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Definition
"Speech to the electors of bristol"
trustee should vote in good conscience, not for reelection
Need independent judgment
You may have to act against constituency if it is for the common good |
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"Congress: the electoral connection"
Most politicians simply want reelection
congressional structure is ideal for pursuing reelection
Help from parties, being on committees that enable credit taking
behavior modeled as delegates to be responsive such that they will get votes
Helps to have big political offices |
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Term
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Definition
"Too Much of a good thing"
May not always be in best interest to do what public wants
Public wants to weaken institutions, but that will not solve our problems
What people want doesn't justify reform
Enacting publicly wanted reform doesn't mean people will like the system better
Public actually doesn't want direct democracy, just institutions closer to the people |
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Term
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Definition
"Pork barrel politics"
Limiting pork hasn't slowed the desire for it
Earmarks are in a way supposed to be noticed
Lobbying enables pork
We will continue to see growth in pork despite efforts for "fiscal responsibility"
Colleges want pork for economic development |
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Term
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Definition
"Pork Barrel Politics - case against case against pork"
Pork is the glue that keeps legislation moving
some pork actually serves national interests
Congressmen should judge funding
Pork is still less than 1% of federal budget
Pork in non-partisan
People don't like that pork sneaks in without debate |
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Term
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Definition
"Power to Persuade"
Formal powers aren't the most important thing for a President
In a shared power system he can be refused
He must make deals and compromises
Convince others that what they do for him is in their best interest
President depends on people to be dependent of him |
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Term
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Definition
"Perspectives on the Presidency"
President is only one of the players in American government
Most activity is independent of him
Congress, courts, and bureaucracy can shape policy
To exert influence a president must learn the setting that he is in
Separationist with diffused responsibility will enable bipartisanship, prevent blame game |
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Term
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Definition
"Politicizing Bureaucracy - W as public administrator"
Bush was the first MBA/CEO-like president
Gave a corporate structure to bureaucracy
Bush was decisive and efficient, but bad as public administrator for failing to deliberate and making bad appointments
He was secretive and used top-down control, sought little outside advice |
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"Politicizing Bureaucracy - Presidency: Politics Squared"
Bush administration had excessive partisanship
White House had too much centralized power
Presidency has boom in political power
Rove was the "get people to support Bush" guy
Structures make president the head of the political party
Checks on political power will come from Congress, media, voters |
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Term
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Definition
"What government agencies do"
Government will never function like a business
Bureaucracies arent the problem, the problem is between public and private enterprise
Government goals are vague
No incentive to improve efficiency
Legislation and orders dictate structure, not organization's own goals
Public is monopolistic, while private deals with competition |
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Term
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Definition
"Reforming National Security Bureaucracy"
Inadequate information sharing between federal government agencies hindered counterterrorism efforts
There need to be better defined roles and responsibilities
We must improve our situational awareness of terrorist threats
We have some better awareness
Need more info analysis, source credibility, privacy |
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Term
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Definition
"Reforming National Security Bureaucracy"
We are too optimistic that reorganizing system will prevent terror attacks
Clashes between military intel, CIA, FBI makes integration difficult
Need a new security branch free of FBI's police culture
Intelligence community struggles to get out its message
There are distinct cultural differences between military intel/FBI/CIA, political imbalances too |
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Term
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Definition
"Reforming National Security Bureaucracy"
Make sure the people know what to do during and after the next attack
"Citizen preparedness initiative" would enhance effectiveness of first responders if you know what to expect
Americans depend on local government, so get all government levels involved |
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Term
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Definition
"Federalist 78"
Judiciary branch will be least dangerous
Lacks enforcement and policy power "sword nor purse"
Relies on executive branch for enforcement of rulings, legislative branch for how it is structured
Court gains power for judgments in public will, power of the people
Life tenure shows independence against occasional ill-humored requests |
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Term
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Definition
"Court in American Life"
Supreme court is very political, focused on public opinion
Court must be sure to stay legitimate by issuing decisions that won't simply be ignored
Court has power in persuasiveness
Courts struggle to enact social reform on their own
Dynamic court theory has freedom from electoral constraint that stymies change |
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Term
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Definition
"Overruling the Court"
Congress often enacts legislation that with override any supreme court decision it disagrees with
Courts should win in constitutional interpretation
Congress should win in statutory interpretation |
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Term
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Definition
"Originalism or a Living Constitution?"
Judges are bound by original meaning, because it keeps the judiciary legal, not political
Living constitution is too "at the moment", has no guiding principle
Evolution doesn't always lead to greater personal liberties
There is no agreement as to how the court should evolve |
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Term
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Definition
"Originalism or a Living Constitution?"
Consequentialist approach - active liberty
Constitution's plain language doesn't offer enough guidance to answer difficult questions
Originalists are too subjective, may inject too much personal ideology
Apply to facts and maximize positive implications for democracy
Living is better for Constitution's original purpose, which is to be able to cope with contemporary problems |
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Term
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Definition
"Voice of the People: An Echo"
Voting is an echo of all the candidates/party hubbub
If people are influenced simply by images and style, then that is all they will get
Voters actually aren't easily manipulated, they just reflect the information that comes to them
Elections are based on public policy, government performance, and candidate personality |
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Term
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Definition
"Power to the Voters"
We live in a republic, not a democracy
However, there has been a call for more direct democracy
This would emphasize equality, transcend right-left policy, and possibly have positive impact on communities
The best we can do on political process reform is equality of opportunity
Eliminate the middleman through more direct voting initiatives |
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Term
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Definition
"The Unpolitical Animal"
Elections are more or less random responses to cheap current ideas
Voters are guided by elites that do understand issues (makes elitist factions)
Voters use information shortcuts based on whats most important to them
Biggest shortcut is political party
People know a lot, just not in politics |
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Term
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Definition
"Voter Fraud or Voter Suppression- Election Fraud: Remains Commonplace"
Reform needed in voter fraud and manipulation of vote-counting processes
Controls on use of provisional ballots, having Voter ID laws
Voting is becoming easier but more difficult to account for
Easier to do fraud with absentee voting
Why should people judge our "voter intent"? |
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Term
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Definition
"Election fraud, American Style: Polling booth as Voter Supression"
Fraud isn't that big a threat, human error is the problem
Fraud can just cancel itself out
Voter participation is more important than how we vote, and will help decrease fraud effects
You can't eliminate voter fraud, just try to contain it |
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Term
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Definition
"Voter Fraud or Voter Suppression? - Access Denied"
Fraud complaints are designed to scare people away from the polls
Threat of fraud is minimal
Voter penalties are so intense, who would even bother trying? |
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Term
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Definition
"Polling the Public"
Polls enhance the democratic process by providing a picture of what Americans think
Critics think we pay too much attention to polls
Election polls may affect public behavior, if the public votes at all
Knowing public opinion is efficient by eliminating guesswork
Opinions should be represented by our elected officials
Lobbies drive opinions and influence, not good for democracy
Democracy needs good collective judgment |
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Term
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Definition
"Choice Words"
Polls are risky, minor wording differences can drastically affect polling results
Problems arise when people answer questions they don't even have opinions of
Words have different meaning for different people |
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