West Coast American Leadership AcademyPolitical Science 1 – US GovernmentSummer / Fall 2015 – Power Point 3

Course Lecture Topics• The Irony Of Democracy• Elites and Masses• Democracy and the Survival of Democracy• Elitism Being The Most Realistic• Elite Theory Supporting Upward Mobility• Defining The Elite Consensus• Elitism And Public Policy• Mass Behavior And Mass Threats• Pluralism In A Democracy• Elitism Versus Pluralism

Elitism• Elitism does not promote elite rule• The rules of a society obstruct social progress of masses• Elites are needed due mass ignorance and apathy• Elites have two main goals

– Preserve and enhance their positions of power

• Masses open to demagogues– When the economy is doing poorly– The country is fighting a war that it is losing

• Demagogues come from the far left or far right• The Founding Fathers were against national referenda

Elitism Summarized – 11. Society is divided between the powerful few and the

majority weak.2. Governing few are not typical of the governed masses.

Elites are not drawn mostly from the upper classsocioeconomic section of society.

3. Non-elites have to be given the opportunity to rise up toelite positions. The masses have to believe that theprocess is continuous or revolution may occur. Barriersprevent finite elite positions from being overtaken byunqualified individuals. This is a rat and cheese scenario.

Sufficient Cheese Sufficient Cheese Lack Of Cheese

Elitism Summarized – 21. Elites share a common belief on the basic values of the

elite. Any change of public policy will be incrementally slowrather than revolutionary.

2. Elites may base their actions either on narrow, self-servingmotives and risk undermining mass support, or they mayinitiate reforms, curb abuse, and undertake public-regarding programs to preserve the system.

3. Active elites are not typically influenced from apatheticmasses. Elites influence masses more than the massesinfluence elites.

Elitism Summarized – 3

Elite Information Flow – 1• Information flows from opinion elites down to opinion

leaders who are looked to the public for information• News is first “created” by opinion elites and then sent to

opinion leaders to help disseminate the information• Those at the very top of the elite network decide what

information is deemed as necessary to offer society• These elites may be news makers themselves or in

charge of large media corporations• Opinion leaders may be thought of as journalists, news

anchors, expert pundits or even celebrities who possesslegitimacy among those in society.

Elite Information Flow – 2

Manipulation ExampleHow can we protectourselves against the threatsof germs and toxins? ColdWar America gears up tofend off threats fromunconventional bioweapons.This is another example ofhow propaganda is utilized tofoster fear within society.Enjoy the video.

Biological Warfare

Mirror Myth (1 )

• News media outlets “decide what will bedecided”

• Bias is exhibited throughout themainstream and nontraditional newssources

• The news media stress that they arenonbiased since they only reflect reality

Mirror Myth (2)• Their choice of news

subjects proves their bias• All news is biased

CinemocracyVarious forms of propaganda havebeen utilized to drum up masssupport to better assure elitelegitimacy. Cinemocracy, therelationship between motionpictures and government is one waygovernmental elites sell theiragenda. Enjoy this classic cartoonwhere “Popeye The Sailor Man”battles the Nazis.

Popeye Versus The Nazis

Propaganda – Citizen BasedTechnological advancements haveempowered common citizens withcreative minds to produce their ownpropaganda. “The War On Terror”sparked a great deal of mediadistributed via the Internet. Elites nolonger maintain total control overdistribution. Many citizens may deemthese video as offensive. Keep inmind that propaganda is meant toproduce an “Us” versus “Them”mindset. Does this video have anyimpact over your belief system?

Diplomacy

Pluralism & Spheres (1) • Pluralism insures that groups are restricted from single

handedly influencing public policy• cross-cutting cleavages would form, as groups seek

compromise with others to build coalitions that wouldsucceed in affecting change

• Minorities are protected from an overwhelming majority• Majority power-holders are essentially “checked”

– Cross-cutting cleavages balance against overwhelming forces

Pluralism & Spheres (2)

Pluralism Summarized (1) 1. Society is divided into numerous groups with all making

demands on government while none of the participantsare able to dominate all decision-making.

2. Citizens do not directly participate in decision-making,but they are able to vote for leaders to make decisionsthrough a process of bargaining, accommodation, andcompromise.

Pluralism Summarized (2) 3. Competition among leadership groups helps protect

individuals’ interests. Countervailing centers of power – forexample, competition among business leaders, laborleaders and government leaders – can check one anotherand keep each interest from abusing its power andoppressing the individual. Each of these individual“spheres of influence” allies themselves with otherspheres that possess similar goals. See “Spheres OfInfluence”.

4. Individuals may not participate directly in decision-making,but they can exert influence through active participation inorganized groups, political parties and elections.

Pluralism Summarized (3) 5. Leadership groups are open; new groups can form and

gain access to the political system.

6. Political influence in society is unequally distributed, butpower is widely dispersed. Access to decision making isoften determined by how much interest people have in aparticular decision. Because leadership is fluid andmobile, power depends on one’s interest in public affairs,skills in leadership, information about issues, knowledgeof democratic processes, and skill in organization andpublic relations.

Pluralism Summarized (4) 7. Multiple leadership groups operate within society.

Those who exercise power in one kind of decision donot necessarily exercise power in others. No single elitedominates decision making in all issues.

8. Public policy does not necessarily reflect majoritypreference, but is an equilibrium of interest interaction –competing interest group influences are more or lessbalanced, and the resulting policy is therefore areasonable approximation of society’s preferences.

Elitism Versus Pluralism (1) 1. Elitism asserts that the most important division in society

is between elites and masses.

2. Elitism emphasizes the importance to leaders tomaintain their position of power – Pluralism emphasizesthis devotion to their group interests.

3. Elitism asserts that mass membership of organizationsrarely exercises influence on elite leadership. That theseorganizations have no democratic processes and arecontrolled by leaders who operate for their own self-interest. Pluralists offer no evidence that the giantorganizations represent the interests of their individualmembers.

Elitism Versus Pluralism (2)

4. Elitism takes into account of all power holders – privateand public. Pluralism focuses on governmental leadersand those who interact directly with them.

5. Elitism emphasizes shared characteristics of leaders ontop of their interest in preserving the social diversityamong leaders, differences in backgrounds, ideologies,and viewpoints. Pluralism also argues that decisionsmade by leaders are a product of their role perception,institutional constraints, interest group pressure, publicopinion, etc. Elitism focuses on leadership consensus –Pluralism focuses on elite conflict.

Cinemocracy“Hemp For Victory” is a classicexample of Cinemocracy. Thisgovernment propaganda filmmade during WWII touted thevirtues of hemp. The film wasaimed at farmers at a timewhen the military was facing ashortage of hemp. It showshow hemp is grown andprocessed into rope and otherproducts. Why do you thinkhemp was later vilified?

Hemp For Victory

Spheres Of Influence

• Competing spheres of influenceprotect minority rights againstmajority factions

• Alliances will form among oncecompeting spheres in order to“check” another sphere orindividual elite base that acquirestoo much power

• Individual spheres of influence arealways on the alert for one of theirpeers assuming too much power.

Competing Spheres

• Competing Spheres of Influenceessentially check each other withinthe political system

• This is essential for the protectionof minority rights especially as itpertains to majority factions

• Elites are those who hold positionsof power in society

• Our Founding Fathers consideredthe protection of minority rights asthose few individuals who retainedcontrol over society

Transitional Effects (1) • Competition produces great returns for humanity• The result has been America progressing from a

predominantly agricultural society to an industrial,nuclear, and information based society

• Innovation has led to advancements that have greatlyinfluenced every aspect of society.

• Society has benefited from constant advancements inenergy harvesting, computers, communication, waterpurification, medicine, etc.

Transitional Effects (2) SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Every significant discovery has in turn greatly influenced societal norms of behavior Masses today view internet

communications as a vital necessity. It is nearly impossible to operate in a complex society without easy access to the web. The majority of masses did not have this belief fifteen

years ago. Only society determining that the internet allowed for greater efficiency was it adopted as a societal

norm. Those not willing to adapt became obsolete.

Stabilization• Sudden instability is the greatest threat to humanity

– It threatens to cause irreparable harm to the individual

• Elimination of one’s sustenance throws the individualinto a state of war, because their survival is nowthreatened

• Nation-states consist of multiple spheres of interest inturn consisting of individual units consisting of people

• Survival is the primary goal of man and nation-states– The primary concern is that of stability– This philosophy has prevented a major war for over 70 years– Instability is the primary cause of all conflict

Spheres Of Influence

• Spheres consist of individualswho share a common set ofinterests and/or belief systems

• Individual participants are theabsolute micro-level– Family, work, school, political

parties, religion, etc.– The individual member serves as

the conduit between spheres– Various social interactions

influence individual behavior

Elite Stages• Elites are the true minority

– True for all societies• Elites possess large capacities of power• The example shows maximum education

Pluralism Alliances

• Alliances will form among oncecompeting spheres in order to“check” another sphere orindividual elite base that acquirestoo much power

• Certain situations may also call forspheres realize they share acommon agenda with one or moreof their respective peers

Individual

Interdependent Spheres

Government Business

Power Theory (1) • To exert power one must first possess adequate reserves

– This is defined simply as “capacity of power”

• Achieving higher positions is dependent on various factorsthat may include: education; wealth; profession; charismaand other talents either developed or engrained from birth

• This “capacity of power” is not determined according to asingle resource, ability or possession

• It is a combination of different variables that serve to makeup the individual

• This is just like a battery consisting of energy resourcesdrawn upon when it comes time to draw power in order toachieve a set objective.

Power Theory (2)

Like a battery powering a flashlight so does one’s

individual “capacity of power” serve to assist one in achieving a

set goal or in this case influencing or affecting political behavior to maintain, expand or protect one’s standing in order

to survive in society.

Power Theory (4) Power equals resources (capacity of power) times compliancesquared, divided by force. Every accounting of power theory istaken into consideration in the construction of this formula. Wehave explored the contention that the pursuit of self-interestencourages man to engage in political behavior. This serves asthe foundation for rational choice theory, which in turn has led usto power theory. One may argue that the pursuit of powermaintains the never ending cycle of political: conflict; compromise;alliances; and wars.

Power Theory (5) Many have countered this argument with a direct assault on thestatement that “there is no morality in politics”. These critics areboth right and wrong. It is true that morality has no directcorrelation with political science if the pursuit of self-interests andpower resources maintains utmost priority. On the other handthey may be correct if one party sells their pursuit as a moralcause in order to achieve their agenda. For example, one mayargue that good may come from conflict even if it leads to thedestruction of a nation-state and the slaughtering of thousands ormillions of people if the seed of democracy is planted andnurtured to maturity.

Transparency (1) America has grown from the days of a colony to major power,superpower, and hegemon, to its present empire status. Americanpower is felt throughout the international community. Playingpoker requires one to adopt what is commonly known as a “pokerface”. Players will hide their true emotions, even faking their trueintentions to catch other players off guard. Some have even takento wearing sunglasses. The exact opposite tactic that the UnitedStates has adopted is “Transparency”. This involves disclosing allroutes the nation-state will undertake with regards to all forms ofpublic policy pertaining to its political, economic and militarystrategies.

Transparency (2) Alexander Hamilton initiated thispolicy as the chief financialphilosopher of the United Stateseven if he did not coin the term.Hamilton is regarded as the chiefarchitect of our economic policy,which in turn was developed in orderto win the confidence of domesticUS business and financial elites aswell as gaining the confidence ofinternational business.

Transparency Example (1) America possesses the mosttechnologically advancedmilitary hardware. This videodemonstrates one of the firstdeployable force fields forlight armored vehicles(LAVs). Welcome to the 21stCentury.

Trophy

Transparency Example – 2 America is not the only nationthat utilizes Transparency. Thisvideo shows the Israeli DefenseForce demonstrating a new typeof gun that can shoot aroundcorners. A brief interview with theinventor of this amazing weaponfollows the demonstration.

Corner Shot

Transparency Example – 3 Some forms of transparency areboth political and military innature. The military sponsoredthe development of the MassiveOrdinance Aerial Burst (MOAB). Itis commonly referred to as “TheMother Of All Bombs”. It is thelargest conventional bomb in ourarsenal. There is a psychologicalcomponent to this bomb. Amushroom cloud forms followingsuccessful detonation. It lookssomewhat like a nuclear devicebeing detonated.

MOAB

Transparency Example – 4 Javelin is a fire-and-forget missilewith lock-on before launch andautomatic self-guidance. Thesystem takes a top-attack flightprofile against armored vehicles(attacking the top armor which isgenerally thinner) but can alsotake a direct-attack mode for useagainst buildings or fortifications.This missile also has the ability toengage helicopters. Javelin issupplied by Raytheon/LockheedMartin's JAVELIN Joint Venture.

Javelin

American Democracy – 1 Elitism in the United States is government by the few.Elites and the Masses in American Political Life.1. Elites have power to decide who gets what, when, and how.2. The lives of the masses are shaped by elite decisions.Democracy and the Survival of Democracy1. Democracy is government by the people.2. The survival of democracy is in the hands of elites.Evidence About Political Life Supporting Elite Theory1. The Irony of Democracy explains American political life using elite theory.2. American political history and contemporary political science provide

evidence of life in a democracy shaped by elites.

Government Of The FewItalian political scientist Gaetano Mosca expressed themeaning of elitism.1. In all societies there is a small ruling class and a more

numerous ruled class.2. French political scientist Roberto Michels stated the iron law of

oligarchy.3. American political scientist Harold Lasswell expressed that

government is always by the few.4. Elites are of society’s upper classes that control resources and

societal institutions.

Fear Of Pure Democracy1. The Founders feared that government by majority

rule would threaten the freedom and property ofminorities and individuals.

2. President Abraham Lincoln expressed theimpracticality of mass government.

3. Representative democracy inevitably leads to elitegovernment.

4. In Western democracies, elites have multipleinstitutional bases of power.

American Elite ConsensusTHE ELITE CONSENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES:

1. Liberty2. Respect For Private Property3. Limited Government

NOTE: Elites argue over the “MEANS” and not the “ENDS”

NOTE: Respect for private property does not necessarilymean safeguarding one’s home or personal possessionslike a car. It really means providing adequate security tosafeguard a person.

Elite Repression – 1 Elites primarily concern themselves with maintaining and/orenhancing their positions of power. This requires protecting thepower system in which they dominate. Stability of the system isan issue of great concern. If the system is not stable then themass class may no longer view elites as “legitimate. Massactivism inspires elite repression. Elites respond by limitingfreedom and strengthening security, banning demonstrations,curtailing speech, etc. One can argue that sexual harassmentlaws may be a form of elite repression. Why is this so?

Elite Repression – 2The majority of the mass classmay actually favor eliterepression to some degree,especially during times ofnational conflict (war). Shortlyafter Pearl Harbor, PresidentFranklin Delano Rooseveltauthorized the internment ofJapanese Americans living onthe West Coast, which theSupreme Court upheld. Could ithappen to another group ofcitizens again?

Political MessagesTechnology allows the commonindividual to cheaply create anddistribute propaganda worldwide.Cartoons have a tendency to makelight such terrible subjects that includewarfare. “Little Saddam & Bush” and“Saddam On The Run” were producedand distributed prior to Persian GulfWar II. The intent was to increasemass support for a US led invasion ofIraq. Do these cartoons influence yourpersonal opinion one way or theother? Would they have impact overpolitical leaders? Why or why not?

Saddam

Little Bush & Saddam

The First Elite Class – 1

The Founding Fathers were a truly exceptional elite1. The Founding Fathers were wealthy, educated,

talented, and resourceful.2. The Founding Fathers established a survivable and

stable federal government.3. The Founding Fathers established a constitutional

government not based on heredity.

The First Elite Class – 2

1. The elites were merchants, planters, lawyers, and bankers.2. A small middle class was composed of successful farmers,

shopkeepers, and independent artisans.3. The great mass of White Americans was small farmers and

workers in fishing, lumbering, and commerce.4. The bottom of the white social structure consisted of

indentured servants and tenant farmers.5. Black slaves were an important component of the

American economy considered property in the newdemocratic nation.

Priorities Of The FoundersThe Founding Fathers’ preferences for constitution formingwere government, the economy, and nationalism.1. The fundamental role of a republican form of government was

to protect liberty and property and to suppress threats againstdominant economic elites.

2. The strong central government was to open western land tospeculation, protect shipping and manufacturing, and ensurethe return of runaway slaves.

3. The politically and economically strong central governmentwas to play a respectable role in the international communityand exercise power in world affairs.

Formative Constitutional Elements

The formative elements of a national elite were evident at theAnnapolis Convention and the Constitutional Convention.1. The prestige of George Washington qualified him to preside

over the Constitutional Convention.2. The Founding Fathers had extensive governing experience.3. The Founding Fathers had attained high educational

achievements and were legally trained political decision-makers.

4. The Founding Fathers formed a major part of the nation’swealthy business and financial leadership.

5. The Founding Fathers viewed political, economic, and militaryissues from a nationalist perspective, looking beyond theirstate loyalties.

Government Consensus1. Delegates agreed that the fundamental end of government is

the protection of liberty and property.2. Delegates believed that there was a contractual relationship

between the people and their government, and that theultimate legitimacy of government is popular sovereignty.

3. Delegates believed that a republican government was arepresentative, responsible, and nonhereditary government.

4. Delegates believed that dividing government power amongseparate branches capable of checking each other was thegreatest assurance against tyranny.

5. Delegates believed that only a strong national governmentcould exercise its will directly on the people.

Conciliation & CompromisesThe Connecticut compromise was that representation in theHouse of Representatives would be based on population andrepresentation in the United States Senate would be equal withtwo senators from each state.1. The compromises on slavery were that three-fifths of the

slaves of each state would be counted for the purpose ofrepresentation and taxation, and that the slave trade would notend before 1808.

2. The compromise on tariffs was that exported articles shouldnot be taxed and only the national government could taximported articles.

3. The delegates agreed that there would be state, not national,qualifications on voting according to property holdings.

Elite ConstitutionThe Constitution was an elitist document.1. Elites enjoyed constitutional benefits from congressional levy

of taxes, regulation of commerce, protection of money andproperty, creation of the military, protection against revolution,protection of slavery, limitation of states in monetary andbusiness affairs.

2. The elite’s support for a strong national government wasrealized by constitutional arrangements such as nationalsupremacy, republicanism, separation of powers and checksand balances, and judicial review.

3. Elites skillfully used an extraordinary procedure, limitedparticipation, and a Bill of Rights to achieve constitutionalratification.