CMC Introductory American Government -- Honors

About this Blog

During the semester, I shall post course material and students will comment on it. Students are also free to comment on any aspect of American politics, either current or historical. There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges. This blog is on the open Internet, so post nothing that you would not want a potential employer to see. Syllabus: http://gov20h.blogspot.com/2023/08/draft-introduction-to-american-politics.html

Monday, February 10, 2025

Federalism and the Separation of Powers I

For Wednesday:

News:

ICE is coming. Know your rights.

Separation of powers in the news.

What happens if a president defies a court order?

Federalist 49

"Veneration"
James Ceaser: "The idea of reverence for the Constitution was a creation of The Federalist. But why did The Federalist create this doctrine of constitutional reverence?"

Veneration:

Norms
The Constitution and oaths

Federalist 39 and Federalism:

The proposed Constitution, therefore, is, in strictness, neither a national nor a federal Constitution, but a composition of both. In its foundation it is federal, not national; in the sources from which the ordinary powers of the government are drawn, it is partly federal and partly national; in the operation of these powers, it is national, not federal; in the extent of them, again, it is federal, not national; and, finally, in the authoritative mode of introducing amendments, it is neither wholly federal nor wholly national.

Federalist 51

Separation of Powers: "Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place."

Divided government

Is the Founding legitimate?

Federalist 39: "derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people."
Federalist 49: Madison quotes Jefferson: "As the people are the only legitimate fountain of power.."

Federalism: "In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself."

How does the federal government "control" states and localities?

The Supremacy Clause and the Tenth Amendment

How the feds "control" the states: Grants and mandates (more on Wednesday)

How the states "control" the feds: legal action

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Full Circle

Identifying with MLK.

CA/TX comparison in today's LAT

There is actually some support for Texas secession -- or "Texit."

The Russians promoted Texit.

There was a CalExit campaign -- also with roots in Russia.

And some are even talking about a "national divorce."

The Founders rejected the idea of multiple confederacies.

Secession is unconstitutional

Lincoln explained:

The Constitution provides, and all the States have accepted the provision, that "the United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government." But if a State may lawfully go out of the Union, having done so it may also discard the republican form of government; so that to prevent its going out is an indispensable means to the end of maintaining the guaranty mentioned; and when an end is lawful and obligatory the indispensable means to it are also lawful and obligatory.

Danielle Allen!

Saving Private Ryan (start at 6;00) and the actual Lincoln letter

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

California, Texas, and Inequality

For Thursday, finish Miller.

DeSantis on CA:

TAXES AND DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECTS

California income tax: Top 1 percent of taxpayers now generate half of personal income tax receipts.

The federal picture

Union representation in 2022:

Texas 5.1%
California: 17.6%

Guns in TX

Guns in CA: Miller 237-238

Behind the differences

Alike in many ways, but whites have different attitudes (scroll down in article)

RED AND BLUE IN GENERAL

In new results provided exclusively to The Atlantic, [Michael] Podhorzer calculates that the economic output per capita and the median family income are both now 27 percent higher in the blue section than in the red, while the share of children in poverty is 27 percent higher in the red states. The share of people without health insurance is more than 80 percent higher in the red states than in the blue, as are the rates of teen pregnancy and maternal death in childbirth. The homicide rate across the red states is more than one-third higher than in the blue, and the rate of death from firearms is nearly double in the red. Average life expectancy at birth is now about two and a half years higher in the blue states. On most of these measures, the purple states fall between red and blue.

Opportunity Atlas

Opportunity Atlas and Mapping Inequality

The future of racial and ethnic politics:

Prop 16 in California (scroll to p. 8) and results in LA County:

Rightward shift among Hispanics

Demographic change

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Texas, California, and Public Policy

For Tuesday, read Miller ch. 11-13.

On Tuesday, we shall adjourn at noon for course evaluations. Bring your devices.

...................................California...........Texas.............Florida

Population 2020-22 -509k..................+707k.............+471k

Supp. poverty rate.......13.2%..................11.3%..............12.7%

Homeless per 10k........43.8........................8.3.................11.9

Unemployment (Oct)....4.8%.....................4.1%..............2.8%

Viol crimes per 100k....499.5....................431.9............ 258.9

Gun deaths per 100K.........9.......................15.6...............14.1

USN education rank.....#20.........................#37................#1

USN health rank.............#4........................#23.................#13

Political Background Review

News deserts in California and Texas
"The Lone Star Constitution places many shackles on state government" (Miller 135).

California Constitution -- the Progressive imprint
Annual legislative salaries:

Texas: $7,200 California: $122, 694.

Back to the NYT video

Taxes and Fiscal Policy

Stanford study:

BUT CONSIDER DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECT

California income tax: Top 1 percent of taxpayers now generate half of personal income tax receipts.

The federal picture

Union representation in 2022:

Texas 5.1%
California: 17.6%

Opportunity Atlas

Final Essay Assignment

Answer one question from Part A and one from part B. Each of your two answers should take about 2 1/2 pages. The whole assignment should be no more than five pages total.

Your answers should draw upon class readings, discussions, and items that I have posted on the course blog. Where appropriate, you should also use outside sources.

There is no single right answer to any of these questions. The point of this exercise is to show that you have thought carefully about course content.

Part A:

1. Saul Alinsky comes to you in a dream. "I died in 1972," he says. "I don't believe in the afterlife, but here I am anyway. The publisher wants a brief afterword, which I cannot write because I am dead. So write the afterword for me. Name something in the past 51 years that would require me to revise my analysis. (It could be in politics, culture, or technology.) Explain, with specific reference what I wrote when I was alive."

2. Evaluate one of the following essays in light of class discussions and materials. Does the author miss anything important? What would a critic of the article's viewpoint say? Do you agree or disagree?

Part B:

1. In light of your own circumstances, and all other things being equal, would you prefer to spend the rest of your life in Texas or California? (You must pick. "Neither" is not an option.) Explain your criteria, and give specific reasons why one state meets those criteria better than the other.

2. Texas and California will have gubernatorial elections in 2026. Pick one state or the other, and explain how a candidate of the minority party could become competitive. That is, how could a Democrat mount a serious race in Texas? Or how could a Republican put on a serious race in California? (You need not identify a specific candidate, although it might help.)

I will not be able to read drafts.

Assignments should be typed, double-spaced, and no more than five pages long in total. Use 12-point type and one-inch margins.
Cite your sources with endnotes, which should be in standard Turabian format. The author's first name goes first.
Endnote pages do not count against the page limit.
Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you.
Do not use ChatGPT or any other generative AI. Misrepresenting AI-generated content as your own work is plagiarism. It will result in a referral to the Academic Standards Committee. You do not want to start your college career this way. Important note: in many cases, generative AI will give you wrong answers.
Return assignments via email or the class Sakai dropbox by NOON on Wednesday, December 13. Please submit them as Word documents, not pdfs or Google docs. I reserve the right to dock papers one gradepoint for one day’s lateness and a full grade for two or more days’ lateness. Early submissions are most welcome.