About the Author
Thomas E. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was previously distinguished professor of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse University. Raised in a small Minnesota town near the Iowa and South Dakota borders, he was educated at South Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota, where he received his Ph.D. in 1971.Currently running the "Vanishing Voter" study at the Kennedy School of Government, which has been widely used in the media and on college campuses, Tom is also the author of six books and dozens of articles, which focus primarily on the media and elections. His book, 'Out of Order'(1994), received national attention when President Clinton said every politician and journalist should be required to read it. An earlier book, 'The Mass Media Election'(1980), received a 'Choice' award as Outstanding Academic Book, 1980-81. Another of Patterson's books, 'The Unseeing Eye'(1976), was recently selected by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the fifty most influential books of the past half century in the field of public opinion.His current research includes a study of White House communication and a study of the news media's role in Western democracies. His work has been funded by major grants from the National Science Foundation, the Markle Foundation, the Smith-Richardson Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Table of Contents
Preface
1 American Political Culture: Seeking a More Perfect Union
Political Culture: The Core Principles of American Government
America’s Core Values: Liberty, Equality, and Self-Government
Politics: The Process of Deciding Upon Society's Goals
The Concept of a Political System and This Book's Organization
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 1: Securing Freedom’s Triumph, George W. Bush
2 Constitutional Democracy: Promoting Liberty and Self-Government
Before the Constitution: The Colonial and Revolutionary Experiences
Negotiating Toward a Constitution
Protecting Liberty: Limited Government
Providing for Self-Government
Constitutional Democracy Today
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 2: There’s a Small Matter of Checks and Balances, David E. Sanger
3 Federalism: Forging a Nation
Federalism: National and State Sovereignty
Federalism in Historical Perspective
Federalism Today
The Public's Influence: Setting the Boundaries of Federal-State Power
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 3: The Nation: 5-to-4, Now and Forever; At the Court, Dissent over States’ Rights is Now War, Linda Greenhouse
4 Civil Liberties: Protecting Individual Rights
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of Religion
The Right of Privacy
Rights of Persons Accused of Crimes
The Courts and a Free Society
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 4: Judges Ban Pledge of Allegiance from Schools, Citing “Under God”, Evelyn Nieves
5 Equal Rights: Struggling Towards Fairness
The Struggle for Equality
Equality Under the Law
Equality of Result
Persistent Discrimination: Superficial Differences, Deep Divisions
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 5: The World: What’s in a Name?; Redefining Minority, Susan Sachs
6 Public Opinion and Political Socialization: Shaping the People's Voice
The Nature of Public Opinion
Political Socialization: How Americans Learn Their Politics
Frames of Reference: How Americans Think Politically
The Influence of Public Opinion on Policy
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 6: Wrong Number: The Unbearable Lightness of Public Opinion Polls, Adam Clymer
7 Political Participation and Voting: Expressing the Popular Will
Voter Participation
Conventional Forms of Participation Other Than Voting
Unconventional Activism: Social Movements and Protest Politics
Participation and the Potential for Influence
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 7: Election Day Curtain Call, Maura J. Casey
8 Political Parties, Candidates, and Campaigns: Defining the Voter's Choice
Party Competition and Majority Rule: The History of U.S. Parties
Electoral and Party Systems
Party Organizations
The Candidate-Centered Campaign
Parties, Candidates, and the Public's Influence
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 9: The 2002 Campaign: The Commercials; A Softer Spin on the Mean Season, Lizette Alvarez
9 Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence
The Interest-Group System
Inside Lobbying: Seeking Influence Through Official Contacts
Outside Lobbying: Seeking Influence Through Public Pressure
The Group System: Indispensable But Biased
Summary
Key Terms
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 10: Lobbyists Waitin’ on the Levy for Their Ship to Come In, Jill Abramson
10 The News Media: Communicating Political Images
The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism
Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media
The News Media As Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform
Organizing the Public in the Media Age
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 10: Mideast Turmoil: The News Outlets; Some U.S. Backers of Israel Boycott Dailies Over Mideast Coverage That They Deplore, Felicity Barringer
11 Congress: Balancing National Goals and Local Interests
Congress as a Career: Election to Congress
Congressional Leadership
The Committee System
How a Bill Becomes Law
Congress's Policymaking Role
Congress: Too Much Pluralism?
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 11: Unlikely Allies Press to Add Conservation to Farm Bill, Elizabeth Becker
12 The Presidency: Leading the Nation
Foundations of the Modern Presidency
Choosing the President
Staffing the Presidency
Factors in Presidential Leadership
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 12: After the Attacks: Assessment; President Seems to Gain Legitimacy, R.W. Apple Jr.
13 The Federal Bureaucracy: Administering the Government
The Federal Administration: Form, Personnel, and Activities
Development of the Federal Bureaucracy: Politics and Administration
The Bureaucracy's Power Imperative
Bureaucratic Accountability
Reinventing Government
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 13: Signing Homeland Security Bill, Bush Appoints Ridge as Secretary, Richard W. Stevenson
14 The Judiciary: Applying the Law
The Federal Judicial System
Federal Court Appointees
Political Influences on Judicial Decisions
Judicial Power and Democratic Government
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 14: Divining the Consequences of a Court Divided, Linda Greenhouse
15 Economic and Environmental Policy: Contributing to Prosperity
Government as Regulator of the Economy
Government as Protector of the Environment
Government as Promoter of Economic Interests
Fiscal Policy: Government as Manager of the Economy, I
Monetary Policy: Government as Manager of the Economy, II
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 15: Will Reforms With Few Teeth Be Able to Bite?, Stephen Labaton
16 Welfare and Education Policy: Provideing for Personal Security and Need
Poverty in America: The Nature of the Problem
The Politics and Policies of Social Welfare
Individual-Benefit Programs
Culture, Politics, and Social Welfare
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 16: Vouchers: A Shift, Bug Just How Big?, Kate Zernike
17 Foreign and Defense Policy: Protecting the American Way
The Roots of U.S. Foreign and Defense Policy
The Process of Foreign and Military Policymaking
The Military Dimension of National Security Policy
The Economic Dimension of National Security Policy
Summary
Key Terms
Suggested Readings
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
New York Times Reading 17: All Roads Lead to D.C., Emily Eakin
Summary
Key Terms
List of Websites
Questions: Politics in Theory and Practice
Questions: What’s Your Opinion?
Index