Chapter 1 Understanding American Politics At first glance American politics is complicated and complex Upon further examination however everything that happens in the American political process has a logical and often simple explanation The premise of this book is American politics makes sense The content of this book will demonstrate this affirmation through the application of three key ideas of politics politics is everywhere the political process matters and politics is conflictual Why Do We Have a Government To Provide Order Government is the system for implementing decisions made through the political process The Founders of the United States believed the absence of government would result in chaos since no laws and no system of enforcement would exist even if informal rules were established The preamble of the Constitution defines two central roles of government to provide for the common defense and to insure domestic tranquility The Founders assumed people to be self interested In order to satisfy their interests people tend to form factions or groups of like minded people trying to get something from the government In order to prevent any one faction from unjustly prevailing over another America s government incorporates three mechanisms to control their effects o Separation of powers divides government power across the judicial executive and legislative branches o Checks and balances gives each branch of government some power over the others o Federalism divides power across the local state and national levels of government To Provide for the General Welfare The self interested nature of people often prevents the high level of organization necessary to deal with major global events and to efficiently take care of the poor the sick or the aged Government programs designed to address these issues are known as public goods which upon being provided to one person become available to everyone Government is typically needed to provide public goods because they will be under produced by the free market The underproduction of public goods by the free market can be explained by three phenomena o Collective action problem refers to a situation in which the members of a group would benefit by working together to produce some outcome but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and reaping the benefits from those who do the work o Free rider problem is the incentive to benefit from others work without contributing which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together o Positive externalities are benefits created by a public good that are shared by the primary consumer of the good and by society more generally What Is Politics Politics is the process that determines what government does Key Idea 1 Politics Is Conflictual Conflict reflects intense differences of opinion rooted in self interest ideology and personal beliefs Conflict is inevitable in American politics compromise and bargaining are therefore essential to getting things done especially in instances where there is no obvious policy to satisfy a majority of citizens or elected officials In most instances however conflict is required to arrive at policies that are in the nation s best interest Indeed the political process is the mechanism for resolving conflict Key Idea 2 Political Process Matters The United States political process determines the outcomes we receive For example because elections allow voters to give fellow citizens the power to enact laws write budgets and appoint federal judges policy is theoretically enacted with the desires of the public in mind Ordinary citizens can also make their voices heard through voting donating time or money and demanding action from their government Furthermore the political party in power has extensive control over the policies enacted as the majority opinion tends to prevail in our political process Finally the rules that govern who is allowed to be a part of the political process are very important in determining the policies that result citizens can vote at age eighteen the president must have been born in the United States and so on Key Idea 3 Politics Is Everywhere Media coverage ensures that people are inundated with political stories Nine of the top ten stories on Google News in January 2008 had a clear connection to the federal government Furthermore the sheer size and budget of the U S government means that its actions touch virtually every aspect of your life from the roads and sidewalks you use to the financial aid package you receive to attend college to the taxes you pay and to your ability to use the Internet since it was developed under contract with the Department of Defense Sources of Conflict in American Politics Economic Interests While economic equality played an important role in defining our nation s early history and the United States has remained relatively free from class based politics over time the nation has separated into socioeconomic classes that have shaped political ideology This division of classes exists in part because of a strong commitment to the following principles o Free market an economic system based on competition between businesses without government o Economic individualism the autonomy of individuals to manage their own financial decisions interference without government interference The commitment to these economic policies is countered by redistributive tax policies frequently favored by democratic politicians in which taxation is used to attempt to create greater social equality For example higher taxation of the rich results in funding to provide programs for the poor Cultural Values Several sources of cultural differences resulting in controversy can be identified in the American political system o Culture wars is the political conflict in the United States between red state Americans who tend to have strong religious beliefs and blue state Americans who tend to be more secular Identity Politics Identity politics refers to the association between one s racial ethnic and gender identity and one s political interests A debate exists in American politics as to whether ethnic and racial differences should be tied to political interests Those who oppose identity politics often favor the idea of a melting pot in which different racial and ethnic groups leave their native languages customs and traditions behind as they assimilate into American culture Ideology Ideology is a cohesive set of