Invisible Primaries, USA.
A. How important is the invisible primary in the presidential election campaign? The invisible primary is the period in between where candidates first announce their intentions to stand for presidency and when the first primary ballots are cast. The invisible primary generally consists of heavy fund raising (in excess of $100 million) as well as opinion polls, used by the media, to gauge who the front runners for the election are. Generally speaking, those who are able to raise the most money are going to appear as the strongest candidates and as a result, will be able to command greater donation power from those who are reserved until they have a clearer idea of who may win. The creation of informal and semi formal networks is crucial. Democrat, Hillary Clinton didn't announce her 2008 presidential intentions until after the 2006 mid-term elections, but her team had already begun to build a national fundraising committee to rival the Democratic National Committee, which was perceived to be unpredictable. The front loading of the primaries and caucuses means that candidates need to build up a significant amount of capital during the invisible primary 'process'. Front loading has rendered it very difficult to raise capital once the actual primaries commence. In 1996 and 2000, Pat Buchanan and John McCain couldn't defeat the financial strength of Dole and Bush, despite
Consider whether the activities of pressure groups help or hinder the operation of a pluralist democracy in the USA.
Consider whether the activities of pressure groups help or hinder the operation of a pluralist democracy in the USA. Interest groups seek to influence decision makers in to vote in a way that benefit's the group's interests such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the American Medical Association (AMA). The US is a pluralist democracy which means that there is more than one centre of power, this means that there are many access points that interest groups can target. Many interest groups have offices on Washington DC's "K Street" giving easy access to the Capitol which is the centre of US Federal Government. There are varying views on interest groups and their effects on democracy, the main viewpoints are those of pluralists, neo-elitists and elitists. The Pluralists are of the opinion that interest groups are good for society and act as a safety valve, as expressed by Robert Dahl in his book "Who Governs". Interest groups allow groups of people who share the same ideals to come together and act towards furthering their views and representing those without representation, be it through disenfranchisement, lack of awareness or the dominance of another social group within their Congressional District/State (Their elected representative is not representative of them). The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was set up to promote civil
How does the Seperation of Powers work within the American Constitution?
How does the Seperation of Powers work within the American Constitution? When the founding fathers wrote the Constitution they came up with a revolutionary idea which is known as the seperation of powers. This incorperated a system which protected the principles on which the constitution was based, such as avoiding tyranny and forming a more perfect union. The way the seperation of powers work is known as vertical and horizontal. The vertical seperation of powers has three different branches, the Federal government, the state governments and the much smaller local governments. The local governments consist of a mayor, councils and county courts, these would ytake care of things such as legislation on parking offences and littering. The two main branches are the Federal and state governments, the Federal government is supeme and the legislation passed in the Federal legislature takes precedence over that which is passed in the states legislature. Although the system is meant to preventone person or group gaining too much power, we saw with Roosevelt's New Deal that it can be difficult trying to prevent this. Roosevelt wanted to take some powers away from the states to help improve the economy and help the states, this though was ruled unconstitutional but was still passed when he threatened to pack the Supreme Courts with his own supporters. There are powers though that can
Should the UK have a written constitution?
03/05/07 Tim Gloster Should the UK have a written constitution? This question has been asked many times in the past few decades to many different governments. During the 18 years of Conservative rule up to 1997 changing the un-written constitution to a written one was hardly discussed, the Conservatives are not in favour of it at all. Conservative Prime Ministers like Margaret Thatcher took the view, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." However since 1997, when Labour came to power, there have been several constitutional changes, such as devolution, and there are calls to have a written constitution from many in the Labour government. There are several arguments for having a written constitution, not least that the UK is the only country in the world not to have its constitution written and codified. With a written constitution everyone knows exactly what a government can and cannot do and would stop the government from becoming too powerful. An example of what this would stop would be if Tony Blair wanted to go to war he would have to go through parliament, whereas at the moment he can take the decision himself within his cabinet with no obligation to ask parliament. It would also give the UK a chance to get rid of out-of-date parts of its constitution, such as the hereditary monarchy. However this would be very difficult to do as the Queen still has to sign all
Examine the effectiveness of the checks and balances system of the American Government. and FPTP ESSAY
Examine the effectiveness of the checks and balances system of the American Government. In drafting the American constitution the Framers are believed to have incorporated some of the best features to a constitution, including the separation of powers. This concept limits the power of the American government through several means, particularly by dividing the powers of the government between three branches in government. Each branch checks the actions of the other and balances their power in some way. The Legislature (Congress) is responsible for making laws. After a law is proposed as a bill, it is sent to appropriate committees for several stages of discussion, research, and modification. It is then debated in both legislative houses, if the law is passed; it is still subject to further modification and final vote by both houses. Under the system of checks and balances, the president can refuse to sign the bill into law (through the veto power). The legislature can then vote to override the veto. Other checks and balances include legislative powers to impeach public officials, confirm appointments to the executive and judicial branches, and vote on appropriations. In 1987, the Senate rejected President Reagan's nominee, Robert Bork, for a place in the Supreme Court. Another example of the powers of the congress was the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998. Congress holds
The Australian Constitution is the ultimate law ruling in Australia
On 1st January 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution came into effect, bringing together the six self-governing colonies and establishing a federal system of government. This federal system allows for Power to be divided between states and the federal government by the Australian constitution. It also allows for separation of powers between the legislature, executive and the judiciary. It must be noted that the constitution can only be amended by referendum. The High court has the role of reviewing the constitution when there is a dispute; this involves interpretation of the constitution by the judges of the high court. These high court decisions have led to an increase in power to the federal government. Another reason that the federal government now has more power than issued to it by the constitution is due of state to federal agreements on certain laws. The constitution is the overruling law in Australia that was passed by the British in 1900 in a statute called the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK). This is the outline of the Commonwealth; setting out how the new federation would be established and the guidelines for the way Australians would shape their nation. The Constitution is also the outline for the lives of Australians, providing the authority for the powers by which our legislators make laws, our executive government implements them,
US pressures groups are undemocratic, discuss
US Pressure Groups are Undemocratic, Discuss A pressure group is an organised interest group in which members hold similar beliefs and actively pursue ways to influence government. Unlike political parties, which seek to win control of government, pressure groups are principally interested in influencing those who determine policy. Pressure groups in the US operate at all levels of government be it federal, state and local and seek to bring their influence to bear on all three branches of government. There are wide ranges of views amongst the pressure groups that operate in the US. Many tend to hold firm beliefs that they are somewhat effective in disabling political dominance of all three branches of government. Others however, see them as adding to the splintering and atomisation of US society, employing different techniques that make them largely undemocratic. Nevertheless, pressure groups, whether in the US or the UK are regarded as having important implications for a modern democracy. The arguments in favour of them tend to follow the functions they may usefully perform. Though them, citizens can participate in the political process between elections. Groups such as the National Organisation for Women (NOW) or the National Rifle Associations, despite holding single issue, still provide opportunities for ordinary people to participate in decision making. Without such
How good a president was Bill Clinton? William "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He ran for
How good a president was Bill Clinton? William "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He ran for the Democrats against incumbent President George Bush, who had been deemed 'unbeatable' after the Persian Gulf conflict. However, his approval ratings feel from 80% to just over 40% by the time of the general election. Clinton's election campaign was dogged with allegations of affairs, drug-use and shady business deals, but Clinton stood firm by refusing to withdraw from the election. He un-expectantly won with 42.9% of the vote. There were three main factors that contributed to Clinton's election victory; first, the campaign came in the midst of the recession of 1992. The resulting job loss fuelled strong discontent with Bush. Clinton was perceived as sympathetic, concerned, and more in touch with ordinary families. Second was the decision by Bush to accept a tax increase. Not having been in Congress at the time, Clinton was able to effectively condemn the tax increase. Finally, Bush's support was in disarray as his conservative voters lacked confidence in him. Clinton appealed to the electorates with his charismatic personality. His relaxed personality was popular with young people, whereas him high intelligence impressed those who expected more from him. Clinton was seen during his presidency and during his candidacy as a change from
'Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.' - Discuss this statement by Stanley Wolpert
Discuss the statement made by Stanley Wolpert about Jinnah that:' Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.' History Guided Course Work Assignment History HL- Asian Option Author: Syed Nadir El-Edroos Candidate Number: D0638-024 Word Count: 2993. Date: 13/01/2002. Teacher: Sylla Cousineau Table of contents- page An Introduction to Jinnah: 3 Jinnah: The Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity: 3-4 Jinnah the constitutionalist: 4 Satyagraha and the Khilafat Movement: 5 The Delhi Conference of 1927: 5-6 Jinnah, And the Muslim League: 6-7 Congress Provincial Rule: 1937-39: 7 The Demand for Pakistan: 8-9 Conclusion: 9 Bibliography: 10 Evaluation of Sources: 11-12 An introduction to Jinnah: To Pakistanis, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is revered, known as Quaid-e-Azam, or 'Great leader'. He is their George Washington, their de Gaulle, their Winston Churchill. Born on December 25, 1876 in Karachi and getting his early education in his birth place, Jinnah joined the Lincolns Inn in 1893 to become the youngest Indian to be called to the Bar three years later. Jinnah rose to prominence as Bombay's1most successful lawyers. According to one contemporary, quoted in a Time Magazine profile, Jinnah was "the best showman of them all.
Why does the President have difficulties coordinating the work of the executive branch?
Why does the President have difficulties coordinating the work of the executive branch? There are many reasons to why the presidents have difficulties coordinating the work of the executive branch, one being the size of it, nearly 3 million people work for it, it is also hard for a president to control the work as there also so many different departments all doing their own work. Also the executive branch is also known as the federal government bureaucracy. You also have the commissions and agencies to deal with, agencies like the CIA and NASA which will be hard to work with, as the president wouldn't have a great knowledge of the space programme or what the CIA get up to. You also get Iron Triangles which you get when an interest group makes links with a department and agencies and a congressional committee all come together and these can be very frustrating for the president. The very size off the bureaucracy has a problem, when you look at the numbers employed by them, its nearly 3 million, around 2.3% of the civilian workforce which is w very large number to coordinate, as you can't bring them all together, it's a large number of to get orders down to and them thinking in your political way. Also the structure of it as it is divided into executive departments, bureaux, commission and agencies. The Executive departments are cabinet ranks departments are responsible for
