SUMMARY DISCUSSION

Summary Discussion

Summary Discussion

American Government

Volkmer expresses democracy such as in the United States of America, public opinion is a vital and a key element. Without public opinion and participation by its people, parts of our country's system may not function as they were originally designed. A couple of ways public opinion plays a big role in our system are: first, polling and elections and secondly, the American people's opinion of corporations and the influence they have on government. Are we as Americans really exercising our public opinion and the right to vote as we should?

In The Politics of Power, founding partner of the Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts & Co. investment firm, Jerome Kohlberg, comments that, “Contributions are a small price for big corporations to pay to gain political influence; Corporations give for one reason: self interest. They can easily justify their expenditures because they get an outstanding return on their investment”. Corporations are becoming a bigger and bigger participant in our country's politics. By contributing lump sums of money to candidates who represent their (company's) needs, the corporations are fuelling the campaign progress of that candidate and hopefully securing the candidate's success at the polls by supporting the campaign. Campaign contributions in the 2008 Presidential election peaked at an all time high, making previous numbers look miniature. To show the trends and the effect money has on campaigns these days, Volkmer also note in their book that, “In 2004, for example, 96 percent of the House races and 91 percent of the Senate races were won by the better-financed candidates”. I do not think that money is the say all factor though. Money is a stand out factor; however, political partnerships and long term commitment to a cause are other factors to note. The book then adds, “Money does not guarantee victory in politics or happiness in life, but financial security sure helps”.

“Participation is the key to a true democracy. In America higher social and economic classes and educated individuals are most likely to participate, while minority populations are least likely to participate. Representation can only be effective if the population participates in the political process and makes their opinions known”. Unfortunately, voter participation had declined in recent years, leaving the American public's opinion behind closed doors and not being heard. Political scientist Robert Putnam attributes the shift in participation at the polls as, “due to generational replacement”. Younger generations are less accustomed to participating in elections and other polls. The accuracy of early polls has been questioned in recent years; this could be a result of less participation by the people, or premature commitment to one party or another. The American people have other influences which may affect their knowledge or outlook of candidates and various topics of importance. Various media outlets and news sources provide a variety of information and immediate access to people across the country. The shift in use of electronic and wireless sources are changing the face of public opinion and could continue to motivate ...