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Final Exam: World Politics
1. How the Government's three arms (Presidency, Congress, and the Federal Judiciary
system) have evolved with time.
Introduction
The model of separation of powers ensures the government is divided into three branches.
The legislative branch makes laws; the executive implements the law while the judiciary
interprets the law. Each unit is supposed to be an independent entity, with clear-cut roles and
powers that do not conflict with those of the other arms. The framers of the constitution
envisioned a stronger congress as compared to the executive. However, over the years, the
presidency's executive powers have become too strong over both the National Congress and the
court system, specifically the Supreme Court.
The executive, whose power is vested in the presidency, has evolved a lot to gain control.
The president has too many roles and powers and is guided by the bureaucratic power-source
theory. He is the head of the state and leader of the ruling party. He is the commander in chief of
armed forces, first legislator, chief economist, top diplomat, and innovator. Although Congress
can declare a war, the presidency makes war and is responsible for moving troops to enemy
lines. Over the years, the presidency has gained more power in war-related issues. The last time
the national Congress declared war was 78 years ago. Another area where the presidency has
gained powers is through the intangible power of the media and technology. Over the years, the
control of Congress by the executive arm has been witnessed. For instance, even before
becoming president. Presidential candidates define the legislative agendas of the country. During
the state of the Union address done each year, the president outlines his legislative program for
the year. The president has also gained power in vetoing legislation. To turn around the veto, it
needs 2/3 of both houses of Congress. For the last 80 years, 1400 bills have been rejected by the
president, while the national Congress has only managed to override a veto 61 times (Lecture
Notes: The Presidency, 10). Bureaucracy within the executive has also increased. For instance,
while Washington had only four cabinet departments, today they are 15.
Congress is the legislative body of government. The powers of the Congress are
stipulated in Article 1 of the constitution as to making laws. In section 8 of the same article, the
constitution's founders had granted Congress the powers to provide for the people's defense and
general welfare. Therefore, Congress could make and implement laws. Congress powers have
been gained through the elastic clause, which enables it to carry out any necessary and proper
legislation to ease the execution of its duties.
The Supreme Court has not gained substantial power over the years because of two
reasons. First, the justices are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Congress, not
elected. Second, the Supreme Court's power is checked by the president and Congress.
Conclusion
The presidency seems to be the turning point of power and distribution within the
government's three arms. The executive has gained much power after the events of the first and
Second World War. The president has too many roles, from appointing officials to vetoing bills.
The supremacy of the presidency can be seen from the many bills and laws vetoed relative to
those overturned by the national Congress. Besides, the number of departments has also
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increased from the time of George Washington. There have been several instances where the
president has failed to consult Congress when making some decisions, especially those
concerning the declaration of war to enemies.
2. Institutions that are considered to cause weaknesses in the American political system
Introduction
The U.S political system is very dynamic. The increased participation of political actors
in social media has opened the golden era of global democratization. However, there are growing
concerns by scholars, civil and philanthropic community that social media undermines
democracy. The media has been used as channels for spreading political propaganda, racism,
character assassination, and disinformation. Private sponsorship is likely to increase the undue
influence of the wealthy class in legislation. Gerrymandering is unfair because it shifts the fair
representation of people in the government.
a) The Media
The media offers new avenues for political participation. Clicktivism is revolutionizing
the way U.S politics are done through the use of social media platforms such as Instagram,
Twitter, and Facebook. However, the media is hurting modern democracy and reducing civil
participation. First, the media creates chaos and confusion, which potentially overwhelms
political participation. A person is faced with heresies, contradiction, malice, and
misinformation. The internet also breeds falsehood, and cases of character assassination, racism,
and misogyny in political systems are many. The third way the internet hurts the political system
is the increased control of the internet by governments and individual big companies. Such a
scenario causes preferential treatment of some candidates or parties by deciding who is going to
be heard or not. Corruption is also likely to occur where a candidate pays money to disseminate
campaign messages and those of their opponents blocked.
b) Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is the deliberate manipulation of a constituency's demarcations to benefit
a particular party or voter group during elections. Gerrymandering is unfair and unconstitutional
because it is possible to control a state's legislature, and therefore it becomes hard to have an
equal representation in Congress. The U.S political system has witnessed several cases of
gerrymandering. In 2008, the Democrat party clinched 50% of the votes in North but only
managed to get three seats out of 13. In 2012, Democrats in New York got 66% of the House
votes and won 21 out of 27 seats, while everyone expected them to win 18 seats.
c) The way political campaigns are financed.
The U.S political campaigns are costly. A total of $3 billion was spent in 2000
campaigns. Two decades later, the total expenditure was $11 billion. Individuals are allowed to
give $2800 directly to the candidate. Financing is also done through PACs and super PACs or
527 organizations. Privately funded campaigns may bring about biases where most particular
parties or candidates are defined by socioeconomic status. There are high chances that the
socioeconomic differences will be translated into representation and exercise of political
authority in such a case. Private funded campaigns can lead to wealthy donors having undue
influence on legislation because they will act in their financiers' best interest.
Conclusion
Gerrymandering, political campaign sponsorship, and the internet of things (IoT) have an
overriding effect on democracy in the United States political system. The way governments and
other corporations can control social media platforms pave the way to using social media in
politics can adversely affect democracy. Political campaign spending has increased over time in
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each electioneering cycle. Private sponsorship of political campaigns, if not checked, can sway
the political will of the majority.
3. Power source-theories
Introduction
Pluralism, social movement, and elite theory are political power theories that strive to
explain where power lies. The postulations of the three approaches guide the process of
policymaking in one way or another. For instance, social movements guide policymaking
through their influence among people over issues affecting society. Pluralistic theory suggests
policymaking through interest groups such as the 'Right to Know Network' and American Public
Power Association (APPA).
a) Social Movement Theory
According to social movement theory, protest movements have the power to affect
policymaking due to their ability to coerce other people to their course using a bottom-up
approach. Examples of such groups are 'Black Lives Matter,' and Civil Rights Movements.
Social movements wield a lot of power and influence. For instance, the 'Black Lives Matter'
group was very vocal, and its impact was seen after the brutal killing of George Floyd in May
this year. Their activism is likely to influence legislation on human rights and police reforms.
According to Martin Luther Jnr, an excellent social movement should transform people and
institutions. Several conditions of a social movement to win rights, such as self-identity, are a
challenge to society through demonstrations. The group also has to change its images, which
may lead to discrimination. Federalism comes into play, followed by the presidency, then the
judiciary. Finally, Congress comes in and formulates the rights into laws.
b) Pluralism Theory
Pluralism theory is based on organizations that seek to guide policymaking in a certain
way. There are approximately 200,000 interest groups in the U.S, from environmentalists to
finance and real estate sectors. Interest groups influence policymaking in three main ways. First,
the groups provide research, whereby they draft and rewrite bills and are witnesses to
congressional meetings. Second, interest groups shape opinions in the public domain by
grassroots campaigning and building coalitions. Third, the groups are sources of power in some
accounts. For example, they finance campaigns, they have a voice membership voting, and
lastly, they create enduring relationships with the legislators. Although pluralism makes a more
democratic representation, too much lobbying can lead to demosclerosis.
c) Elite Theory
According to Elite theory, power lies with society's elites, such as people working in the
government, big institutions, and the military. Elites may also comprise of the rich and most
learned in society. All these groups of people can influence policymaking due to their
socioeconomic status and leadership classes. The groups affect policymaking by financing
campaigns and the influence of political dynasties on the current political system. Legislators are
more likely to perform their duties in the best interest of their campaign financiers, such as
supporting bills that favor them.
Conclusion
Several propositions can be used to explain where power lies among different models of
influencing policymaking. The most common theories are Elite, social movement and Pluralism
theories. The three models can be useful in pushing for legislation. However, they should be
checked so that the course of the political system is not overturned. For instance, if interest
groups are not monitored or controlled, they can help shift policymaking to their advantage.
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Works Cited
Lecture Notes: The Presidency PowerPoint Presentation