American Polity by Serow

American Polity by Serow

Outline of the Organization of these notes:

#<ReadingNumber> by <Author>; <Article Title> (<page>)

<Major point; almost always outlined in italics at the beginning of the article>

<Support and sub-points made within the actual text of the article>

#23 by David Mayhew; Congress: The Electoral Connection (p155)

Mayhew is a Congressional scholar
Claims Congress is one-dimensional – “single-minded seekers of reelection”
To be reelected:

Advertising – to get their names out; involves little or no issue content

“To be perceived at all is to be perceived favorably” – on avg, the voters only know half their reps
incumbents are better known
Standard routines (frequent visits to constituency, nonpolitical speeches, letters of care and congratulations, etc.) and non-standard (radio programming, going to weddings unannounced, etc.)
The average Congressman spends $70,000 of gov money sending mail
The House can blanket mail all their constituents; the Senate cannot
Introduce oneself to new voters, remind old ones

Credit Claiming – acting so as to generate a belief in a relevant political actor that one is personally responsible for causing the government to do something that the actor considers desirable

Emphasis on individual accomplishment (rather than party/governmental)
Generate a belief that one caused the government to do something desirable
“Casework” does not always require legislation (give essay material, soldiers emerg leave, etc)

Position Taking – public enunciation of a judgmental statement on issues of interest to voters

Many ways to register positions (roll call votes, floor addresses, speeches, newsletters, articles, etc)
Usually prepares two letters to send out to constituents – one for the pros, one for antis (not directly contradictory)
Ex: Present their position one way veteran’s (speak of old wars but need to prevent future wars) but different to a group upset by war

#24 by Richard Fenno; Home Style (p158)

Fenno wrote this book as a study of Congress in their home districts
Presentation of Self – put themselves in the presence of their voters (be a “good person”)

Seek to control the response generated in others through (verbally and nonverbally)

Says nonverbal is what the listener uses to check the speaker’s truthfulness, etc

Listeners assume what the speaker says is good for them

Accomplish this by gaining trust; not won overnight; one described it as being cumulative (presentation of self enhances trust; enhancing trust takes time)

Two Kinds of Voting Justification

Delegate – vote based on Constituent’s wants
Trustee –exercise one’s best judgment on issues; makes decisions independent of constituents
Combination of delegate (on issues import to constituency) and trustee (on less important issues) is best

Legislators do not completely explain their positions so that they can have “voting leeway”
Cannot understand Washington activities of Congressman w/o also understanding his perception of various constituencies and the home style he uses to cultivate their support

#25 by Richard Davis; The Web of Politics (p164)

Study on the effect of the internet on politics

Gore predicted it would “spread participatory democracy”
Common promises of the internet (combined, they promise true citizen awareness)

1) Increase in information available to average citizens

2) individual control over what information is received

Ability to bring Americans into the political process

Allow involvement by common citizens through instantaneous communications of wishes to representatives
Internet will be a tremendous boon in collecting info, interacting with policy makers, and shaping policy
Those who are politically uninterested will probably not be suddenly interested in politics, however

Most advantageous to incumbents

Will utilize internet to maintain and reinforce existing power
Can relay messages without someone actually in their district and without reliance on news media, party organizations, or staffers
Vehicle for advertisement

#28 by Paul Starobin; Pork: A Time-Honored Tradition Lives On (p183)

Pork – project secured by a rep solely for his own district’s benefit

Term from American history – slaves were rewarded with a pork barrel for good work; competed among each other to get their piece of the pork
Originally associated with public-works projects (roads, bridges, dams, etc)
Now (post-industrial era) there are different kinds of pork

Green Pork – sewer projects, solar energy labs, etc (for the environmentally-concerned)
Academic Pork – construction of research facilities at universities
Defense Pork – defense contracts and location of military installations

Congress is under pressure to cut, and pork is a prime target
However, some say pork helps Congress move forward by giving individual members stakes in major bills
$ for pork has not increased as much as demand for pork has

#29 by John Ellwood and Eric Patashnik; In Praise of Pork (p185)

Pork is generally seen as bad

A Washington Post Editor Kelly said $97 billion in pork projects could be cut with no affect on the nation
Generally agreed pork alone is not nearly enough to fix the deficit

Ellwood / Patashnick (EP) believe it is a perquisite for real, significant budget cuts

Say pork makes unattractive but necessary bills appealing
May get votes for a bill to raise taxes and cut programs by giving pork money in it
Loss of pork would cost the leaders of deficit reduction one of their most effective coalition building tools
Some pork is important, and they do not always cause a net loss; also, often important for community pride

Ideal Pork Project has 3 things

Targeted at a specific geographical constituency
Benefits given out so that the congressman is believed to be responsible
Costs are widely diffused and obscured from taxpayers

Part of being a smart politician

#31 by David Price; The Congressional Experience (p203)

House Representative who describes his daily schedule

Asserts it is busier than any other career

Distaste for Congress-bashing

Distancing oneself from mistakes/unwanted laws of Congress has become more prevalent since the 70s; politically profitable to run for Congress by running against Congress
Prevalent because of a decline in faith in the government – never ending cycle because cynical campaigns do not resolve issues; therefore, problems get worse, and the electorate becomes more disillusioned with Congress
Comes from a need to show that one is better than all the others

Congressman should inspire confidence and enthusiasm in Congress, so hot-button attack politics are seen as the sham they are

#32 by Richard Neustadt; Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents (p215)

Presidential power is the power to persuade

Simply giving orders and expecting results will not work
Persuasive power is more than charm or sound argument
The president has power through those who need or fear his acts
Persuasion is like a give-and-take relationship

“[The constitution] created a government of separated institutions sharing powers … not a gov of ‘separated powers’”
Nominating process of congressman and presidents assures the separation of power despite party links
Reliance on others knowledge

If he relies on only one, there is a great burden
If he ignores some details, that burden is even greater
If he consents to secrecy too “he courts deep trouble”

Presidential challenges

Economic, environmental, and security issues give the Pres less reason to devote time to foreign relations
Cold War can be viewed as an era of stability, authority, and glamour
Modern time make the Presidency tougher because

Both foreign and domestic spheres require attention
Nuclear forces losing power
US economy losing some of its clout

#33 by Arthur Schlesinger; Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents (p221)

Imperial Presidency grew at first for a reason but then just kept growing

Foreign policy most helped the imperial presidency grow – presidents can now declare war, essentially

War-making power assumed by Pres due to Congressional abdication and Pres usurping

Doctrine and emotion have centralized foreign policy power into the President’s powers
Decay of the traditional party system – split ticket voting became common by the 70s

Factors to the decline:

Political organizations lost many functions
Waning of immigration (deprives cities of clientele)
New Deal programs had overtaken city’s welfare role
Electronic revolution

Television
Computer

Cuban Missile Crisis is proof of Imperial Presidency

Such an acute emergency that unilateral executive decision was needed though
This unique situation should have been an exception but instead became a rule because it fulfilled:

Romantic ideal of a strong Presidency
Prophecy of a split-second nuclear-age Presidential decision

Imperial Presidency: Nixon (bad)

Confined himself to a single information system (everything went through his head of staff)

Roosevelt and Kennedy both had other sources in addition to official ones

Tried to make the office more elaborate (ceremonial trumpets, etc)
Used federal money to enhance his private estates
Spoke of a “New American Revolution” in the ’71 State of the Union – wanted not power to the people, but power to the presidency
Very secretive which seemed to promise the government three advantages:

Power to withhold – allow independent executive judgment on policy
Power to leak – tell the people only what the government wanted them to hear
Power to lie – used by many:

Eisenhower concealed CIA operations against nations around the world
Kennedy – Bay of Pigs and enlarged American involvement in Vietnam
Johnson misrepresented the situation in Vietnam

Watergate – a symptom of all the secrecy and lying surrounding the growing Imperial Presidency

Central issue was presidential power, not the theft itself

Corruption seems to appear in 50 years cycles (which would make the next occur around 2023)

Serow #34 by Thomas Cronin and Michael Genovese; The Paradoxes of the American Presidency (p228)

Living with and embracing contradictions is a sign of political and personal maturity

Test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas at the same time
Essence of paradox: Stengel (NY Yankees): “Good pitching will always stop good hitting, and vice versa”
Our expectations often demand two-faced behavior

Constitution purposely left the presidency imprecisely defined
Democracy needs a sensitive interaction with presidential leadership and an understanding public
Paradoxes of the Presidency

Americans demand a powerful leader who solves problems but are suspicious of centralized leadership and power abuse so we put limits on the president

Praise successful military initiatives and insist Pres must work more with Congress when they fail
Recognize need for secrecy but hate being left in the dark

Want a “common person” and also the uncommon, charismatic, heroic, visionary person

Want Pres like us but better than us
Truman was a “fellow commoner” who became a gifted decision maker
Carter presented himself as the peanut farmer turned governor (and introduced himself as peanut farmer and nuclear physicist)
Reagan – all-American, rich, star
Clinton – Rhodes scholar but ordinary sax player from a HS band who jogged and ate burgers

Want a compassionate president but admire the cunning and sometimes ruthless and manipulative pres

FDR – compassionate for society but vain, devious, etc too (noted as standard weaknesses)
Eisenhower – appears reserved and calming but was cunning in private
Characteristics condemned in one pres are sought after in another

Admire “above politics” (non or bipartisan) approach but pres is one of the most political offices

Above politics presidents only consider one view of national interest
Diversity needed because no one is always right

Want a pres to unify us but the job requires the pres to take controversial and unpopular stands at times
Expect pres to lead and follow

Want pres to be architects of the future but also stay in touch with the people
Kennedy – avoided political risks when possible; thought great innovations should not be forced on the public by a leader with a slender mandate

Want a powerful, self-confident leader but are suspicious of arrogant and infallible leaders

Like dynamic, gutsy pres who push and manipulate Congress
Presidents who dominated other branches of gov are best remembered (Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, Roosevelts)

What it takes to become President is not necessarily what is needed to govern the nation

To win an election money, luck, and good public relations are needed
To govern one needs to form a governing coalition and have the ability to compromise and bargain
One must have lots of ambition and determination and be bold and energetic

Can cause one to be cold and lose their sense of proportion
One must be well-rounded, have a sense of humor, be able to take jokes, and have other hobbies outside of politics

Pres is sometimes too strong and sometimes too weak

Too strong when we think of the ability to wage nuclear war is in his hands
Too weak when we consider nuclear proliferation, national debt, budget deficit, discrimination, poverty, etc

Serow #37 by David Sergen; Eyewitness to Power (p253)

Great crisis usually brings forth great leaders
Expectations of what a president can accomplish have gone up, but his capacity for doing it has gone down

Seven Keys to Responsible and Effective Leadership in White House

1. Leadership Starts from Within

- The character of a president determines the integrity of his public life

- Integrity most important

- Draw the line when private life interferes with public life

- Courage

2. A Central, Compelling Purpose

- must have a clear purpose

- central purpose can be rooted in the nation’s core values from the Declaration of Independence

3. A Capacity to Persuade

- persuade mass audience through television

4. An Ability to Work within the System

- president must work well with his team and other elements of the democratic system

- public, press, foreign powers, domestic interest groups, domestic elites

5. A Sure, Quick Start

- first months in office are widest window of opportunity

- need smooth successful start

6. Strong, Prudent Advisers

- best presidents surrounded themselves with the best advisors

- president needs a friend whom he can confide private thoughts

7. Inspiring Others to Carry On the Mission

- most effective presidents create living legacy long after they are gone (FDR)

- voters want a leader who can set a clear, steady path into the future; this will be the next living legacy

Serow #40 by Robert Reich; Locked in the Cabinet (p280)

Selection of subordinates

Billions of dollars and millions of people depend on organizations whose heads he’ll appoint
Needs to hurry to get his appointments through by June (Feb now) or he’ll get stuck waiting for a year

Criteria considered – realizes it is difficult to do as he’s not sure on the reliability of the info he gets

Share the Pres’ values
Competent and knowledgeable about policies they’ll administer
Good managers

Talks about his choices of Chief of Staff and Deputy

Deputy (Tom) – someone he hasn’t met and is sharp but a little discomforting; keeps one on one’s toes
CoS (Kitty) – worked way up from the bottom, knows Washington and politics well

Very busy schedule; even outside he is always on the cell phone
Tom and Kitty hire people to do schedule, keep Robert on schedule, etc
Motivated to escape his busy schedule so he makes a list of what he wants to hear about

Angriest letters from the public weekly
Complaint from dept employees
Bad news (big and small)
Anything that resembles a decent idea, even wacky ones, from anywhere
Anything from Pres or Congress
Random sample of calls or letters from people outside gov
“Town meetings” with dept employees … hold in DC
Calls and letters from executives; meet with some of them
Lunch meeting with small groups of dept employees (any rank, randomly chosen)
Meeting with conservative Repub in Congress

Wanders off during free time due to a meeting

Staff gets worried and he gets lost, though a little refreshed
Security finds him and brings him back to his office (the “Bubble”)

Town meeting with dept employees risky but he holds it anyone; thousands come

It goes smoothly until someone says his promise to listen to suggestions is BS
He calls them on it and listens to suggestions, and even grants some on the spot
One suggests that a determination between permanent and temporary unemployment be made sooner

Congress wants unemployment benefits extended past six months, but it would cost billions

Consider the suggestion about determining the kind of unemployment
Turns out it would save billions over the next five years
Get the idea implemented and invite the idea’s creator to the signing
He gets to shake the Pres hand and is awestruck that his idea went somewhere

Execs usually don’t listen to lower level employees

Serow #41 by Robert Trattner; The 2000 Prune Book (p295)

Qualifications for appointed head of FEMA (Fed Emerg Mngmnt Agency) from the point of view of it head
Appointments

Plum Book – list of thousands of exec branch positions filled by appointment

A plum may look good on the outside but it offers no guarantee that it will satisfy

Prune Book – reflects on experience; appointees are tested by exec branch, legislature, press, public

Former Pres appointee about the exec branch: hard to get things done in Washington
Former member of Congress: all legis power in Congress is in ideological members; all members are political
Head of agency about the media: must educate media about agency, its objectives
Senior White House staffer about public: explain you work’s relevance to people’s lives
Political Consultant about public: public must want it

Leading successfully means getting something tangible done – results.
Pursue ends, not means.
Policymaking alone does not bring results.
The Gov Performance and Results Act (‘93) makes it is easier to evaluate whether or not there are results
Public, disenchanted w/government, demands results
If results come first, the reasons that bring talented people to seek election by a chief of state for higher office also demand intense focus.

FEMA – recommended skills and experience – good manager w/firsthand experience, background in area

Turn around a result of creative leadership, reinvention, outreach to customers, resolve
Bring senior career managers together to discuss
Meetings with congressional comm good; need to be refocused in order to cut multiplicity of oversight though
Upfront and truthful w/media

Serow #43 by Alexander Hamilton; The Federalist 78 (p315)

Independent Judiciary

Judiciary is least dangerous to the Constitution because it has the least capacity tro do so
Has no “force” or “will” but only judgement on which it must depend on the aid of the executive to enforce
Liberty has no reason to fear the judiciary alone but every reason to fear it combined with another branch

Lifetime Appointment – protects it from being overpowered; indespinsible ingredient

Allows justices to be “bulwarks of a limited Constituion against legislative encroachments”

Court’s Power – Judicial Review

Judiciary more can declare their laws null
Keeps the legislature within limits of their assigned authority
Citizens rule both the Judiciary and the Legislature

The Judiciary ought to be governed by the people, not the legislature

Independence of Judges – may be essential to safeguard against the ill humors of society

Serow #44 by Eugene Rostow; The Democratic Character of Judicial Review (p319)

Some believe judicial review as undemocratic and that it should be stopped

Judicial check keeps the Constitution from meaning whatever the Pres or legislature want it to mean

Purpose of the Constitution is toassure the people a free and democratic life

Society aims to maximize the individual’s freedom
Seperation of powers limit branches of gov to protect citizens
Root idea of the Constitution: “man can be free because the state is not”

There are some phases of American life which should beyond the reach of any majority, save an amendment
Not all with authority need to be elected – admirals can win and generals can lose wars in the exercise of discretion

Federal Reserve Board could plunge the country into depression

Judiciary can do much to keep the gov from being dominated by any branch

Serow #45 by David O’Brien; Storm Center (p323)

Landmark Cases

Brown v. Board of Education

Case put off to wait for the right time
Case consolidated with others to give the case national coverage
Justice Frankfurter – “When you have a major social political issue of this magniture,” timing and public reactions are important considerations

Because Court’s decisions are not self-executing, public reactions weigh on the minds of the justices

Justices strategize to obtain good public appearance; they waiting a year after Brown I to mandate “all deliberate speed” be given to desegregation
Enforcement and implementation requires the cooperation of all three branches

Justices deny being directly influenced by public opinion but must and should be to some degree
Court sometimes draws controversy because it challenges the majority to respect minority rights