The People and the Power Gamewas produced by

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Making Democracy WorkBy Hedrick Smith

1

The history and institutions of American democracyare a source of national pride to Americans. For mostpeople, the trip to Washington is a rite of passage,a moment of homage beneath the vaulting dome ofCongress or of silent awe at the simple, stately ele-ganceof the White House. The monument to George Washing-ton towers above the city, a symbol of un-waveringstrength. Thomas Jefferson, tall and far-seeing, gazesout across the Potomac River. Abraham Lincoln,thoughtful and compassionate, looks down on us, hiswisdom inscribed on his memo-rial.

And yet today, Americans areprofoundly dissatisfied with theperformance of our nationalgovernment. Opinion polls showthat public trust in the leadersand institutions of governmenthas been declining for severaldecades. One survey in May1994 found that 75 percent ofthose polled thought that “majorchanges” were needed in “theway the federal governmentworks.”

Popular discontent was dramati-cally expressed in the 1994election, when voters sweptDemocrats out of control in theHouse of Representatives for thefirst time in 40 years. Just twoyears earlier, 19 percent of thevoters rejected the presidential candidates of the twomajor political parties to support a political neophyte,Ross Perot, in what was the most massive repudiationof the political establishment in an American election.

Voter participation has been declining, because manyAmericans feel powerless and think that Was-ingtondoes not care about them and their problems. “The nationas a whole is losing all respect for the political pro-cess,” asserted an automotive worker from Michigan.“There’s a sense that the system is broken,” said amedical marketing manager from California. A bankofficer from Georgia was critical of elected officials:“They’re on an ego trip. They sit around playing powergames with each other.”

People are frustrated but they do not understandwhy. They focus on personalities though the obsta-cles to better government may lie deeper—in thesystem itself.

The Constitution provides a system of separatedand shared powers—the executive, legislative andjudicial branches of government. But few peopleunderstand that constitutional checks and balanceshave been accentuated—some say aggravated—bythe political divisions of government during the lastsix presidencies. For 22 out of the last 28 years, theWhite House and the Congress (or part of Congress)have been controlled by the opposite political parties—sometimes Republican presidents facing Democratic

majorities in Congress, orvice versa under PresidentClinton.

Such partisan divisions havecontributed to some of thepolicy deadlocks over the fed-eral budget, the war in CentralAmerica in the 1980s or Ameri-can intervention in Bosnia inthe 1990s, the level of militaryspending, and debates aboutthe proper size and role of thefederal government. Withpartisan divisions, no one is infull control of government. Thevoters do not know whom toblame when the government isnot working well.

Another important influenceon how government operatesand on how the public viewsWashington is “the shadow

government” of the media and the organized lobbies.They are not mentioned in the Constitution, but theyexercise great power in the name of the people. Inthe 1990s, the size of the government has actuallyshrunk, but the growth of the “shadow government”has been explosive. Some scholars believe that themedia and special interest lobbying have helpedundermine public confidence in government andmade it harder for Congress and the President to dotheir jobs.

Still another important influence on how Washing-ton works is the way our election campaigns arefinanced. Throughout much of our history, politi-cal parties organized and financed most electioncampaigns. But since World War II, and especiallyin the 1980s and 1990s, individual politicians havetaken an increasing role in organizing and fundingtheir own campaigns. This has given them muchgreater independence from their party leaders.

Hedrick Smith.

As a result, many go their own way rather thanworking together, but it is only in working togetherthat they can achieve results.

Our documentary and discussion series, The Peopleand the Power Game, examines these trends to showhow our political system actually works and to helpexplain public discontent with government. Fromextensive research and interviews with virtually all theimportant political participants, we have put togetherstories and case studies that take voters and studentsinside government to see the President, Vice President,House Speaker, Senate Majority Leader, members ofCongress, top lobbyists and major network anchors inaction. Then we talk to them about what they do andwhy they do it. Our approach is to use real life stories

• Instructional Objectives• Program Summary,

The Elected: The Presidencyand Congress

• Suggested Activities• Program Summary,

The Unelected: Lobbiesand the Media

• Suggested Activities• Extended Activities• The People in the Programs• Referenced Information• Citizen Involvement• Suggested Readings• Sources on the Internet

2

Instructional Objectives

• develop an appreciation of the art of politics—how power shapes the workings of our govern-ment;

• understand the necessity of compromise andcoalition building in politics;

• become more aware of the forces that shapelegislation;

• develop a lifelong curiosity about government,politics and the citizen’s role;

• concentrate attention on creating solutionsthat move government forward;

• be challenged to take a knowledgeable, par-ticipating role in political life;

• assess the impact of the media on politics andgovernment;

• interpret how the public agenda is shapedby interest groups, the media and politicalparties.

Through viewing The People and the Power Game and using this teaching guide, the student will:

and interesting people and events to show how theconstitutional system of checks and balances hasbeen changed by the techniques and technology ofmodern politics.

Finally, we bring together a representative sampleof American voters from all over the country totalk with experts and political professionals about howwe can make American democracy work better. Theirdiscussion generated ideas for reform, which are amodel for classroom discussions and for debate amongvoters and civic groups all across America. The goal isto go beyond the personalities of campaign politics tothink about the strengths, the weaknesses, and thefuture of American democracy and how we can allmake it fairer and more effective.

Left to right: Republican leaders Senator Robert Dole, SenatorTrent Lott, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Chairmanof the Appropriations Committee, Congressman Bob Livingston.

InstructionalElements

The Elected: The Presidency and Congress takes theviewer into the world of legislative politics. TheUnited States government was created to decentral-ize power, to protect the American public from atyrannical leader as envisioned byour founding fathers, having re-cently fought to overthrow suchtyrannical leadership. Perhapsthey did much too good a job.

The federal government isdivided into three branches—theexecutive, the legislative and thejudicial. Each branch has powersgranted to it by the Constitution,and each branch is able to imposechecks and balances on the othertwo. This system led politicalscientist Richard Neustadt todescribe “a government of sepa-rated institutions sharing powers.”Perhaps nowhere more than inthe legislative process do we seethose “separated institutions”struggling to retain their portionof those shared powers. TheElected specifically takes up the executive and thelegislative branches and how the deliberative processenvisioned by the founding fathers may have turnedinto gridlock.

Without compromise the newly formed UnitedStates of America would not have had the Constitu-tion that we so value today. Complex areas ofdisagreement separated the framers. Initially, thequestions of ending the slave trade, numericalrepresentation, and how the legislative bodieswould represent their small and large constituencieswere solved by such proposals as the Three-FifthsCompromise and the Great Compromise. Theirnames say it all. One final argument threatenedto split the new nation, the argument over govern-mental rights versus individual rights. The Bill ofRights solved that controversy.

Is compromise a concession, yielding or pragma-tism, a practical way of solving problems? One isseen as defeat, the other practical, realistic. Lookagain at the words of James Madison, in TheFederalist, No. 10: “. . . refine and enlarge thepublic views, by passing them through the medium

Program SummaryThe Elected: The Presidency and

Congress

of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom maybest discern the true interest of their country, andwhose patriotism and love of justice will be leastlikely to sacrifice it to temporary or partial consid-

erations.” Madison expectedour elected representatives tolook toward compromise toachieve the best response onecan hope to achieve given themany viewpoints about howbest to govern.

Many Americans are becomingcynical over what they see asgridlock in our government,the inability to accomplish themost basic of legislative actions.Many had hoped in 1992, withthe advent of the first Demo-cratic president in 12 years anda Democratic Congress in place,we would see an end to grid-lock and ineffectual government.But as the first segment in TheElected shows us, being of thesame political party does not

guarantee cooperation between the executive branchand Congress.

As a newly elected president, Bill Clinton fell intothe arrogance-of-power trap. Perhaps Tom Mannof the Brookings Institute said it best, “I think mostpresidents, most new presidents, overestimate thepower of the office they have just won.” This over-estimation of power cost President Clinton thesupport of conservative and more moderate Demo-crats in Congress. The President cannot order othersto follow. He must lead by persuasion. If that per-suasion is lost on Congress, he can turn to the Amer-ican public as Franklin Roosevelt did, but ultimatelyit is the Congress that will or will not pass thelegislative package a president puts forth.

Bill Clinton won some and lost some, most notably,health care reform, in his earliest attempts at legisla-tive leadership. In the process he drove the BlueDog Democrats into the arms of the Republicans.The language of another time gave us the name,yellow dog democrat. This was someone whowould vote for a Democrat even if it were a yellowdog. The Blue Dogs were born when prominent

3

President Clinton.

Louisiana artist George Rodrigue, famous for his bluedog art inspired by his dog Tiffany, created a paintingfor his friend, Democrat-now-turned-RepublicanJimmy Hayes (R, LA). Hayes was denounced for votingagainst the Democratic-inspired budget. Rodriquepainted an oil which he titled The Washington BlueDog and wrote a caption saying, “Jimmy Hayes, theBlue Dog Democrat.” Hayes supplied blue dog pins forother conservative Democrats. The Wall Street Journalpicked up on the pins and the designation stuck.

The Republicans, led by Newt Gingrich (R, GA),saw Clinton’s mistakes as fatal blunders and set outnot only to gain control of Congress but also toshift the center of power. It was this course ofaction that led to the downfall of Newt Gingrichand the Republican revolution.

4

Seventy-four freshmen Republican congressmen,inspired by the Contract with America and or-chestrated by the new Speaker of the House, NewtGingrich, moved like a blitzkrieg. They passed all butone component, term limits, of the Contract withAmerica. But their never-say-die attitude made themmore willing to fight than to compromise, and thepublic backlash against them and Speaker Gingrichstopped the revolution at the doors of the Senate andthe Oval Office.

Compromise is not surrender; it is a pragmaticcourse of action envisioned by the Constitution’sframers to make government operate in a slowand deliberate manner, creating consensus ratherthan bowing to the capriciousness of any onefaction.

The Democrats:• Bill Clinton is elected and faces legislative

obstacles.• Senator David Boren (D, OK) defects over the

economic package.• Democrats attempt to police their party after the

revolt of the Blue Dogs.• Health care reform fails.

The Republicans:• Newt Gingrich directs the 1994 Republican

election landslide in the House.

• Gingrich is picked as Speaker by newly electedRepublican House members. Republicanprogram introduced.

• House freshmen revolt over purging of one oftheir own. Senate moderates also revolt againstdiscipline.

• The farm subsidy proposal is modified by con-stituency politics.

• The budget impasse leads to shutdown of thefederal government, while Republicans divide.President Clinton wins a round in the budgetwar.

The Elected: The Presidency and Congress has the following segments presented in thisorder:

Above: House Speaker NewtGingrich. Right: Hedrick Smith

and Senator Robert Dole.

Suggested Activities forThe Elected: The Presidency

and Congress

1. Assign each student to write a letter from theperspective of a person who is visiting the UnitedStates and has observed first hand any of the eventsdepicted in one of the case studies from The Peopleand the Power Game.

• The student should write in first person to afriend who is an American citizen.

• The student should communicate feelings aswell as objective opinions.

• Have students exchange letters and reply tothe issues raised.

2. Use the most recent party platforms of theDemocratic, Republican, and any other parties.

• Give each group different parts of theplatforms.

• They are to create short statements thatsummarize positions on a variety of issues.

• The teacher will need to compile the state-ments into a questionnaire to which studentscan answer agree or disagree. (Note thisexercise is a classroom simulation and ofnecessity generalizations must be made.)

• Together with the class, classify the answersas most likely liberal or most likely conserva-tive.

• Students score their sheets with one point forthe most likely liberal answer and two pointsfor the most likely conservative answer.

• Generate a discussion on why a liberal or aconservative might agree or disagree with eachstatement.

• By generalizing, the lowest scores would bethe most liberal; the highest scores the mostconservative.

• Use the scores to introduce and generate (1) ahuman political spectrum, and (2) a graphicalone. (Remember, this is just one class and thespectrum only fits its range of beliefs. You mayhave a class of very liberal or very conservativestudents, but on the spectrum someone will bethe farthest left and someone will be thefarthest right.)

• As students stand in the human politicalspectrum, ask them to look around and note ifthere are any surprises as to where they or theirclassmates are standing.

• Ask them to speculate on why that might be.

3. Let students form two homogeneous groupsaccording to their places on the political spectrumas determined by the earlier activity, or help themform two consensus groups through agreement onselect issues.

• Using copies of party platforms from variouspolitical parties have each group create a 5 to10 plank platform upon which they can reachagreement using a one vote per person, major-ity rule.

• No minority reports are allowed; they mustcompromise to reach an agreement.

• Have the groups present their platforms to theclass.

• Each student should write a paper explaininghow he or she feels about the platform. Papersshould include the areas the students com-pletely, or for the most part, agree with in theplatform and those they would have preferredto see changed.

• Let each group tell the class how it reachedconsensus. Discuss: What were the hardestissues upon which to find agreement, theeasiest? Why do they think it happened thatway? Continue to debrief the students follow-ing the direction of their experiences.

4. Give students copies of all or parts of TheFederalist, No. 10 and Washington’s Farewell Ad-dress. Ask students individually or in groups to findand list the admonitions of Madison and Washing-ton against factions. Discuss why they think Madi-son, Washington and others felt so strongly. Did anyof their predictions come true? Are any of theirarguments viable today?

5. Acquaint students with the classifications ofgovernments based upon the type of executive andthe relationship of the executive to the legislature—presidential, parliamentary or dictatorial. Introducethe basic characteristics of each type. A chart orframe is useful for this.

• Divide the class into three groups. Each groupis assigned a government type and must formu-late a government based on that type.

• Introduce one scenario from the following listto each group:

Your group must organize on a deserted island.

Inflation is growing to alarming levels.5

}

}

Your group is under attack. You must decidehow to respond.A controversial piece of legislation needs tobe addressed.Citizens feel pressured and complain thattheir life, liberty and property are underattack.

• Discuss what problems the government typecreates for the group. Why?

• Which government type might be best suitedto handle the immediate problem? Why?

Having looked at various government formats andtheir capacity and competency to handle problems,ask students to write a paper describing underwhich type of government they would prefer to live.

6. Have students complete a chart detailing thethree branches of government and the Separation ofPowers and Checks and Balances as designated bythe Constitution (see page 18).

• Where do we see these elements at play in ThePeople and the Power Game?

• Given the layout of the branches, what breedof politician is most likely to generate the bestoutcomes?

• Are there events currently in the news thatportray these elements?

7. Assign the class to create and take a poll, write apaper, or initiate a class discussion on the followingtopics.

• What are the inherent weaknesses/strengths ofthe presidency?

• Congress?• Where should America look for policy

leadership—the President, Congress, both,neither?

8. Have students use a graphic depiction of Howa Bill Becomes Law to trace the path of a billthrough both houses of Congress and on to thePresident. Completely label the chart. Label all thepoints where a bill can be blocked from passage.

9. Ask the class to brainstorm suggestions forreform in the legislative process. Ask the class tocritically examine the list.

• Which suggested reforms seem to make themost sense? Why?

• If major reforms were passed in Congress andthe legislative process speeded up, would thisbe desirable or not? Explain.

10. Hedrick Smith comments on the presidentialleadership of Franklin Roosevelt during the De-pression. FDR’s activism changed the face of thePresidency forever.

• Assign the class to research and prepare apaper on how Roosevelt changed the presi-dency.

• Investigate the leadership of a modern presi-dent. How does the presidential legacy left byyour choice compare with Roosevelt’s.

11. Discussion: From The People and the PowerGame, compare the Democratic caucus’ attempt tobring the Blue Dog Democrats in line on Clinton’seconomic package and the Republican leadership’sattempt to punish Mark Neumann and MarkHatfield’s defections.

• What were the immediate results in each case?• Speculate on the long-term results.• What do these case studies say about party

loyalty vs. personal conviction or constituentresponsibility?

• Research historical cases of this same dilemma.

12. Ask a student to explain Congressman Parker’sstatement, “If you take a yellow dog Democrat andyou put your hands around his neck and yousqueeze hard enough and he can’t breathe, he be-comes a blue dog. And if you keep squeezing, hebecomes a Republican.”

13. Review with the class the historical compro-mises that give form to the Constitution of theUnited States—the Three-Fifths Compromise, theGreat or Connecticut Compromise, the addition ofthe Bill of Rights.

• Analyze the words of James Madison in TheFederalist, No. 10 as he clarified the intentionsof the framers of the Constitution:

The effect of the first difference is, on the one hand,to refine and enlarge the public views, by passingthem through the medium of a chosen body ofcitizens, whose wisdom may best discern the trueinterest of their country, and whose patriotism andlove of justice will be least likely to sacrifice it totemporary or partial considerations.

• Discuss the spirit of compromise intrinsic toour decentralized three-branch government.

• What forces are causing this spirit to breakdown in the legislative process?

• Is this a recent phenomenon or have we seenit at other times in our nation’s history?

• What sacrifices must politicians make to renewthis spirit of compromise?

• What sacrifices are necessary on the part of themedia? Interest groups? Citizens?

14. Have students research the Blue Dog Demo-crats who switched to the Republican Party afterRepublicans won control of Congress in 1994—Mike Parker (MS), Greg Laughlin (TX), BillyTauzin (LA), Jimmy Hayes (LA) and Nathan Deal(GA).

6

}

}

}

Do you approve of the way Bill Clintonis handling his job as president?

• Of those who have stood for re-election, howhave they fared?

• Let the class develop questions to ask (viae-mail or letter) someone on the national, state orlocal political level who has switched politicalparties.

15. Have the class examine the Clinton approvalgraphs on this page and answer the following:

• What trends can you discern from 1993 to theend of 1995?

• Pinpointvarious incidents inThe People andthe Power Game:

Clinton’sfirst 100 days (Jan.-May 1993);

Debate andpassage of theClinton economicpackage (Aug.1993);

NAFTAdebate and passage(Nov. 1993);

The healthcare reform debate(Aug. 1994);

The 1995budget battle, theveto of the Republi-cans’ BalancedBudget Bill andanticipated subse-quent federalgovernment shut-down (Sep.-Oct.1995).

• What hap-pened to Clinton’sapproval rating? Isthis what youexpected? Why orwhy not?

• Obtain thesame data for otherU.S. presidents.Gallup data is available beginning with Truman(http://www.gallup.com).

• How do Clinton’s approval ratings compare?• Which presidents have had the lowest overall

approval ratings? The highest?• Chart other presidents’ approval ratings with

various incidents in history.

16. For discussion: Congressman Orton said thatboth the Republican and Democratic parties arecontrolled by the extreme factions on the political

1993

1994

spectrum, but most Americans are centrists. Doyou agree or disagree?

17. Have students write papers or present argu-ments on the following. Suggestions to end demo-sclerosis included electing the president and bothhouses of Congress for the same term, electingCongress after the presidential election or puttingone party in control of Congress and the presi-dency. Do you agree with these proposals? Whatwould you suggest?

18. Do youthink politicalparties area good thing,a necessarypart of bring-ing cohesionand directionto our govern-ment?

19. Ask theclass: Ofprimaries,conventionsand partycaucuses,which do youfeel has thetendency tofoster morepublic partici-pation? Recordstudents’answers. Havestudents asktheir familiesand communitymembers.Record thereplies. Is therea consensus?Post thequestion to alistserv on theInternet.

20. Do you support term limits for Congress?Why or why not? What time frame would youchoose if there were a limit?

21. Senator Cohen asked the question, “ . . . howdo we restore confidence in our institutions . . . ?”Ask the class to discuss that issue. Have studentsask the question outside the class and post it onan Internet listserv. Do the answers reveal anygeographical or socioeconomic trends?

%Approve

%Approve

%Approve

}

}

}

}

}

7

Source:Gallup Polls

1995

8

Program SummaryThe Unelected:

Lobbies and the Media

The Unelected: Lobbies and the Media takes theviewer inside the “shadow government”—thelobbies and the media, who exercise power in thename of the American people and whose perfor-mance affects whether the public feels well servedby American democracy.

Under the Constitution, formal power is granted toelected officials and those appointed to the execu-tive branch by the president. People complain thatthis official bureaucracy has become bloated, butactually, the federal government has shrunk duringthe 1990s by 200,000 employees.

What has been growing rapidly is the unelectedpower centers of the media and the lobbies. WriterKevin Philips estimates that the armies of profes-sionals working to influence government policy isfar larger than ever and now numbers 60,000lawyers, 90,000 lobbyists, hundreds of trade asso-ciations, labor unions, citizens groups—all pushingtheir special agendas.

The media, too, is ex-ploding. In the 1930s,the entire White Housepress corps could fitaround the desk ofPresident FranklinDelano Roosevelt.Today, there are 1,800reporters, photog-raphers, televisionproducers and othermedia personnel whoare accredited to theWhiteHouse. In all,12,000 journalistswork in the nation’scapital.

The Media: Its explo-sive growth has leftthe mainstream media—the national televisionnetworks and the major newspapers—vulnerable tonew competition from cable television, talk radio,supermarket tabloids and infotainment shows like“Hard Copy” or “Inside Edition,” which play upentertainment and scandal over factual politicalnews and issue coverage.

The daily challenge is to choose what news toreport and how to treat it. Television finds it fareasier to cover personalities, scandals and snafusthan to explain the complexities of policy, econom-ics, or the inner workings of Congress. Graphicpictures or extremist accusations dominate thenewscasts. Sensationalism pushes aside news aboutthe substance of government.

In the relentless race for audience ratings andreadership, the mainstream media stands chargedwith lowering its news standards, with blurring theline between fact and opinion. In this program,news anchors Dan Rather of CBS News and PeterJennings of ABC News acknowledge their uneasi-ness at recent episodes and trends, such as thesupermarket tabloid allegations against presidentialcandidate Bill Clinton in 1992. The networks, DanRather says, are “right at the brink of being totallyoverwhelmed and consumed by entertainmentvalues as opposed to news values.”

Conflict is another favorite theme of the press. Theconflict between theWhite House presscorps and the presi-dency epitomizestoday’s combative styleof journalism and thedistrust that hasdeveloped between themedia and the gov-ernment since theVietnam War in the1960s and the Water-gate break-in duringthe 1972 presidentialcampaign and thesubsequent coverup byPresident Nixon.

Today, reporters maketheir careers by expos-

ing official wrongdoing. That has led to a culture of“gotcha” journalism. Exposes and conflicts are moreenticing stories to report than the necessary but lessdramatic give-and-take of political compromise.

With apathy rampant among American voters,critics blame the press for feeding public cynicism

CBS News anchor Dan Rather and Hedrick Smith.

The Unelected: Lobbies and the Media contains the following segments:

The Media:• CBS in “the competitive pit.”• Tabloids turn the mainstream media.• Newt Gingrich’s rise and fall in the media.• The rush to judgment—instant analysis.• The people vs. the media: issues vs. inside

baseball.• CBS: Getting back in touch.

The Lobbies:• The money game: bucks and beliefs.• Tom DeLay and U.P.S. vs. OSHA.• Stealing the bully pulpit: Harry and Louise.• The First Amendment in action.• Tobacco and the money game.• Smokescreen lobbying.• “Astroturf ”—artificial grassroots.

9

about government. Peoplesay that the media, by itsincreasingly negative tone,by turning tabloid, and bytreating government as aworld of underhanded dealsand power plays, has dis-torted the public agendaand provoked public mis-trust—both toward politi-cians and toward journalists.

The Lobbies: Citizen par-ticipation is the essence ofdemocracy. Going to Wash-ington to see your memberof Congress is putting theFirst Amendment intoaction. It is exercising theconstitutional rights of freeexpression and free assembly.It is petitioning the government—to protect theenvironment, preserve favorite programs, or rescuethe public from higher taxes. Our democracy cannotfunction without the citizen effort to influence policydebates, what is called lobbying.

But today, lobbying has become a highly sophisti-cated industry. It is not just folks coming fromCalifornia, Texas or Pennsylvania to see theirsenators. It is the professional influence peddlers—lawyers, lobbyists, ad men, telemarketers, publicrelations firms and grass roots organizers—whooften overpower and push aside ordinary citizens.

Great power and influence are exercised by thePACs—Political Action Committees, or the finan-cial arms of special interest groups that put upmuch of the money for our political campaigns.In fact, lobbying and funding campaigns havebecome the Siamese twins of American politics,because professional lobbyists have learned thatone of the best ways to gain access to politicians isto provide the money that helps them get elected.After the election, the PAC lobbyists have a betterchance than most ordinary people to sit down

with members of Congressto push their pet legisla-tion. The feeling thatWashington is dominatedby this “inside moneygame” has fueled publicdisillusionment with gov-ernment and has left manyordinary citizens feelingthat they cannot competewith special interests.

The newest wrinkle inlobbying is “the outsidegame.” This means goingover the head of Congressto the country at large withan issue, the way a presi-dent does from what Pres-ident Theodore Rooseveltcalled “the bully pulpit”

of the White House, and then mobilizing publicopinion to switch votes in Congress.

In one instance, the insurance industry foughtagainst President Clinton’s proposed reform of theAmerican health care system with a series of televi-sion advertisements targeted at the home districtsof important members of Congress. These were the“Harry and Louise” ads, showing a man and hiswife criticizing the President’s program at theirkitchen table.

Another tactic is to spend millions on hiring tele-marketers to phone hundreds, even thousands ofpeople. When the people agree with the positionof the lobbyist, the telemarketers put their phonecalls through to members of Congress to influencetheir vote. Advocates of this practice defend it asdemocracy in action. Critics say this is not grass-roots opinion but “Astroturf,” artificially generatedopinion. They contend this method distorts democ-racy because it exaggerates public support of lobby-ists’ causes and because it favors people and organi-zations rich enough to pay for this high-pricedlobbying.

Congressman Tom DeLay (R, TX, standing).

(With obstacles to passage in red)

Suggested Activities forThe Unelected: Lobbies and

the Media

10

1. Discuss with the class:• Do the actions of political parties differ from

what interest groups do?• Would stronger political parties decrease the

need for interest groups (lobbyists)?• Why would a Democrat want to “convert” to

a Republican?• How do government agencies act as interest

groups? Why would they need to?

2. Use the following questions for class or groupdiscussions or ask students to research and presentpapers on the topic.

• What do you believe is the relationship be-tween active government involvement andinterest group formation? Why?

• Find data to support or repudiate your suppo-sitions. Create a graph to demonstrate yourfindings.

• Identify the interest groups as either member-ship (supported by contributions of individu-als) or institutional (supported by business,labor, institutions, foundations, etc.).

• Is there a numerical or chronological

difference between institutional and member-ship interest group formation? Can you tie anygroup formations to specific historical, legis-lative or executive activities?

3. To initiate classroom discussion: What socialtrends and changes in contemporary America havethe potential to stimulate interest group formation?

4. How can interest groups help facilitate thelegislative process? The class can consider this ques-tion in general or with specific reference to thegraphic How a Bill Becomes Law (below).

5. Ask students to graphically depict the symbioticrelationship between interest groups and Congressdiscussed by Tony Motley in The People and thePower Game.

6. Brainstorm a list of tactics interest groups can useto influence Congress.

• Which would be most/least effective? Why?• What, if any, restrictions would you place on

interest groups? Why?

How a Bill Becomes Law

Bill is introducedin one chamber

(House or Senate)

Committee Hearings

If passed, sent to

other chamber

Floor Action

Party leaders seek toinfluence vote on party lines.

Presiding officer controlsbill’s progress.

Bill goes to PresidentBill becomes Law

President can veto entire billor can veto line items.

Other Chamber

Party ideologycan vary in each

chamber and can reducechances for compromise.

Public hearings held andamendments made.

Committee chair can delayor speed up the process.Bill can be pigeonholed(killed) or reported out

to the floor.Presiding officer may

assign bill to a favorableor unfavorable committee.

Committee hearings andfloor action repeated.

Returnedto originalchamber

Ifpassed

withamendments

If original chamberconcurs with changes

If nochanges

made

If not vetoed

11

• Research to see if any of your ideas have beenenacted. Any proposed in the recent past?What happened to them in Congress?

7. Begin a class discussion. It has been suggestedthe media is most effective in affecting how politicsare conducted.

• Do you agree or disagree? Explain. Citeexamples to support your position from theprograms and from current events.

8. Have students, working in pairs, choose differ-ent topics currently in the media.

• Have each pair check television, radio, news-paper, periodical and, if available, onlineservices’ reports on the topic.

• Compare the reports’ language, slant, place inthe overall news and amount of coverage.

• What generalizations can be drawn from theinformation?

• Let each pair report its findings to the class.Do any overall patterns emerge? What conclu-sions can the class infer from this exercise?

• If there is enough data, have the class rate thevarious media sources as to bias in reportingor political leanings.

9. Begin with a discussion on the following. Pro-gramming choices made by the electronic mediaunduly influence the public agenda. Agree ordisagree? Explain your position.

• Have the class ask this question of others inthe school, home and community.

• Chart the results by age, sex and race.• What trends, if any, can be discerned from the

answers?

10. Review with the class the basic provisions of theFederal Election Campaign Act of 1974 (see page16). How has this law impacted on the power ofpolitical parties?

11. Paper topic: Based on the discussion in ThePeople and the Power Game, why is “towing theparty line” not as powerful a mandate now as inearlier sessions of Congress?

12. Divide the class into groups. Ask each group toresearch a Political Action Committee (PAC).

• Which members of Congress received fundsfrom the PAC?

• Did students find any pattern of legislativevoting that correlated with the PAC’s cause?

• How much influence do they think a PAC hasover a member of Congress?

• How can creating a PAC be beneficial to smallbusinesses and associations?

• Have students study the Federal Election Cam-paign Act of 1974. What changes to the rulesgoverning PACs would they propose? Why?

13. For class discussion or papers: Forum partici-pants proposed various methods for funding elec-tions. With which proposals do you agree? Why?Have students expand on those proposals to improvethem or devise their own.

14. Ellen Miller of the Center for ResponsivePolitics gave some interesting statistics: $724million was given in the 1994 election and it isestimated that $1.5 billion will be spent on the1996 election. Find statistics on giving and spend-ing from earlier elections. How do these compare?What are the percents of increase (or decrease)?To gain some point of reference, use budget figuresfrom your school, town, state or another area tocompare with the $724 million and $1.5 billionfigures. Create a graph to show these comparisons.

15. Ms. Miller cites additional interesting figures:Less than 1/3 of 1 percent of the population gives$200 or more to a candidate; business interests giveseven times more than labor; and energy interestsoutspend environmental concerns by 10 to 1. Aforum member responded with the question, “Howcan you get democracy to work in that context?”Answer Ms. Garriga’s question. What would youpropose to change these statistics?

16. Senator Bradley said the Supreme Court ruled[Buckley v. Valeo (1976)] that a wealthy man’spocketbook (money) can obtain public exposure forhim in the same manner public exposure can beobtained freely by a poor man on a “soapbox.” Doyou agree?

17. For class discussion: “Do you trust the press?”What grade would you give the press? Explain.

18. Take a class poll and then a larger one in yourschool and community. Ask participants to namethe Three Stooges and three Supreme Court justices.How do your respondents stack up? Do Americanshave responsibilities as well as rights? Make a listof some of those responsibilities.

19. What is civic journalism? Could the practice ofcivic journalism attack public cynicism? What othertactics might reduce cynicism?

20. Hedrick Smith said, “American democracywill not work better unless all of us get engagedand try to make it work better ourselves.” Askstudents what they can do, at this point in theirlives, to begin to make American democracy workbetter.

White House OfficialsLEON PANETTA White House Chief of Staff,

Clinton AdministrationGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS Senior White House Advisor,

Clinton AdministrationDEE DEE MYERS Former White House Press

Secretary, Clinton Adminis-tration

DAVID GERGEN Former White HouseCounselor, Clinton Admin-istration and RepublicanPresidents Nixon, Ford andReagan

HOWARD PASTER Former White House Con-gressional Liaison, ClintonAdministration

The People in the Programs

1. Gathering data on an issue:• Have student groups choose an issue,

brainstorm interview questions and conductinterviews with at least 10 people. The peopleinterviewed should represent a cross section—of age, race, sex, occupations and politicalparties.

• Have each group gather data and create astatistical representation (in graph or chartform).

• Each group uses the class’ information to drawconclusions or formulate a hypothesis.

• Each group presents its data and conclusionsto the entire class.

2. Timeline for each segment of The Peopleand the Power Game: To help students under-stand the order of events and to see the timespaninvolved in the legislative process, have them createa detailed timeline.

3. Class discussion topics:• What kinds of power do you have available for

action in the political arena?• What kinds of power would you like to see

citizens acquire?• What do you want from government?• What is government capable of delivering?

Extended Activities

4. Research: Identify the major leadership positionsin the House and Senate.

5. Activity: Have students rank the values below inorder of importance to them. Have them compareanswers with others in the class.

___ Individual freedom___ Property ownership___ Law and order___ Freedom of religion___ Freedom of speech___ Freedom of the press___ Equal opportunity___ Financial security___ Personal security___ Love of country___ Rooting for the underdog___ Tolerance___ Justice___ Majority rule___ Protection of minority rights

After students have gone through the exercise,ask them as a class to rank the values as they believethe majority of Americans would rank them. Havethem compare their rankings with those of theirparents or other classes in their school.

The Elected: The Presidency and Congress

12

House and SenateDemocratic LeadershipRICHARD GEPHARDT Congressman, Missouri 3rd

District, Minority Leader,gephardt@hr.house.gov

DAVID BONIOR Congressman, Michigan,10th District, Minority Whip

THOMAS A. DASCHLE Senator, South Dakota,Minority Leader, tom_daschle@daschle.senate.gov

House Democrats/Party LoyalistsGEORGE MILLER Congressman, California 7th

District,gmiller@hr.house.gov

DAVID OBEY Congressman, Wisconsin,7th District

(Identified by their status as of May 1996)

House Republican MembersHENRY HYDE Congressman, Illinois 6th

District, Chairman, JudiciaryCommittee

BOB LIVINGSTON Congressman, Louisiana 1stDistrict, Chairman Appropria-tions Committee

PAT ROBERTS Congressman, Kansas 1stDistrict, Chairman, AgricultureCommittee, emailpat@hr.house.gov

GERALD SOLOMON Congressman, New York 22ndDistrict, Chairman, RulesCommittee

MARGE ROUKEMA Congresswoman, New Jersey5th District

VIN WEBER Former Congressman,Minnesota

Senate RepublicansROBERT DOLE Senator, Kansas, Majority

LeaderWILLIAM COHEN Senator, Maine

billcohen@cohen.senate.govMARK HATFIELD Senator, Oregon, Chairman

Appropriations CommitteeARLEN SPECTER Senator, Pennsylvania,

senator_specter@specter.senate.gov

RICK SANTORUM Senator, Pennsylvania,senator@santorum.senate.gov

Scholars on GovernmentNORM ORNSTEIN Resident Scholar, American

Enterprise InstituteTOM MANN Program Director, Governmental

Studies Program, BrookingsInstituteDAVE MASON Vice President, Heritage

Foundation

13

JOHN DINGELL Congressman, Michigan16th District, former chairmanHouse Energy and CommerceCommittee

LESLIE BYRNE Former Congresswoman,Virginia, 11th District

DAN ROSTENKOWSKI Former Congressman, Illinois;former chairman, House Waysand Means Committee

Democrats/Party Rebels:Blue Dogs and Lone RangersMIKE PARKER Congressman, Democrat who

who switched to Republican,Mississippi 4th District

CHARLES STENHOLM Congressman, Texas 17thDistrict

GARY CONDIT Congressman, California18th District

DAVID BOREN Former Senator, OklahomaJIM COOPER Former Congressman, Tenn-

essee, introduced CooperHealth Care Plan

House Republican LeadershipNEWT GINGRICH Congressman, Georgia, 6th

District, Speaker of the House,georgia6@hr.house.gov

JOHN BOEHNER Congressman, Ohio 8th Dis-trict, Republican ConferenceChairman

House Republican FreshmenDAVID MCINTOSH Congressman, Indiana 2nd

District, mcintosh@hr.house.gov

MARK NEUMANN Congressman, Wisconsin 1stDistrict, mneumann@hr.house.gov

MARK SOUDER Congressman, Indiana 4thDistrict

Broadcast MediaDAN RATHER Anchor, Managing Editor,

CBS Evening NewsANDREW HEYWARD President, CBS NewsJEFF FAGER Executive Producer, CBS

Evening NewsERIC ENGBERG Correspondent, CBS NewsJERRY NACHMAN Vice President, News,

WCBS-TV, CBS Affiliate inNew York City

PETER JENNINGS Anchor, ABC World NewsTonight

JEFF GREENFIELD Correspondent, ABC NewsBRIT HUME White House Correspondent,

ABC NewsGAIL BENDING WJZ News Director, Baltimore

Print MediaPAUL STAROBIN Reporter, National JournalDAN MORAIN Reporter, Los Angeles Times

The Unelected: Lobbies and the MediaPAUL TAYLOR Former Reporter, Washington

PostJEFFERY BIRNBAUM Time Magazine Correspondent

Media CommentatorsMANDY GRUNWALD Former Clinton Media AdvisorTHOMAS PATTERSON Professor, Syracuse UniversityTOM ROSENSTIEL Media critic, NewsweekMARVIN KALB Media Analyst

Lobbyists and Industry SpokespeopleROBERT RUSBULDT Vice President, Federal Affairs

for IndependentInsuranceAgents of America

JOHN MOTLEY Lobbyist, National RetailFederation

NEYSA SOMPLE Lobbyist, Ohio, anti-smokinginterest group

JANET STUDER Lobbyist, Ohio, anti-smokinginterest group

14

MICHAEL PERTSCHUK Co-director, Advocacy Institute,an organization supportingother non-profits’ advocacyefforts

LISA FRENICKS Lobbyist, Ohio, anti-smokinginterest group

DAVID REHR Lobbyist, National BeerWholesalers Assn.

BRUCE GATES Lobbyist, Wholesale GrocersAssn.

WILLIS GRADISON Health Insurance Assn.President

JACK BONNER President, Bonner and Asso-ciates

MIKE MALIK President, Triad Communi-cations

BEN GODDARD Media consultant to lobbyists,responsible for the “Harry andLouise” advertising campaign

CHARLES BLIXT Senior Vice President, R.J.Reynolds Tobacco Company

LAURIE BAULIG American Trucking Assn.

CongresspeopleTOM DELAY Congressman, Republican,

Texas 22nd District, MajorityWhip

HENRY WAXMAN Congressman, Democrat,California 29th District

LINDA SMITH Congresswoman, Republican,Washington 3rd District,asklinda@hr.house.gov

JOHN BOEHNER Congressman, Ohio 8th Dis-trict, Republican Conference

STEVE LARGENT Congressman, Republican,Oklahoma 1st District

Executive Branch OfficialsJOSEPH DEAR Assistant Secretary, Occupa-

tional Safety & Health Adminis-tration

MIKE MCCURRY White House Press Secretary,Clinton Administration

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS Senior White House Advisor,Clinton Administration

CommentatorsELLEN MILLER Executive Director, Center

for Responsive PoliticsCHARLES LEWIS Executive Director, Center

for Public Integrity, a non-profit watchdog organization

KEVIN PHILLIPS Author, political analyst

Government Officials andFormer OfficialsSENATOR BILL BRADLEY Democrat of New Jersey,

senator@bradley.senate.govSENATOR WILLIAM Republican of Maine,COHEN billcohen@cohen.senate.gov

LLOYD CUTLER Former White House Counselto Presidents Carter and Clinton

REP. WILLIAM ORTON Democrat of Utah,ortonut2@hr.house.gov

REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS Republican of Connecticut,cshays@hr.house.gov

Voters’ Forum PanelAcademic SpecialistsPROFESSOR KATHLEEN Dean, Annenberg School ofHALL JAMIESON Communications, University

of Pennsylvania

PROFESSOR BARBARA University of California atSINCLAIR Riverside,

sinclair@wizard.ucr.edu

Media and Media ReformersCHRIS BURY ABC News NightlineED FOUHY Director, Pew Center for

Civic JournalismKENNETH T. WALSH White House correspondent,

U.S. News & World Report

Lobbyists and Specialists onCampaign FinanceAARON BELK Executive Asst. to President of

Teamsters UnionELLEN MILLER Director, Center for Responsive

PoliticsDAVID REHR Vice President, National Beer

Wholesalers Assn.

ABC News Nightline’s Chris Bury(first row left) with citizenparticipants in the Voters’ Forum.

A yellow dog Democrat was someonewho would vote for a Democrat even if it were ayellow dog. The Blue Dogs were born when promi-nent Louisiana artist George Rodrique, famous forhis blue paintings of his dog Tiffany, created apainting for his friend, Democrat-now-turned-Republican Jimmy Hayes (R, LA). Hayes wasdenounced for voting against the Democraticinspired budget. Rodrique painted an oil which hetitled The Washington Blue Dog, with a caption thatread, “Jimmy Hayes, the Blue Dog Democrat.”Hayes had blue dog pins made for other conserva-tive Democrats. The Wall Street Journal picked upon the pins and the designation stuck.

President Teddy Roosevelt said thepresidency was a bully pulpit, describing it as anexcellent medium for the communication of ideas.

California Proposition 188Statewide Smoking/Tobacco Regulation

• Repeal and preempt local smoking andtobacco regulations.

• Repeal and replace existing statewide smokingand tobacco regulations.

• Permit amendment of tobacco regulations bytwo-thirds vote of Legislature.

• Ban public smoking with significant exceptions.• Permit smoking sections in restaurants and

employee cafeterias with conditions.• Bars not regulated.• Permit smoking in private offices and business

conference rooms with occupants’ consent.• Exempt from smoking regulations gaming

clubs, bingo establishments, racetracks, sportsfacility private boxes and smoking lounges.

• Regulate location of tobacco vending machinesand billboards.

• Increase penalties for tobacco purchases byminors.

The DLC isan organization of centrist and conservative Demo-crats formed in 1985. The founders, mostly South-ern Democrats, wanted to counter the policies ofthe more liberal wing of the Democratic party andRepublican presidential victories. A primary goal ofthe DLC was to reclaim the center of the politicalspectrum, thereby making Democratic presidentialcandidates more viable contenders. David Boren,Jim Cooper and many political Blue Dogs have beenmembers. Bill Clinton is a former chairman.

Term coined to describe thesluggish behavior of politics in democracy. The term

Blue Dogs:

Referenced Information

Bully Pulpit:

Democratic Leadership Council:

is a play on arterial-sclerosis or hardening of thearteries, as Hedrick Smith noted.

Among otherprovisions, this bill established annual and aggregatelimits on commodity credits for farm and exportexpenditures through the crop year 2002 andcreated the Commission on 21st Century Produc-tion Agriculture to assess the current and futurecondition of U.S. agriculture, including the appro-priate agricultural role of the government. PresidentClinton signed this bill into law in April 1996.

This plan from the Clintonadministration to achieve universal health insurancecoverage through improved access to standardizedand affordable health plans failed to pass Congress.

Thegeneral objective of this bill, also known as theCooper Health Care Plan, was to reform the healthcare marketplace to provide universal access to carethrough competitive health plans. Another specificobjective of this bill was to lower the rate of in-crease in health care costs by the year 2000 to equalthe rate of increase in costs in the economy as awhole. This bill failed to pass.

Senator David Boren (D, OK) with Hedrick Smith.Demo-sclerosis:

Freedom to Farm Act of 1995:

Health Security Act:

Managed Competition Act of 1993:

15

Governing by a few.

Clinton’s 1993 economic plan, which passedby one vote in the Senate and was signed into lawin August 1993. Three key elements of the act werean economic stimulus to create jobs; long-termpublic investments to increase productivity; and adeficit-reduction plan. The plan’s goal was to re-duce the deficit by close to $500 billion over fiveyears. The blueprint involved spending cuts, par-ticularly in the areas of defense and Medicare, andtax increases.

Signed in April1996, this act finished financing scores of federalagencies for the remainder of the 1996 fiscal year,

ending a 16-month impasse. The budget was cut by$20 billion from 1995 levels, but the reductionscame strictly from annually approved domesticprograms and not from the Medicare and Medicaidprograms originally targeted.

Passed by Con-gress in November 1995 and vetoed by PresidentClinton, this package aimed to balance the federalbudget by the year 2002—by cutting $245 billionin taxes over seven years; reducing spending onMedicare, welfare and Medicaid benefits; reducingsubsidies to farmers; and cutting back or eliminatinghundreds of federal programs.

Two or more entitiesexisting in a close, usually beneficial relationship.

Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions andAppropriations Act of 1996:

Seven-Year Balanced BudgetReconciliation Act of 1995:

Symbiotic relationship:

Gifts To any candidate or To any National To any PAC or Other TotalCandidate Committee Party Committee Political Committee

Time Period Per Election Per Calendar Year Per Calendar Year Per Calendar YearIndividual $1,000 $20,000 $5,000 $25,000Multi-candidate $5,000 $15,000 $5,000 No LimitCommitteeOther Political $1,000 $20,000 $5,000 No LimitCommittee

Candidates for Congress can spend as muchmoney as they can raise, whether from their ownpockets or from those of contributors. No spending

1974 Federal Election Campaign Act—CONTRIBUTION LIMITSlimits apply. Contributors to federal campaigns, onthe other hand, do face limits in what they can giveto a federal candidate or a national political party.

16

SOURCE: Federal Election CommissionThe Supreme Court ruled, in Federal Election Comm’nv. National Conservatives PAC (1985), that PACs canspend unlimited amounts on behalf of a candidate or

an issue. Also, contributions channeled to a state partycommittee or state-registered PAC are not regulatedby federal law.

Federal Campaign Spending Limits

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of1993:

Left: ABC News correspondent Brit Humewith Hedrick Smith in the White House pressroom. Above: ABC anchor Peter Jennings.

Oligarchy:

1. Fiscal Responsibility Act• Amend the Constitution to require a

balanced budget• Give president a line item veto*

2. Taking Back Our Streets Act• Require restitution to victims• Increase grants for prison construction• Speed deportation of criminal aliens• Create community, anti-crime block grants• Limit death row appeals

3. Personal Responsibility Act• Create state welfare block grants• End automatic welfare eligibility• Cap welfare spending• Establish lifetime, five-year benefits cap• Require work after two years of benefits

4. Family Reinforcement Act• Require parental consent to survey children• Provide tax credits for adoption and elderly

home care• Increase penalties for sex crimes against

children• Strengthen child support order enforcement

5. American Dream Restoration Act• Institute a $500 per child tax credit• Ease jointly-filed tax return marriage

penalty• Expand IRA savings account plans

17

6. National Security Restoration Act• Prohibit US troops in UN missions under

foreign command• Prohibit defense cuts to finance social

programs• Develop a missile defense system• Cut funding for UN peacekeeping missions

7. Senior Citizens’ Equity Act• Repeal 1993 increase in taxable Social

Security benefits• Permit $30,000 of earned income without

loss of Social Security benefits• Provide a tax credit for long-term care

insurance purchase

8. Job Creation and Wage Enhancement Act• Cut capital gains tax rate and accelerate

depreciation• Reduce unfunded mandates*• Reduce paperwork*• Require federal agencies to assess risks, use

cost-benefit analysis, reduce paperwork andreimburse property owners for value loss dueto regulations

9. Common Sense Legal Reforms Act• Enact national product liability law with

punitive damage limits• Make investor lawsuits more difficult• Apply loser pays rule to certain federal cases

10. Citizen Legislature Act• Congressional term limit amendment

Republican Contract with America

Congressman Christopher Shays (R, CT, center front) at Voters’ Forum.

These 10 bills were the legislative centerpiece of political actions and legislation proposed by Republican candi-dates running for Congress in 1994. Items followed by an asterisk (*) had been signed into law as of May 1996.

Separation of Powers andChecks and Balances

Executive BranchPresident

Legislative Branch Congress

Judicial Branch Courts

Powers• Make laws• Can override a veto

• Control appropriations

• Approve treaties• Declare war

• Raise and support armed forces

• Approve appointments

• Impeach and judge federal officials

Powers• Judicial review of laws and

executive actions

• Interpret treaties

Checks Executive Legislative

• Override veto• Impeach

federalofficials

• Control money• Confirm

treaties andappointments

Powers• Enforce, propose and veto laws

• Prepare U.S. budget

• Conduct foreign policy andmake treaties

• Command armed forces

• Appoint federal judges, Cabinet mem-bers, ambassadors and

other federal officials

• May grant pardons and reprieves

• Appoint judges• Grant pardons

and reprieves

• Impeach judges• Approve

appointments• Propose

amendments• Establish lower

courts• Change size

of court

• Decideconstitutionalityof laws

• Veto laws• Call special

sessions

ChecksExecutive Judicial

ChecksLegislative Judicial

18

• Interpretlaws

Hedrick Smith leads Voters’ Forum discussion.

19

1. The constitutional disbursement of power offersnumerous opportunities for citizens to get involvedin the political system.

• Form groups to influence politics and strengthenpolitical parties.

• Volunteer in a political campaign.

2. We will have more effective legislators when webecome more effective citizens. Become a moreeffective citizen by keeping informed on local issuesand investigating records of officeholders. Recordsof Congressional votes can be obtained from manysources. On the Internet, try:Rate Your Rep - http://voter96.cqalert.com/cq_rate.htmVote Watch - http://pathfinder.com/cqProject Vote Smart - http://www.oclc.org/VoteSmart/lwv/lwvsmrt1.htm,also reached by phone at (800) 622-7627.

3. Call and leave messages for members of Congressconcerning pending legislation or Congressionalaction. The number is (202) 224-3121.

4. Promote a voter registration campaign.

5. Join an interest group.

6. Read Ralph Nader Presents a Citizen’s Guide toLobbying (New York: Dembner Books, 1983).

7. Involve yourself in electionreform. Contact:

League of Women Votersof the United States1730 M Street, NWSuite 1000Washington, DC 20036(202) 429-1965

Center for ResponsivePolitics

1320 19th Street, NWSuite M-1Washington, DC 20036(202) 857-0044

Honest Ballot Assn.272-30 Grand Central

ParkwayFloral Park, NY 11005(516) 466-4100

8. Broaden your horizons,test your opinions: Readperiodicals from variouspolitical persuasions.

Citizen Involvement:What can one person do?

9. Suggest policies public officials could adopt toincrease the notion of political effectiveness.

10. What’s in it for me? Identify elements of politi-cal participation that can help one achieve personalgoals: i.e., safety from crime and hazardous products,economic security, a clean environment, healthyeconomy, good education.

11. Outline actions to increase your civic participa-tion and reach your personal goals.

12. Keep up with and stay informed about issues.The House Document Room distributes Housebills, resolutions, reports, documents and publiclaws for the 104th Congress. House reports, docu-ments, and public laws for the 103rd Congress arealso maintained. To order copies, call the Docu-ment Room at (202) 225-3456, Monday throughFriday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Include your tele-phone number and mailing address.

To write for copies, the address is:House Document Room, Rm. B18Ford House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515

The e-mail address is:hdocs@hr.house.gov.

Send an e-mail tohousehlp@hr.house.gov for

help in getting electronicinformation.

13. Let the parties that runCongress know your feelings orask them a question.

Democratic PolicyCommittee(automated server):

info@dpc.senate.gov(Subject = “Help”)

postmaster@dpc.senate.govcomments and questions

Republican PolicyCommittee:webmaster@rpc.senate.gov

14. Look at the Citizen’sGuide to the FederalBudget at: http://www.doc.gov/BudgetFY97/ guidetoc.htmlSenator William Bradley (D, NJ).

Suggested Readings

20

Baggott, Rob. Pressure Groups Today (PoliticsToday). Manchester: Manchester UniversityPress, 1995.

Bradley, Bill. Fair Tax. Pocket Books, 1984.

_________. Time Present, Time Past: A Memoir.New York: A.A. Knopf, 1996.

_________. Life on the Run. New York: Quad-rangle/New York Times Book Co., 1976.

Cohen, Richard E. Washington at Work: Back Roomsand Clean Air, 2nd ed. New York: MacMillanPublishing Co., 1995.

Cohen, Senator William S. Easy Prey: The Fleecing ofAmerica’s Senior Citizens and How to Stop It .Washington: National Press Books, 1995.

Cutler, Lloyd N., ed. Regulating Campaign Finance.(American Academy of Political and SocialScience) Beverly Hills: Sage, 1986.

Elving, Ronald D. Conflict and Compromise: HowCongress Makes the Law. New York: Simon &Schuster, 1995.

Fiorina, Morris. Divided Government. Boston: Allyn& Bacon, 1995.

Gimpel, James. Legislating Revolution: The Con-tract With America In Its First 100 Days. Boston:Allyn & Bacon, 1995.

Kaplar, Richard T. and Patrick D. Maines. TheGovernment Factor:Undermining Jour-nalistic Ethics in the Information Age.Washington: CatoInstitute, 1995.

Jamieson, Kathleen Hall.Beyond the DoubleBind: Women andLeadership . New York:Oxford UniversityPress, 1995.

________________.Eloquence in an

Electronic Age:The Transformation

of Political Speech-making . New York:Oxford UniversityPress, 1988.

________________. Packaging the Presidency: AHistory and Criticism of Presidential CampaignAdvertising . New York: Oxford University Press,1992.

O’Connor, Karen, et al. American Government:Roots and Reform, Brief Edition. Boston: Allyn& Bacon, 1995.

Penny, Timothy J. and Major Garrett. CommonCents: A Retiring Six-Term Congressman RevealsHow Congress Really Works—And What We MustDo to Fix It . Boston: Little Brown & Co, 1995.

Pious, Richard M. The Presidency . Boston: Allyn &Bacon, 1995.

Redman, Eric. The Dance of Legislation . New York:Simon and Schuster, 1988.

Rieselbach, Leroy N. Congressional Politics: TheEvolving Legislative System (Transforming Ameri-can Politics), 2nd edition. Boulder: WestviewPress, 1995.

Rudman, Warren B. Combat: Twelve Years in theU.S. Senate . New York: Random House, 1996.

Smith, Hedrick. Rethinking America . New York:Random House, 1995.

__________. The Power Game: How WashingtonWorks. New York: Random House, 1988.

Walsh, Kenneth T. Feeding the Beast: the WhiteHouse and the Press . New York: Random House,1996.

Whiteman, David.Communication inCongress:Members,Staff, and the Searchfor Information(Studies in Govern-ment and PublicPolicy). Lawrence,Kansas: UniversityPress of Kansas, 1996.

Wright, John R. InterestGroups and Congress:Lobbying, Contribu-tions, and Influence(New Topics inPolitics). Boston: Allyn & Bacon,1995.

Senator William Cohen (R, ME, center front)with Voters’ Forum participants.

Sources on the Internet

Thomas (legislative information): http://thomas.loc.govWhite House: http://www.whitehouse.govCitizen’s Handbook: http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/

handbook.htmlPublications from the White House: http://www1.ai.mit.edu/publications.htmlReinventing Government: http://www.npr.govOffice of Management and Budget: http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OMB/html/

ombhome.htmlU.S. House of Representatives: http://www.house.govU.S. Senate: http://www.senate.govThe Jefferson Project: http://www.voxpop.org/jeffersonProject Vote Smart: http://www.oclc.org/VoteSmart

The People and the Power Game http://www.pbs.org/powergame

To purchase copies of The People and thePower Game videocassettes, contact:

PBS Video Sales(800) 328-PBS1 orPBS Video1320 Braddock PlaceAlexandria, VA 22314