The history of American Government texts:
1) 1950-60---the self-congratulatory texts
2) 1960-mid 70s---the critical texts
3) mid 70s to present---the functionalist texts
The Irony of Democracy is a critical text!
It is designed to make you think about American politics!
It's message is an interesting one:
Democracy is government "by the people", but the survival of democracy
in fact rests on the shoulders of the elites. This is the irony of democracy: Elites
must govern wisely if government "by the people" is to survive. If the survival of
the American system depended on the existence of an active, informed, and
enlightened citizenry, then democracy in America would have disappeared long ago;
for the masses of America are apathetic and ill-informed about politics and public
policy, and they have a surprisingly weak commitment to democratic values--individual
dignity, equality of opportunity, the right to dissent, freedom of speech and press,
religious toleration, and due process of law. But fortunately for these values
and American democracy, the American masses do not lead, they follow.
They respond to the attitudes, proposals, and the behavior of elites. (p. 2)
Let's Put the Study of Contemporary American Government Into Context!
Many argue that the signs of political paralysis are all around us:
1) crisis in public confidence
2) the disintegration of the political parties
3) rejection of presidential and congressional leadership
4) administrative incompetence
5) the impact of the mass media and the trivialization of politics
6) the impact of special interests
7) privatization
What Has Led to This Paralysis?
1) the failure of leadership?
2) the failure of citizenship?
3) the growth of partisanship?
4) the failure of institutional competence?
5) failure by design??
Next class we'll discuss how will explore these issues!