Notes, March 3 2008

Progressive Eras and Reform

Beyond the Australian Ballot- Other progressive era reforms

- Commission form of oversight developed for local governments. ( Has a director who handles each part, such as Commissioner of Sanitation, water, etc)
-City Managers - non partisans public administrator
-17th and 19th Amendment


Why was the progressive movement successful?
-Muckraking journalism and media scrutiny of corruption sets the agenda ( HE said to remember it in you own words, It means that an attentive media is willing to expose things)
- Charismatic leaders - T.R. and “fighting” Bob LaFollette. ( T.R. Progressive candidate of 1912, Bob was the candidate of 1916)

- Healthy amounts of partisan conflict.
-galvanizing events like Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” and the election of 1912.
The slow and steady pace of reform.

Unintended consequences of reform.
-Public oversight becomes a fertile ground for corruption in it’s own rights
-merit system has never been comprehensive and has always been compromised
- Direct democracy takes on some qualities of “mob rule’
- Ballot access becomes more difficult preventing 3rd party competition.

DEMS AND GOPS
“Issue w/some staying Power”

GOP
-Focus on individualism with tacit opposition to collective identity.
-nationalism - especially nativism
- commitment to “divine truths”
- Lincoln and the “Natural rights of Man”
- In the modern era the US was predestined to be a super power.
-Traditional moral values
-anti-slavery
-Opposition to polygamy
-Just say “no”
-Opposition to gay marriage.
DEMS
-More open to new immigration
-Support for agriculture
-Historically , the plantation economy and small Western farms
- Today, subsidization of ethanol production
-Support for civil liberties and less national government involvement in citizens personal lives
- Identification w/ the working class
- Embrace religious pluralism

( What is the biggest barrier to voting? Same Day Registration)

Well the test is tomorrow! He said to pretty much focus, and you’ll do fine! I’m sorry for this test, because I didn’t have enough time to get everything done. But by next time for the next test, I’ll be able to get it done, and get more notes and better preparedness for a test!