Outside reading list- test 2 Spring 2012 In addition to these questions, make sure you know the thesis

for each article. What Can be Done? in Is Voting for Young People? by Martin Wattenberg (1) What does the author refer to as the proven solution for increasing voter turnout among young people? (2) What does the author say about registration reform? 'The War on Fat" by Jacob Sullum (1) Why does Sullum feel that the war on fat reflects an anti-capitalist mentality? a. In the anti-capitalist perspective, the people are seen as mindless automatons manipulated into consuming whatever the big companies want them to consume. The war on fat reflects a similar perspectivethat people are mindless consumers who will buy and consume any food the big food companies want them to eat regardless of health consequences. (2) What does revival of the Fairness Doctrine have to do with this debate? a. The Fairness Doctrine was a doctrine in which the FCC required broadcasters to provide time for opposing views when they covered controversial topics. Anti-fatsos want to revive this doctrine, to combat ads for sugary treats and fast food. (3) What does the First Amendment have to do with this debate? a. The First Amendment speaks of the freedom of speech, and the idea of banning advertisements, namely those aimed at children, raises First Amendment issues. Nestle seems to believe that the Founding Fathers did not intend for the FA to apply to commercial speech. The End of the End of Ideology by John Jost (1) What definition of political ideology does the author adopt? a. He adopts Tedins relatively modest definition of political ideology as an interrelated set of moral and political attitudes that possesses cognitive, affective, and motivation components. That is, ideology helps to explain why people do what they do; it organizes their values and beliefs and leads to political behavior. (2) What are the two stable, core dimensions that capture the meaningful differences between liberal and conservative ideologies? a. Attitudes towards inequality and attitudes towards social change versus tradition. (3) Make sure you understand the section titled Are There Differences in Psychological Processes Underlying Liberalism and Conservatism? a. All of this is consistent with the notion that there are indeed significant differences of cognitive and motivational style that characterize people who are drawn to liberal versus conservative belief systems, much as Adorno and his col- leagues (1950) hypothesized.

b. There is now sufficient evidence to conclude that Adorno et al. (1950) were correct that
conservatives are, on average, more rigid and closed- minded than liberals.

i. Conservatives are, on average, more likely than liberals to perceive the world as a
dangerous place, make purely internal attributions for the cause of others behaviors, and to engage in moral condemnation of others, especially in sexual domains.

ii. Their evidence upholds the Adorno et al. rigidity-of-the-right hypothesis and contradicts
persistent claims that liberals and conservatives are equally rigid and dogmatic. (4) How do situational factors and dispositional factors relate to ideology?

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Both factors are capable of affecting a persons psychological needs and thus ones political orientation. Make sure you understand the section titled Concluding Remarks.

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The Varieties of Liberal Enthusiasm by Benjamin Plotinsky (1) Why is the political component of this religious dynamic of immense importance? a. In retrospect, political religions usually spell trouble. Soviet Communism, Italian Fascism, and Nazism arent just called political religions by scholars today. In all three cases, observers at the time recognized and worried about the movements religious natures. Those natures were no accident; Mussolini, for instance, called his ideology not only a faith, but a religion that is conquering the laboring masses of the Italian people. (2) How does the authors discussion of environmentalism tie in with his thesis? a. Environmentalism contains a certain level of discipline not unlike the spiritual discipline of a religious order. (3) What is the difference between traditional varieties of religion and the newer varieties of liberal religiosity? a. Traditional varieties were openly acknowledged that they were religious. For instance, when a campaigning politician acknowledged forthrightly that he derived a policy from, say, his understanding of the Bible, his potential constituents understood that, however reasonable the policy might be, what underlay it was faith, not reason. On the other hand, emerging liberal religions are as captivating for some as, at least for a time, as Christianity and Judaism, but untrammeled by any constitutional amendment; as grounded in faith, but pretending to dwell in the realms of reason and science. "Ideological Animal" by Jay Dixit

1) What are the major findings of the Jost et. al study? a. It found that conservatives have a greater desire to reach a decision quickly and stick to it, and are
higher on conscientiousness, which includes neatness, orderliness, duty, and rule-following. Liberals are higher on openness, which includes intellectual curiosity, excitement-seeking, novelty, creativity for its own sake, and a craving for stimulation like travel, color, art, music, and literature. How is mortality salience related to the thesis? a. Mortality salience is a state of mind when a person is thinking about death. In psychologist Skidmore Solomons studies, people who were in such a state when they were thinking about death (or 9/11, or pain) tended to favor Bush and his policies in Iraq as opposed to those in a benign state of mind who tended to oppose Bush. Political ideologies can often reflect the internal disposition of its constituent; in this case a feeling of insecurity (granted, in the United States) leads one to embrace of more politically conservative frame of mind. In other nations, like China for instance, the contrary could in fact exist. In the conclusion, the author suggests that the effects of psychological terror on political decision-making can be eliminated. How? a. The solution, then, is remarkably simple. The effects of psychological terror on political decisionmaking can be eliminated just by asking people to think rationally. Simply reminding us to use our heads, it turns out, can be enough to make us do it.

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"An Effective Congress and Effective Members: What Does It Take by Barbara Sinclair (1) How does Sinclair describe the tension that exists between responsiveness and responsibility? a. The two often come into conflict and no general rule of priority exists. b. The requisites for each are different. i. Responsibility, or representation

A decentralized, open, permeable body in which individual members have considerable resources and autonomy of action is better suited to articulating the broad variety of opinions and in interests in our society. 2. Representation takes time, especially when there are a great variety of viewpoints. ii. Responsiveness/Lawmaking 1. A more centralized, hierarchical body is more capable of expeditious decisionmaking. 2. Lawmaking requires closure, an end to debate and implicitly or explicitly, a choice among competing alternatives. (2) What is the mirror model of representation? a. The notion that a representative should mirror in salient demographic and views his or her constituents. (3) In what areas are members of Congress willing to educate their constituencies, and in what ways do members fail to educate their members? Is Congress the Broken Branch? by David Mayhew (1) In the face of low congressional approval ratings, Mayhew argues that there is a redeeming perspective for the institution. What does he mean here? (2) What does Mayhew conclude? Promises Made and Promises Kept by Tracy Sulkin (1) What factors drive the relatively pessimistic views about congressional promise-keeping? (2) According to the author, why has so little effort been devoted to understanding how members of Congress make and keep campaign promises? (3) What approach does the author advocate for defining and measuring promise-making and promise-keeping? (4) What conclusions does the author reach?

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Demographic Change and the Future of Congress by Kathryn Pearson (1) Why does the author argue that the Population growth in the United States presents a representational dilemma for future Congresses.? (2) What are the advantages and disadvantages in increasing the membership of the House of Representatives? (3) What does Pearson say about descriptive representation? (4) How does the idea the politics of commonality tie into the articles thesis? (5) Why does the author argue that gender parity in Congress is unlikely in the near future? (6) Is the author optimistic that congresswomen will work together across party lines to the same extent as they did in the past? Why or why not? "Joy of Power" by Richard Ellis (1) What does the author mean when he suggests that the early model of the presidency was a "dutiful, reluctant presidency"? 1. Prior to becoming president, Washington was reluctant to assume the presidency and complained about the burdens of running the nation. He did not want such power, but it was his duty, so he consented to remain in office.

(2) What is the debate of "culture versus character" all about? 1. Whether it is better to have a president that is the product of the culture or the product of his personality. (3) How did Theodore Roosevelt change the office? 1. He was the first president to really be delighted in the exercise of power. He was a positive president, enthuastic for his job and duty as president, rather than reluctant. He showed that presidents could have fun. They could laugh, smile, and joke around without seeming unpresidential. (4) Make sure that you understand the concluding section "From the Dutiful to the Joyful Presidency." 1. Cultural norms influenced the presidents before the Roosevelts into thinking that the job of president was one of endurance rather than enjoyment. Even giving of the appearance of enjoyment would be unbecoming of the president. The culture told past presidents that the power was a burden, not something to be excited about. "Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush: Faith, Foreign Policy, and an Evangelical Presidential Style" by Jason Berggren and Nicol C Rae (1) How does the evangelical style conflict with both Neustadtian and Weberian models? (2) The authors cite qualities that scholar Fred Greenstein believes are critical to presidential effectiveness. Which two qualities square well with the evangelical style? Be able to explain what the authors mean here. (3) What do the authors conclude? The Political Utility of Empathy in Presidential Leadership by Colleen Shogan (1) How is empathy defined by Martin Hoffman? (2) Make sure you understand the conclusions drawn in the section titled The Political Importance of Empathy in the Presidency. "A Clouded Mirror; The Postmodern Presidency" by Steven Schier (1) In discussing the Clinton presidency, what does the author suggest about both contextual and personal factors? (2) What was so noteworthy about Clinton's reliance on polls? (3) Was Clinton's style a success? Can it be emulated? (4) What one lesson of the Clinton experience "will remain valid" for future presidents? The Cult of the Presidency by Gene Healy (1) How does Healy characterize the founding view of the presidency? (2) How does the Progressive Era tie into his thesis? (3) What is the thesis of the Terror Presidency? The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same: The Liberal Tradition and Obamas Counterterrorism Policy by Michael Desch (1) What are the two main arguments that Desch advances? (2) What explanations does Desch reject for explaining the continuities between the Obama and Bush administrations? (3) How is the idea of Hartzs liberal consensus tied to Deschs thesis?

The Most Democratic Branch by Jeffrey Rosen

(1) What does Rosen argue is the Courts relationship with public opinion? (2) According to Rosen, what should be the Courts relationship to public opinion? (3) How is the Schiavo case related to Rosens thesis? (4) What is democratic constitutionalism? What is judicial unilateralism? (5) What does Rosen recommend is the best way to avoid inspiring political backlashes? "The Art of Testifying" by Janet Malcolm (1) What does it mean to describe the confirmation process as theatre? (2) Malcolm cites favorably the work of John Anthony Maltese. How does Maltese's discussion of the passage of the 17th amendment figure into Malcolm's thesis? The Politics of Advice and Consent: Putting Judges on the Federal Bench by Sarah Binder and Forrest Maltzman (1) What is the big-bang theory of judicial selection? (2) What is the nothing new under the sun theory? (3) Has the amount of time it takes a president to make a nomination for a vacant seat on the bench changed? (4) The authors conclude that the battles over advice and consent might matter to students of American politics in at least three ways. What are these ways?