Download U.S. Political System

U.S. Political System
Dušan Fischer
Coming up...
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Federalism and its Roots
“Government of the People, ...”
Political Parties
Issues of Today
1) Federalism and its Roots
What is Federalism?
Shared government between federal
government and smaller units.
1) Federalism and its Roots
U.S. Federalism:
• Three branches (executive, legislative,
juridical)
• Checks & Balances
• Divided Government
1) Federalism and its Roots
Sources and historical milestones of Federalism:
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Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
Articles of Confederation, 1781
U.S. Constitution, 1788
Civil War + Reconstruction, 1881-1877
Supreme Court Decisions (Gonzales v. Raich,
2005, Gonzales v. Oregon, 2006)
10th Amendment, U.S. Constitution
“The powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it
to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people.”
Article IV, Section 1, U.S. Constitution
“Full faith and credit shall be given in each
state to the public acts, records, and judicial
proceedings of every other state. And the
Congress may by general laws prescribe the
manner in which such acts, records, and
proceedings shall be proved, and the effect
thereof.”
Article IV, Section 2, U.S. Constitution
“The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to
all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the
several States. A Person charged in any State
with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who
shall flee from Justice, and be found in
another State, shall on Demand of the
executive Authority of the State from which
he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the
State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.”
2)“Government of the People…”
Gettysburg Address November 19, 1863
“We here highly resolve that these dead shall
not have died in vain—that this nation, under
God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and
that government of the people, by the
people, for the people, shall not perish from
the earth.“
2)“Government of the People…”
What is a Government?
A group of people and institutions which hold
governing power over a state or a country.
2)“Government of the People…”
How Big is the Government?
„That Government is best which governs least.“
Thomas Jefferson
„Government is not the solution to our problem.
Government is the problem.“ Ronald Reagan
„The era of big government is over.“ Bill Clinton
2)“Government of the People…”
Three Branches of Government:
• Legislative
• Executive
• Judicial
Legislative Branch
Senate
- 6 yr term
- 2 senators per State (100
senators in total)
- Vice President of the United
States leads the Senate, has
one vote in case of a tie
House of Representatives
- 2 yr term
- Proportional allocation (435
representatives in total)
- Speaker of the House leads
the House of
Representatives, is in charge
of legislative agenda, is 3rd
in line of succession
Executive Branch
Presidency
• President of the United States (POTUS)
• Vice President of the United States
• 4 year term, 2 terms in total (23rd
Amendment)
• Impeachment
• Age 35, “natural-born“ citizen, 14 years of
residency
2)“Government of the People…”
Judicial Branch
• Federal courts
• State courts
• District courts
Supreme Court of the United States
• The only one established by the U.S.
Constitution
• 9 justices (one of them Chief Justice)
• Live tenure
• Nominated by the President, confirmed by the
U.S. Senate
Relationship Between the Branches
3) Political Parties
What is a Political Party?
A group of people created on base of common
values and priorities in order to win a contest
and gain governmental powers.
3) Political Parties
History of Political Parties in the U.S.:
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Democratic Party
Republican Party
Libertarian Party
Green Party
Constitution Party
Communist Party USA
United States Marijuana Party
3) Political Parties
Republican Party
• Nicknamed GOP (Grand Old
Party)
• Right from the center, focus
on economical issues,
conservativism
• Largest shifts in 1950s and
1980s
• Party of Ronald Reagan,
Dwight D. Eisenhower,
George W. Bush
Democratic Party
• The oldest directly elected
party in the world
• Left from the center, focus
on social inclusion, income
inequality, liberal topics,
LBGT
• Largest shifts in 1940s and
1960s
• Party of Franklin D.
Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy,
Barack Obama
4) Issues of Today
• States v. Federal Government
– Partisanship
– Gerrymandering
– Money in politics
Partisanship
Money in Politics
“I may lie, cheat, and intimidate to get what I
want, but at least I get the job done.”
- rep. Francis J. Underwood (D-SC)