foundations, 582
Mapping American Politics: The United States in the World Trading System, 584
The American Superpower: Strategic Alternatives, 590
Problems of the Post–Cold War World, 593
Security Issues, 593
The Middle East, 595
Economic and Social Issues, 597
By the Numbers: How much do rich countries help poor countries develop?, 602
Who Makes Foreign Policy?, 604
The President and the Executive Branch, 604
Using the Framework: Why did we invade Iraq in 2003?, 605
Congress, 607
Using the Democracy Standard: What role do the people play in foreign and defense policymaking?, 608
Appendix, A-1
The Declaration of Independence, A-2
The Constitution of the United States, A-4
The Federalist Papers, Nos. 10, 51, and 78, A-13
Presidents and Congresses, 1789–2013, A-20
Glossary, G-1
Endnotes, E-1
Credits, C-1
Index, I-1

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