CHAPTER 5: 

Political system 

1. Form of Government 

> The US = representative democracy (all government power rests ultimately with the people who direct policies by voting for government representative.) 

> Limited government: is a government that generally disallows anything more than minimal government intervention in personal liberties and economy, which was written in the constitution with the purpose of avoiding concentrating government power in the hands of a few people.  

> Constitution balances government power by: 

* The federal organization of government (federalism): the authority is divided between the central government and the individual states. 

* The federal (national) government --> powers over wide concerns (examples: controlling communications among states, borrow money...) 

* The states --> powers which are not given to the national government (examples: each state's own criminal justice system, public schools...) 

* Federal government + The states --> concurrent powers (examples: the power to tax, set up courts and charter banks.) 

* Separation of powers: the power among three branches - legislative, executive and judicial - is separated in order to limit government power. Each branch has a separate function.  

* Checks and balances: is the system that allows each branch to check or limit the power of other branch. With this system, no branch has superior power and the Constitution effectively ensures that government power will not be usurped by a small powerful group of few leaders. 

Example: 1.Congress makes laws, the president can veto them | 2.The Supreme court can overturn laws passed by Congress and signed by the President | 3.The President appoints judges, the Senate reviews candidates and has the power to reject

2. The Government structure 

3 separate branches: Legislative 

Executive 

Judicial 

2.1 Legislative branch 

- Function: to make laws 

- Structure: Congress with 2 houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives, both meet in the Capitol building in Washington, DC. 

The Senate 

- 100 members 

- Each state has 2

- Senators must be 30 years or older, citizen of the US for at least 9 years. 

- Elected to 6 year term 

- Vice-president is the President of the Senate

The House 

- 435 members 

- Number according to size of state's population. Each district has one. 

- Representatives must be 25 years or older, US citizen for at least 7 years. 

- Elected to 2 year term 

- Members can also be called Congressmen and Congresswomen.

How a Bill become a Law (FAO gi?y, k chuy?n ðc sõ ð?)

2.2 Executive branch 

- Function: to administer the laws passed by Congress 

- Structure: the President, the Vice-president, 13 government departments, agencies. 

+ The President: elected to a 4-year term and can be elected to a second term; has 5 major roles: 

* Chief executive: appoints secretaries of major departments making up his cabinet and senior officials of agencies. 

* Head of state: represents the country abroad, entertains foreign leaders and addresses the public. 

* Chief diplomat: appoints foreign ambassadors, makes treaties with other nations. 

* Commander-in-chief of the military 

* Legislative leader 

In the US, the president and legislature are elected separately, housed separately, and they operate separately, which is a unique feature of American system. 

+ The vice-president: elected with the president, has 2 constitutional duties which is presiding over the Senate and assuming the presidency if the president dies, become disabled or is removed from office. 

2.3 Judicial branch 

- Function: to determine whether laws of Congress or actions of the President violate the Constitution 

- Structure:  

+ headed by the Supreme Court 

+ under the Supreme Court is state and federal courts 

+ Supreme Court members: 9 members appointed by the President and serve for a life time.  

3 Political party system 

3.1 Two-party system 

- History:  

+ When the nation was founded, 2 political groupings emerged: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. 

+ For 100 years, the Democratic and Republican parties have been dominated. 

+ Since then, two major parties have been alternative in power.

Characteristics of the two parties 

The two parties tend to be similar: both support the same overall political and economic goals; neither seeks to shake the foundation of US economy or social structure 

They propose different means of achieving similar goals:  

+ Democrats: believe that federal and state government should provide social and economic programs for needers. 

+ Republicans: think that social programs are too costly; tend to favor big businesses and private enterprise; and want to limit the role of the government.

3.2 The role of the parties 

- To organize the party's National Convention, which decides who will be the party's candidate for President and vice-president. 

- In the House of Representatives and the Senate, the major party controls the most powerful committees who decide what laws are made and how the administration spends its money. 

3.3 Characteristics of the party system 

- 2 major parties alternating in power 

- Lack of ideology: Americans tend to prefer somewhat vague party programs to the rigors of political ideology. 

- Lack of unity and discipline with each party: Disagreement among members of the same party is common. Personal views and the views of constituents often have priority over party views. 

3.4 Minor parties 

- Any party other than the two major parties can be called a "Third party" 

- No third party has ever gained control of the White House. Sometimes, third parties win seats in Congress or gain office in lower levels of government. 

- In most cases, they have been assimilated by the larger two or have just fade away. 

- Their most important role is to influence policy on one or more issues. 

- Some current third parties in the US are the Socialist Labor Party, American Independent Party, Green Party, the Libertarian Party, the Peace and Freedom Party. 

3.5 Election system 

- Winner-take-all election system: only one candidate - the one with more votes is elected to a given office in one district. 

- Indirect election - The Electoral College: Representatives of the people in presidential elections. The US people vote for the electors who then vote for the President. 

4. Political participation. 

4.1 Interest groups 

- Interest groups are organized by people who want to influence public policy decision on special issues such as the environment, civil rights, peace, etc. 

- They have the desire to sway public opinion and political policy through:  

+ Press, radio, televisions... 

+ letters, phone calls, hold public meetings and sponsorship of newspaper advertisements. 

- Largest organizations: labor unions (the AFL-CIO), business groups (the US Chamber of Commerce), farm groups (the National Farmers' Union) and professional groups (the American Medical Association) 

4.2 Lobbyists 

- A lobbyist is a lawyer or a former legislator, who: 

+ specializes in the interest he or she represents 

+ possesses an insider's view of the lawmaking process. 

- Lobbyists work for interest groups: 

+ by keeping them informed about proposed legislation. 

+ by talking to decision-makers about their group's concerns. 

- The term "lobbyists" often has a negative connotation.