A brief overview of the US political system and how it functions, prepared for an academic assignment for a Comparative Politics course.

1. A Case Study of the Political System of:
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Hudiba Iqbal, Maryam Mehboob & Zainub
Presentation
delivered by: Razvi

2. Introduction:
The US is the oldest continuous democracy in the world. It was established
in 1789, although not all features of the system were as democratic as they
are now.

3. Organiasation of Command:
“The constitution has divided the
powers of government into three
branches, Legislative, Executive
and Judiciary, lodging each with Judiciary
a distinct magistracy. The
Legislative it has given
completely to the Senate and
House of Representatives. It
has declared that the Executive
powers shall be vested in the
Executive Legislature
President, submitting special
articles of it to a negative by the
Senate, and it has vested the
Judiciary power in the courts of
justice, with certain exceptions
also in favor of the Senate.” ~Thomas Jefferson: Opinion on Executive
Appointments, 1790. ME 3:15

4. Executive Arm:
• Head of State
• Commander-in-Chief
President
• Elected by electoral college
• First in succession line to
President in case of
Vice President death, resignation or removal
• President of the Senate
• Members nominated by
President, confirmed by
Cabinet Senate
• Head 15 major federal
departments
• 60+ departments and agencies in total
Federal Departments • Responsible for day-to-day enforcement
& Agencies & administration of federal laws

5. Judicial Arm:

6. Legislative Arm:
Congress
House of
Senate
Representatives

7. Separation of powers:

8. Indirect Elites
United
States
Military
Pressure
Groups
Corporations
(many of
which are
owned by
Jews)

11. Major Political Ideologies in the
USA
Conservatives
Moderates
Liberals

12. Differences between liberals and
conservatives
Issue Liberals Conservatives
Aborting Rights Approve Disapprove
Same Sex Marriage Approve Disapprove
Patriotic Act Disapprove Approve
Free Trade Agreements Divided Disapprove
Lower Defense Approve Disapprove
Spending
Immigration Approve Disapprove
Universal Health Care Approve Divided

13. Major Political Parties in the
USA
Democrat Republica

14. How are Democrats and
Republicans spread across
America?
•Voted Republican
Last four US elections:
all 4 past elections
•Voted Republican
in 3 out of the past
4 elections
•Twice Voted
Republican, Twice
Democrat
•Voted Democrat 3
out of 4 past
elections
•Voted Democrat
in all four past
elections

15. Voting and the electoral process
Who can vote?

How many types of elections are held and

when?
Presidential Elections
1.
House of Rep. Elections
2.
Senate Elections
3.
Gubernatorial Elections
4.
Primary Elections
5.
Voter turnout

Campaigning


16. Political Culture of the USA
“We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness. That
to secure these
rights, Governments are
instituted among
Men, deriving States Declaration of
~United their just
Independence, July 4, 1776
powers from the consent of

17. Political Socialization in the
USA
Work Mass Political
Family Schools Religion Race Gender
place Media Parties

18. The American Family
Performs latent as well as manifest socialization
•
Very Important in party identification
•
Declining power as an agent of socialization
•

19. American Schools
Introduce major political values and practices
•
Schools themselves involved in politics
•
Difference in socialization performed by private vs. state schools, and
•
even poor locality state school vs. rich locality state school

20. Mass Media: Weapons of Mass Deception?
quot;. . . to take apart the system of illusions and deception which functions to
prevent understanding of contemporary reality [is] not a task that requires
extraordinary skill or understanding. It requires the kind of normal skepticism
and willingness to apply one's analytical skills that almost all people have and
that they can exercise.quot;

21. Religion
Very powerful agent of socialization
•
Catholics : Liberal economics/social conservatives
•
Protestant: Conservative economics & social issues
•
Jewish: Liberal economics & social issues
•

22. Workplace/Professional
Influence
Certain professions are more like to
•
inculcate specific types of political
attitudes, for instance:
In 2004, 72% of full-time faculty
•
members at four-year colleges
identified as liberal.
In a 2004, a survey of 1,000
•
economists saw registered
Democrats outnumber registered
Republicans by a 2.5:1 ratio.
Among sociologists and
•
anthropologists, Democrats
outnumber Republicans 20:1
Conversely, a December 2006 poll
•
found that 46% of active military
personnel identified as Republican

23. Race and Ethnicity:
In the 2008 Presidential Elections, Obama won an
overwhelming majority (95%) of the total votes from
black population, whereas majority (55%) of the total
white votes went to his rival McCain

24. Conclusion:
I have come to the conclusion that politics is too
serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
~Charles de Gaulle