Western Political Thought
Dr. John Paul Tabakian
COURSE LECTURE: WEEK 8 (1)
Today’s Lecture Covers The Following:
•
Graft & Pandering
•
Homestead Act of 1862
•
Transcontinental Railroad Act of 1862
•
Elite Consensus
•
Liberty, Private Property, Limited Government
•
Andrew Carnegie “The Gospel Of Wealth”
•
Muckrackers
COURSE LECTURE: WEEK 8 (2)
This Week’s Lecture Covers:
•
Foundation Of California Politics
•
California Republican Party
•
Democratic Party Of California
•
Power Structure Of Both Major Parties
•
Interest Groups In The Golden State
•
Aerospace
•
Environmental and “Green” Companies
•
Media – Music, Film, Television
•
Agriculture
•
Healthcare
•
Computer Technology
HOMESTEAD & TRANSCONTINENTAL
RAILROAD ACT OF 1862
Industrialists looked to the Northwest Territory as a
market for manufactured goods.
•
Homestead Act opened more land to settlers.
TURNER FROM “THE FRONTIER” (1)
•Turner’s thesis: “The existence of an area of free land, its
continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement
westward, explain American development.”
•As a type of determinism, Turner’s thesis ties geography to
national ideology/culture, defining the character of Americans
and American society: a type of “primitivism” where “[T]he
wilderness masters the colonist.” (“meeting point between
savagery and civilization.”).
TURNER FROM “THE FRONTIER” (2)
•“European life entered the continent” and “America modified and
developed that life and reacted on Europe.”
•“New Product” “away from the influence of Europe, a steady
growth of independence on American lines.”
•“Composite Nationality”; “tides of continental immigration”; “mixed
race”
•Dangers of individualism out of control; relate to DeToequeville.
“GREEN” COMPANIES – TESLA
California influences the nation. If the
state were its own country it would be
the 6
thmost economically powerful.
CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is a major industry for the Golden State. With
88,000 farms and ranches, California agriculture is nearly a
$32 billion dollar industry that generates $100 billion in related
economic activity. This enormous achievement is possible
through a combination of tradition and innovation that has
secured California's status as the most productive agricultural
state for more than 50 years. Farmers and ranchers blend
old-fashioned notions of patience and perseverance with
cutting-edge technologies and advanced agricultural practices. The
result is a highly adaptable and diverse industry encompassing
more than 350 plant and animal commodities.
Mainstream media generates over
$60 billion in related economic
activity. Some put the estimate at
over $80 billion. Various aspects
apply to making this estimate. Big
budget films for instance first
generate box-office receipts then
carry over to “Pay-Per-View” and
DVD sales. Students need to take
into account the various players of
the industry to realize Hollywood’s
impact on California’s economy.
Direct sales of pornography in
the state of California exceeds
$20,000,000,000!
•
Over 52% of all sales go to
women.
•
Over half of all hotel guests
purchase adult videos in
their room.
PARTISANSHIP
MASS AUTHORED CAMPAIGN RHETORIC
CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY
1.Financial Conservatives
2.Social Conservatives
3.Moral Conservatives
There are three conservative factions within the
Republican Party. Individuals may identify themselves
with more than one. These are:
CRP - MORAL CONSERVATIVE IMPACT
Governor Davis faced
considerable opposition during his re-election campaign for governor. Richard Riordan was viewed as the most formidable opponent if he were to be the Republican nominee. Gray Davis’s strategy was to attack Richard Riordan during the
primary so the more
DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
MAJOR PARTY POWER
Even though the national parties have become weaker and less active, that the same cannot be said of state and local party organizations. Parties at the sub-national level are stronger and more active than they were in the 1950s, which was at the peak of partisanship. It was discovered that as partisanship continued to erode that they shifted gears in order to bolster their membership base.
National Party
State Party
Local City / County Party Local City / County Party
Local City / County Party Local City / County Party
BUSH IN 30
BUSH IN 30
AMERICA’S TWO PARTY SYSTEM
CANDIDATE IMAGE
CARNEGIE FROM “WEALTH”
UPTON SINCLAIR’S “THE JUNGLE”
•Upton Sinclair was a poor reformer who sought to write the Great
American Novel.
•“The Jungle” examined the unsanitary methods of Chicago’s
meatpacking industry of Chicago. It was released in 1906.
•President Theodore Roosevelt received advanced copy. Used his
influence to push Congress to pass a law establishing the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA). Roosevelt coined the term “muckrakers”
to describe Sinclair and other reformist crusaders.
•Roosevelt’s phrase was not meant to be wholly complimentary.
HOW THE MASSES PERCEIVE THE PARTIES
Activists are most likely to participate in
campaign activities. These are the most
partisan among typical voters. Two of the
most common activities aside from
voting is donating personal labor and
financial resources. Political pandering
refers to how parties cater to their core
base of activists. Those found in the
Republican Party tend to be more
conservative
than
the
average
HOW THE MASSES VIEW THE PARTIES
Let us now see how Hollywood views the parties from the perspective of the average Joe or Jane. Our example comes from the movie “Bulworth” starring Warren Beatty. Two scenes are shown to demonstrate pandering as seen from the perspective of Hollywood. What are your thoughts after watching these clips? Do they coincide with your personal belief systems in any way?
