Week Two Discussion 1 Number 1
logan bryant
Class,
1. What are the sources of worsening inequality in American society in recent decades? What effects has this trend had on elites and the masses?
The gap between rich and everyone else in the US has been getting wider. This isn’t just about money; it’s also about power and opportunities. The richest people keep getting richer, while most folks don’t see much change in their paychecks. A key point made is, “The U.S. economy performs very well, but the benefits from that performance are unevenly distributed. Elites advance while the masses stay put,”(Page 78.) meaning while the country might be doing well economically, not everyone sees the benefits. Also, a big problem has been that “Stagnating worker earnings” means what people earn for their work hasn’t really gone up for a long time, making it hard for many to get ahead.
The big differences in wealth and power have impacted everyone. For the super-rich and very skilled, things have been great. They’ve made more money and become more powerful, mainly because they have the education and tech skills that are in high demand today. But for regular folks, especially those without fancy skills or jobs, it’s been tough. Their pay hasn’t gone up much at all, and some are even making less when you consider how much things cost. This situation has left a lot of people feeling stuck and unhappy, believing it’s harder than ever to move up in the world.
The text also talks about how fewer unions have made the gap between rich and poor even bigger. It says, “Deunionization is partly a product of the globalization of the economy…Employers can move, or threaten to move, their factories outside the country in response to union demands.” (Page 80.) This means that as companies go global, they can easily shift jobs to other countries if unions ask for too much, making unions weaker. Unions used to be strong and helped people get better pay and rights at work, but now they’re not as powerful. This has made things tougher for regular workers. For most people, it feels like they’re being left out and that the American dream, the idea that anyone can make it if they work hard is fading away. This increasing gap is shaking up the very heart of what America stands for, messing with the ideas of democracy and everyone being equal.
Schubert, L., Dye, T. R., & Zeigler, H. (2015). The Irony of Democracy: An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics (17th ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781305537491
Week 2 Discussion 1
Luke Gelsinger
1. What are the sources of worsening inequality in American society in recent decades? What effects has this trend had on elites and the masses?
According to Schubert (2015), there are various reasons for the worsening inequality in America in the past few decades. One factor is the high-paying nature of blue-collar jobs, which has caused the manufacturing industry to experience a decline. Another factor is that many households are double or multi-income, resulting in single-income households being ousted in terms of comparison. In simpler terms, the cost of living has adjusted to where it is expected that a multi-income household could afford it, whereas a single-income household would struggle, even if that income is higher than average. In addition, demographic trends, which consist of portions of mainly older adults, seem to also contribute to income inequality. However, Schubert points out that among all poverty factors, female heads of households seem to be the most consistent with income inequality. On the opposite end, those with highly desirable skills, experience and connections with jobs like entrepreneurship and investing tend to benefit greatly from trade. This can be attributed to new expanding technologies, which Schubert exclaims that while it creates a larger aggregate output, it creates further income inequality. I, personally, believe this can be attributed to the digital divide, a notion that Baran (2020) explains that some have better access to technology than others. Technology gives a massive advantage over those who don’t have access (ex. can’t afford it) to the same tech, i.e. smartphones and internet. The effect that inequality has had on the masses over the decades has been a loss of faith and trust in the politicians of the U.S. (Schubert, 2015)
References:
Schubert, L., Dye, T. R., & Zeigler, H. (2015). The Irony of Democracy: An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics (17th ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781305537491
Baran, S. J. (2020). Introduction to Mass Communication (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education (US). https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781260692419
Week 2 Discussion 2
Brandon McQueen
What are realignment and dealignment? What effects have they had on the Republican and Democratic parties?
Dealignment of parties happens when the “attractiveness” of the major political parties grows thin. As more and more, political promises are not kept by both parties, the trust and confidence of the population also wears thin as well as their patience. Another reason for the rise of dealignment is a number of states have opened up their primary elections to all voters not just the ones registered towards the major parties. “Political Scientist Russell Dalton has found that the newer ‘dealigned’ voters are frequently educated, informed on political issues, concerned with politics generally, and willing to consider candidates from either party without partisan bias” (Dye, 2016, pg. 143). People who are more informed in the politics and actually concerned with the policies and practices show distaste for both parties and create their own biases.
Realignment occurs after dealignment happens and parties lose voters that they had before and work to figure out why they lost the once committed voters. They try to find the biases of the groups they lost and realign the party them. “Realignment occurs when social groups change their party alignment; the party system realigns when the partisan bias of groups changes in ways that alter the social group profile of the parties” (Dye, 2016, pg. 143).
The effect of dealignment and realignment meant that both parties, in order to attempt to gain back their previous voters, were forced to focus on the middle majority and and abandon their strong, far left and far right positions in order to win voters who aren’t as concerned with the stronger ideological issues. These voters in the middle make of the majority and are needed to win an election. “In short, because the first goal of a party is to win elections, strong ideological and policy positions are counterproductive, except to mobilize strong partisans to turn out to vote” (Dye, 2016, pg. 145, 146).
Dye, T. R., Zeigler, L. H., & Schubert, L. (2016). The irony of democracy: An uncommon introduction to American politics. Australia: Cengage Learning.
Week Two Discussion 2
Kade Perry
In what ways are the Democratic and Republican parties different? In what ways are they similar?
When thinking of what the democratic party stands for many people will immediately think of them as the more liberal side of the government. LGBTQ+ rights, BLM, Defunding police, keeping abortions legal. The core demographic of the party is normally younger and live in urban areas such as the big cities of California or New York. On the other hand the republican party is normally described as conservative, big talking points within the party are stricter border protection, overturning of Roe V Wade, keeping the second amendment protected. The core demographic of republican voters are older, less educated, and living in a more rural enviornment such as texas. The two parties have become increasingly polarized, what one party wants the other party wants the exact opposite. A few issues the masses would agree on in both political parties is that there needs to be an age limit to being a senator. Currently our senate is the oldest it has ever been, without term limits the senators are not being forced to retire or give up their chair to the future generations. They are both similar in their elections they both use primary elections to decide the party’s nominee for public office. Another similarity is both parties use of Super PAC’s which is a form of fundraising where the contributions to the party are not capped like they used to be.
Schubert, L., Dye, T. R., & Zeigler, H. (2015). The irony of democracy: An uncommon introduction to American politics. Cengage Learning.
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