POL 166
Prof.Murdaco
Date: September 19, 2015

Assignment #1
choose a specific passage from one of today's readings. Write out the passage, then underneath write a short paragraph explaining the meaning of the passage you chose. Under that write another paragraph explaining what made you choose this passage and why you think it is important. 

Passage from; 

Despite Negativity, Americans Mixed on Ideal Role of Gov't, by Frank Newport

Partisan views about government power are highly dependent on which party controls government, and on the political and social environment at the time of the survey. At this point, 77% of Republicans say the government has too much power, compared with 63% of independents and 32% of Democrats -- which reflects the current Republican position that there is too much government spending and power in domestic and economic affairs.However, when George W. Bush was president, Democrats were more concerned than Republicans about government power. In Gallup's September 2005 Governance survey, for example, 55% of Democrats said the government had too much power, compared with 50% of independents and 41% of Republicans. At that point, Democrats were almost certainly interpreting this question in terms of government anti-terrorism actions taken after 9/11, including the Patriot Act.

This passage reflects the partisan reaction to the controlling government party based on their individual party preference. If the political party that you have aligned with is in power, you are less likely to be concerned about governmental power because you share the same ideology. If an individual is aligned with an opposing party their fears of government power are heightened because their ideology is not represented. Political power is at its strongest point when a particular party is at the helm of Government decision making. The impact that current social environment has on the political climate is huge. The issues of  the economy, unemployment, immigration and housing to name a few, will determine the political climate due to the direct impact these issues have on the general public.

I chose this passage because it outlines the changing political climate based on the party in power and the impact of the social environment on policy change.If the general public is struggling to find work and feed their family, the issue of immigration may make individuals feel threatened by the idea of more people competing for employment and the depletion of resources. These fears are largely exploited by the political party seeking to gain control of the government through rhetoric.  Issues that are current and have the potential to create fear are used to create this rhetoric.