Question of Sovereignty, A: Changing Expectations of the Federal Government
The national outlook towards government and what we expect from it has changed. Many areas once assumed to be the purview of state or local governments, like pollution control, now have federal and international dimensions. In tight budget situation...
Question of Sovereignty, A: Competition between Levels of Government
While the responsibilities of government have increased overall, states have retained most of their traditional authority. The fact that city and state politics generally has more to do with individual lives than the national government confirms for...
Question of Sovereignty, A: Federalism: Shifting Winds
Federalism is not a fixed principle. It changes as the country's political needs change. During times of national crisis the balance of power tends to shift toward the nation's capital as we saw in the aftermath of 9/11. But it didn't take long for ...
Rule of Nine: Judiciary, a Legal and Political Institution, The
Every important political question eventually becomes a judicial question as evidenced by Bush v. Gore when the Supreme Court stopped the vote recount in Florida. There is the tendency to think that truth and justice are on one side, but typically t...
Party Politics: When Third Parties Make a Difference
There have been times in U. S. history when third parties have affected the outcome of an election. If a third party takes disproportionately from one party rather than the other they can be divisive. Ironically, Ross Perot got 19% of the vote in 19...
Leader for a Nation: Art of the Possible: Negotiating for Success, The
The design of the U. S. government makes it almost inevitable that there will be tensions between the legislative and executive branch. Different presidents have dealt with this problem in different ways, depending on their margin of victory and how...
Leader for a Nation: President's Relationship with Congress
As the only nationally-elected official, the president can direct public attention to a particular issue or program. But will Congress follow the president's lead? Mickey Edwards and Gary Jacobson compare the relationship between the president and C...
Leader for a Nation: Appeal of Divided Government, The
The challenge of leadership is easier if the president's party controls Congress. But in recent decades, government unified under one party's leadership has been rare. Many people believe that if you divide government you force the executive and leg...
Rivals and Friends: Presidential Election of 1800
Bitter controversies shape the presidential election of 1800. The candidates are the same as four years earlier-Adams versus Jefferson-but personal attacks during the campaign are unprecedented. In a close race New York emerges as the crucial swing ...
Party Politics: Evolution of the Democrat and Republican Parties
Republicans and Democrats of today bear little resemblance to their predecessors. From the time of Lincoln until the 1930s, Republicans were the great reformers who believe in active government whereas Democrats with their base support in the South ...