PowerPoint for Democratic Theory and American Political Culture lecture series for PS 101 American Government at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Christopher S. Rice, Instructor

1. Democratic Theory A Topher Rice digital file

2. “ DON’T NEED ELECTION” “ It seems to me that Vice President Al Gore is out of control. He is prepared to spend more than $40 million on a campaign that the American people don’t want. The polls clearly show that the people want Texas Gov. George W. Bush for the next president. Why would Gore put the country through all of the political ads and commercials when the people have spoken through the polls? I think Congress should take the message the American people have sent to them and appoint Bush as president. Then they could get back to issues that are important, like Social Security and health care. I know some people might say that we must have elections because the law says so, but this could put the business of the American people on hold for some time. Is that what we want? I say it’s time to appoint Bush and put this behind us.” – Randy Martin, Lexington. Lexington Herald-Leader (2000)

3. Demos + Kratia = “Rule by the People”

4. 3 Flavors of Democracy

5. Direct or Participatory Democracy

6. Representative Democracy

7. Revisionist or Elite Democracy

8. Direct or Participatory Democracy

9. New England Town Meetings

10. Iowa Caucuses

11. Athens (Greece, not Fayette Co.)

12. ENLIGHTENMENT

13. HOW?

14. More Informed

15. Sense of Responsibility

16. Political Tolerance

17. Mo’ Democracy Mo’ Problems

18. Scale

20. Leisure

21. Representative Democracy

22. “ Rule by the Few, Controlled by the Many”

23. Delegate Representation

24. 3 Fundamental Principles

25. Principle #1: Popular Sovereignty

26. How do we know it when we see it?

27. 6

28. Policies reflect what the people want

29. People participate in the political process

30. High quality info and debate available (The Jon Stewart Principle)

31. Majority Rules

32. Government Leaders Selected in Competitive Elections

33. Elections Are Free and Fair

34. Principle #2: Political Equality

35. 1 Person = 1 Vote

36. Assumes equal moral agency and reason

37. Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems “ That’s more like it…”

38. It’s a Distribution Problem…

39. Principle #2: Political Liberty

40. Political Liberty Basic freedoms in the formation and expression of the popular will & its translation into policy.

41. First Amendment Freedoms and the Like

42. Without Political Liberty, the other principles can’t function!

43. Why does your generation hate America?

44. Assumptions

45. Fairly Sophisticated

46. Rational

47. Informed (Delegate Representation)

48. Politically Active

49. Politically Tolerant

50. Problems

51. Scale / Population

52. Complexity of Issues

53. Are High Quality Info & Debate Available?

54. Are people really rational and competent?

55. Majority Tyranny?

56. Revisionist / Elite Democracy

57. Instability due to unrealistic assumptions

58. Downgrading role of masses Upgrading role of elites

59. Hedging on government responsiveness

60. The masses are asses

61. Irrational

62. Politically Intolerant

63. Low participation among the masses

64. Trustee Representation

65. Limiting the impact of universal participation…

66. Constitutional Barriers

67. Apathy is A- O K!

68. Increased participation costs

69. The American Creed

71. Values of the American Creed

72. Individualism a commitment to personal initiative, self-sufficiency and material accumulation

73. Unity & Diversity

74. Unity the principle that Americans are one people and form an indivisible union

75. Diversity the idea that individual and group differences should be respected AND that these differences are themselves a sort of strength

76. E pluribus unum

77. Commitment to rule of law under a constitution

78. Aka, The Constitutional Strand

79. Commitment to rule of law under a constitution The idea that fundamental law should serve as a restraint on human behavior

80. America’s Core Political Ideals

81. Liberty the belief that individuals should be free to act and think as they choose, provided they do not infringe unreasonably on the freedom and well-being of others.

82. Equality the belief that all individuals are equal in their moral worth and are entitled to equal treatment under the law

83. Self-government the belief that the people are the ultimate source of governing authority and must have a voice in how they are governed

84. Fundamental ideas behind the “Core Values”

85. 17 th Century Protestantism

86. Primacy of the individual conscience

87. Close connection between the spirit of liberty and the spirit of religion

88. Role of the congregation as voluntary association

89. Importance of democracy within the church and its implications

90. 18 th Century Enlightenment Ideas (John Locke)

91. Equality as a basis for organizing society

99. Equality of Opportunity NOT Equality of Result

103. Private consumption over public provision

104. Private consumption over public provision Private over public initiatives

106. ?

107. The American Creed is NOT an ideology

108. Liberty vs. Equality

109. Problems

110. Nearly unanimous support when it is painted in broad strokes. Support falls off when we get into specifics.

111. Consensus is broadest among those most active in the system and who benefit from it the most

112. Populism Hostility of the common person to power and the powerful

114. 2 Flavors

115. liberal populism

117. conservative populism