Suchergebnisse

Cover -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1 Beliefs and Values in American Society -- Values and American society -- The diversity of American society -- The core values within American political culture -- Conflict and consensus within American society -- Conclusion -- 2 The Constitution: Creating the Rules of the Game -- Why the Constitution matters -- The creation of a new republic -- The Constitutional Convention: the great compromise -- The core principles of the Federal Constitution -- The core structural features of the Constitutional settlement: horizontal and vertical separation -- The Constitution and the Bill of Rights -- Changing the Constitution through judicial interpretation -- Conclusion -- 3 Political Parties: The Politics of Aggregation and Disaggregation -- The nature of American parties -- The development of the American two-party system -- Parties as organizations -- Parties in the electorate -- Parties in government -- The resurgence of parties -- Conclusion -- 4 Elections and the Politics of Participation -- Who votes and who does not -- How Americans run for election -- How Americans vote -- Who wins and why -- Conclusion -- 5 The Presidency and the Politics of Leadership -- Presidential leadership -- The powers of the presidency -- The presidency and the mass media -- The vice-presidency -- Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and the modern presidency -- The obligation to bargain -- The presidency and the executive branch -- The presidency and Congress -- Conclusion -- 6 Congress and the Politics of Legislative Competition -- Procedural and structural dimensions -- The bicameral dimension -- The institutional dimension -- The individual dimension -- The specialized and fissiparous dimension -- The aggregative and collective dimension -- Party organization in the House -- Party organization in the Senate -- Party and voting.

"In the twenty-first century, as many candidates actively campaign against the very government they seek to serve in, and as many people appear to believe their government irreparably broken, T. M. Sell argues that in Washington State, the system works better than most realize. In Washington State Politics and Government Sell explains how the many parts of government function and introduces readers to a diverse array of individuals who work in government, including how they got there and what it is they're trying to do. Sell covers the three branches of state government, plus county, city, special purpose district, and tribal governments. He explains the state budgets and taxes; the functions of major and better-known state agencies; how policy is made; the political landscape of Washington; and parties, voting, and elections. Sell discusses economic development, including the importance of high-tech industry, aviation, Amazon.com, and more traditional parts of the state economy, such as timber and agriculture. He also provides a contemporary look at Washington's elected officials, constitution, judiciary, media, demographics, and political culture and landscape. With this volume, any Washington citizen, student of politics, or specialist in government can gain insight into the state's current political system"--