Processes of Politics (790:429.01)
Tuesdays 9:15 am - 12:15 pm
John Weingart
Spring 2014
This is the concluding course in the Eagleton Undergraduate Associates Program. It is intended to
help consolidate and deepen the knowledge and understanding of politics and governance
students have already gained through prior classes, internships and other experiences. Specific
practices, programs and case studies will be examined with the goals of better understanding the
forces, individual actors and events that led to their creation and might contribute to their
continuation, improvement, expansion or elimination.
Students will be expected to follow both national and New Jersey news as class sessions will
include discussion of aspects of both President Obama’s and Governor Christie’s second terms in
terms of governance as well as the elections of 2014, 2016 and, for New Jersey, 2017.
Guests with a variety of experiences working in or interacting with politics and government will be
invited to speak during the second half of many sessions. A list will be distributed early in the
semester and posted on Sakai.
Also available on the Sakai site will be links to many of the readings listed in this syllabus.
Suggested additional readings and other information relevant to the course will be posted
throughout the semester.
OFFICE HOURS
I would like to meet individually with each student at least once during the semester. My office is
on the 2nd floor of Eagleton and I am available for meetings most days. Please provide a little
advance notice by e-mail (John.Weingart@rutgers.edu).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The requirements for the course, all of which will be a factor in final grades, are attendance,
participation, reading, writing, a group project and a final exam.
Attendance: Be present and on-time for all class sessions. If, on rare occasions, that is not
possible, please send advance notice by e-mail.
Participation: Speak in class. It will make the sessions more interesting for everyone,
starting with you.
Follow National and New Jersey News: Use the news sources you prefer to follow
events relevant to the course. Good sources for New Jersey news include The Star-Ledger
both during the week and the Perspectives section on Sunday, www.PoliticknerNJ.com,
www.nj.com, and www.NJSpotlight.com, and the weekly Reporters Roundtable on NJTV.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS (continued)
Reading: Be prepared to discuss all reading assignments in class and make reference to
them in your written work. Note that the reading is significantly heavier some weeks than
others. The books listed below should be on sale at the Rutgers University Bookstore and on
reserve at Alexander Library:
1) Buzz Bissinger
A Prayer For The City, Vintage Paperback, 1997
2) Clayton McClure Brooks (editor)
A Legacy of Leadership: Governors and American History
University of Pennsylvania Press; 2008
3) Robert Caro
Lyndon Johnson: Master of The Senate; Knopf; 2002
4) Barbara and Stephen Salmore
New Jersey Politics and Government;
Rutgers University Press; 4th (2013) or 3rd (2008) Edition
5) John Weingart
Waste Is A Terrible Thing To Mind; Risk, Radiation & Distrust of Government
Rutgers University Press; 2nd Printing; 2007
[NOTE: This book can be purchased for $12 from Gloria Minor at Eagleton]
Other readings listed in the syllabus are available online. Links to most of the articles are on
the Sakai site in an attachment in the Resources section.
Writing, Group Project and Individual Presentation
The written assignments, which should be prepared in Word (and not as a pdf) and
submitted by email to John.Weingart@rutgers.edu, the one group project and the
individual final presentation are described on the following page and due on the following
dates:
February 18th
Submit 1stst memo to Governor describing board or commission
February 25th
Submit 1st event-summary memo
March 4th
Present group projects on government reform
April 8th
Submit 2nd event-summary memo
April 22nd
Submit recommendations memo and give presentation on your
board or commission
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Writing, Group Project and Individual Presentation (continued)
Attend two Eagleton-sponsored, politically-related events during the semester.
For each, submit a summary in the form of a one-page memo to an elected or aspiring
politician of your choice explaining the relevant implications of what you saw and heard.
February 25th
1st event summary paper due
April 8th
2nd event summary paper due
The major writing assignment for this class is to assume that you are on Governor
Christie’s staff and have been assigned to help implement his pledge to review the hundreds
of boards and commissions in New Jersey State government to determine which can be
eliminated, which should be strengthened and which should be maintained as is. He has
asked you to study just one of them and to meet the following deadlines:
February 18th
SUBMIT a memo to the Governor identifying which commission
you will examine, why you chose it and two people in or out of government you plan
to interview to help you form your recommendations. Also, if possible, note the time
and location of a scheduled commission meeting you will attend.
April 22nd
SUBMIT a 5-to-7 page memorandum to Governor Christie describing
the commission’s history, purpose and operations, your research, and your findings
and recommendations; and PRESENT a 4-minute summary of your findings and
recommendations to the Governor and his key staff (whose parts will be played by
the class). Use of Powerpoint or other devices is welcome but not required.
Group Projects to Reform Government
During the first class on January 21st, the class will form groups to each focus on different
sets of reforms suggested by some as paths for creating significant improvement in the
operations, effectiveness and/or representativeness of government.
March 4th
Each group will report to the class dividing responsibilities to explain
the general intention of the reforms they have studied, the specifics of how they
might work, the changes needed for them to be implemented, and arguments for
and against their adoption.
Final Exam
To Be Announced
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CLASS SESSIONS
JANUARY 21
FIXING THE SYSTEM
The United States currently seems united in the belief that the political system is broken. What
do people mean when they say that? Are they right? What can and should be about it? We will
identify and discuss possible causes and proposed solutions and then form small groups within
the class to explore some of the options we identify. The groups will report back to the class on
March 4th.
Read: David Brooks, “The Stem and The Flower”; The New York Times; 12/03/14
JANUARY 28
THE GOVERNOR
The governor is almost always the most visible political figure in any state - and without doubt
the most visible of the current 50 is the one from New Jersey. What are the similarities and
differences in the position of governor across the country? What criteria should be used to
evaluate the extent to which an individual governor is successful? Why has Governor Christie,
with the same constitutional powers as his predecessors, received so much more attention?
Read: Brooks; A Legacy of Leadership; pgs 1-57, 179-218.
Steve Kornacki; “Chris Christie’s Democratic Helpers;”
Salon.com; June 24, 2011.
Salmores; Chapters 7 and 8.
Michael Scherer; “Chris Christie Was Born To Run” and
Joe Scarborough; “Chris Christie Is A Man For All Factions”
Time Magazine; November 18, 2013.
FEBRUARY 4
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH – RULES & REGULATIONS
Even though debates in Congress and state legislatures often receive more attention, the writing
of rules and regulations by executive agencies at the federal and state level can have huge
impacts on a law’s scope, direction and effectiveness. Why are regulations necessary? How much
discretion does the executive branch have in writing them? What are the roles of the President or
Governor, legislators, lobbyists, and general public in their drafting and adoption?
Read: Salmores; Chapters 10 and 13
“What It Takes To Lead State Agencies;” Fels Institute of Government,
University of Pennsylvania; November 2012
“Public Officials of the Year;” Governing Magazine; December 2013
David Brooks, “The God That Fails,” The New York Times, January 1, 2010
FEBRUARY 11
STATE AUTHORITIES, BOARDS, and COMMISSIONS
This session, which introduces a major individual research and writing assignment for the course,
will focus on perhaps the least-known subset of the executive branch – boards, commissions and
authorities. In New Jersey alone, there are more than 500 of these State entities with about 5000
citizen members. Why were these groups created instead of giving their responsibilities to the
established state departments? How do they operate and what do they accomplish? What are
their positive and negative aspects? Which one will you choose to investigate?
Read: Weingart; Another Government Success Story: Citizen Volunteers on NJ State
Boards and Commissions; Eagleton Institute; 2004.
Jordan Tama; “In Defense of the Back-Room Deal;” The New York Times;
October 19, 2011
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FEBRUARY 18
THE STATE BUDGET
How is the state budget determined? What is the role of the legislature? The governor? The
executive agencies? The public? How do agencies plan for, and live with, the final product? Are
there Democratic and Republican approaches to budgeting?
Read: Salmore; Chapter 14
“Citizen’s Guide To The Budget;” NJ Department of the Treasury
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Washington, D.C; (www.cbpp.org)
a) Policy Basics: Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go?;4/12/13
b) A Guide to Statistics on Historical Trends in Income Inequality, 12/5/13
c) Where Do Our State Tax Dollars Go?, 4/12/13
d) Browse site for other papers of interest
Heritage Foundation; Washington, D.C.; http://www.heritage.org)
a) Saving The American Dream; 2011
b) Six Bipartisan Entitlement Reforms; 12/30/12
c) Browse site for other papers of interest
Write: Submit memo addressed to the Governor on the commission you will study.
FEBRUARY 25
THE POLITICS AND GOVERNING OF CITIES
American cities have been regional financial and culture centers providing vibrant and desirable
residential communities for large and diverse populations. At the same time, they have been
home to some of the nation’s worst and seemingly intractable poverty, crime and economic woes.
Their politics have been considered colorful more often than effective and they have sometimes
been written off as ungovernable. Yet, some individual mayors seem to have had significant
positive impacts. Are the political processes in urban politics and governance different than they
are elsewhere? How do they play out in New Jersey cities which are relatively small?
Read: Bissinger, A Prayer For The City
Write: Submit first one-page summary of political event you attended
MARCH 4 PROCESS OF GOVERNMENT REFORM
As public dissatisfaction with the organization and conduct of elections and government
operations reaches a modern-day high, various changes are proposed that their supporters argue
would fix or at least reform a broken system. In the first part of this session, the groups of
students created during the first class session will give presentations evaluating the potential for
various types of political and/or governmental reform.
Presentation: Group projects on areas of potential government reform
MARCH 11 THE PACE OF CHANGE
The pace of change in public policy and legislation is often unpredictable. For much of the past 50
years, stricter gun control legislation seemed likely and same sex marriage was on no one’s
political agenda. Now the future of the former is dim while the later is on a fast and probably
unstoppable path. What determines the pace of change in public attitudes, public policy and
public law?
Read: Elaine Kamarck; How Change Happens–Or Doesn’t: The Politics of US Public Policy;
Rienner Publishers (paperback), 2013
Dan Tichenor; “Immigration Policy: Polarized Politics, Elusive Reform”
World Politics Review; October 2012
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SPRING BREAK
MARCH 25
RISK & STATE IMPLEMENTATION OF FEDERAL POLICY
This session will focus on one federal law - the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980 to explore two topics: First, when federal legislation establishing new programs or policies assign
implementation responsibility to the states, how do the states go about fulfilling these mandates?
Second, in setting public policy, how are the relative risks associated with the available options
taken into account?
Read: Weingart; Waste Is A Terrible Thing To Mind; pgs 7-85 and 237-322
“Vaccine Rule Is Said to Hurt Health Efforts;” The New York Times; 4/17/12.
APRIL 1
THE POLITICS OF EDUCATION
Across the country, debates about both K-12 and higher education focus on questions about cost,
who should pay, how success should be measured, and the appropriate roles for local, state and
federal agencies. Added to the mix are an unusually large number of relatively specific policy
issues including class size and the length of the K-12 school calendar, the use of standardized
testing for students and evaluation processes for teachers, the achievement gap between most
urban and non-urban schools, and the appropriate roles for home schooling, charter schools,
religious schools, community colleges and teachers colleges. We will explore how political leaders
are addressing some of these issues in New Jersey and Washington.
Read: President Obama; Back to School Speech; September 28, 2011
Governor Chris Christie; “The Christie Reform Agenda: Putting New Jersey’s
Children First By Challenging The System;” February 24, 2010
John Mooney; Explainer: Abbott v. Burke, Changing The Rules For Funding
Schools; NJSpotlight.com; 7/23/13
Education Law Center; “Is School Funding Fair: A National Report Card”
(2nd edition) – Executive Summary; June 2012
APRIL 8
PRESS COVERAGE OF POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Press coverage has always been controversial as the events reporters cover, the sources they
quote and the interpretations they add can have enormous impact on public opinion and the
outcome of political campaigns, proposed legislation and government operations. Now, the
changes in how people get their news and the related financial threats to newspapers in
particular are intensifying the old issues while also raising new problems and, perhaps,
opportunities. What are the political implications of the current state of the media and the best
estimates about its future?
Read: “State of the News Media 2013;” Pew Research Center for the People and The Press.
Write: Submit second one-page summary of political event you attended
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APRIL 15 LYNDON JOHNSON IN THE SENATE
Lyndon Johnson was a unique political figure whose like probably will not be seen again. Yet
examining his actions, particularly as Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, illuminates many
universal issues in politics: What is the role of leader? Under what opportunities and
constraints do they work? Where is the line between compromise and selling out? Are there
lessons the current Senate Majority Leader and his colleagues or the Obama administration
should draw from Johnson’s legislative leadership?
Read: Robert Caro; Lyndon Johnson: Master of The Senate;
pages ix-xxiv and 831-1012
APRIL 22
PRESENTATIONS of FINAL REPORTS (Part I)
This week, half of the class will give final presentations about the board or commission you
studied with the rest reporting on April 24th. In no more than four minutes, describe the board or
commission, how you went about your research, what you found, what you concluded and what
you recommend. Using PowerPoint or other communication technology is fine but not required.
Time will be strictly monitored after which questions will be encouraged. The second half will be
devoted to conversations with several people who have had interestingly varied careers both
within and outside government.
Present: Either this week or next, present recommendations concerning the board
or commission you studied as described on page 2 of this syllabus.
APRIL 29
PRESENTATIONS of FINAL REPORTS (Part II)
This final class will be largely devoted to your presentations of no more than four minutes each
describing the board or commission you studied, how you went about your research, what you
found and what you concluded. Using PowerPoint is fine but not required. Time will be strictly
monitored and follow-up questions will be encouraged.
Present: If you didn’t do so last week, present recommendations concerning the
board or commission you studied as described on page 2.
Write:
Submit final report on the board or commission you studied.
To Be Announced
FINAL EXAM
December 30, 2013
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