There are a few theories as to who holds the power in our
democracy. I mostly agree with the theory of democratic elitism, which states
that in a large scale society like ours, bureaucratic officials are used to make
decisions for the public. These officials are elected through a representative
multiparty democratic election, so that their interpretation of what is
important for citizens can be shown by what party they associate with. This
theory holds that for a democratic system to be effective there must be two or
more parties that have differing opinions, and that there must be leaders
within the bureaucracy that can represent societies interests in an insightful way.
I also believe that the pluralist theory can explain where power lies in our
democracy. It holds that power is with interest groups that hold enormous
influence over government leaders. Members of society can contribute to these
interest groups and they can elect politicians that seem to favor these
interests.
Both of these theories contribute in attempting to explain
where the power truly lies in our democracy. Ultimately, both of these theories
give substantial power to the people. The public is able to elect the members
of these bureaucratic systems, so really they choose who they are placing the
power with. We use a multiparty system that includes the Democrat party, the Republican
party, the Green Party, the Tea Party, Independents, and others. This ensures
that people can identify with certain values and belief systems when they are campaigning
to become elected. Congressmen and other officials are elected based on their
perceived ability to make insightful decisions about what the public needs and wants
so while they have power, it has only been given so long as they make decisions
that benefit the people who elected them.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteI know the textbook wrote that the political parties must have different beliefs because this is what truly gives people the power of choice. Do you think these differences are beneficial? While I think it's nice to give our citizens the power of choice, sometimes I feel that people become so wrapped up in asserting THEIR beliefs and what THEY think is right that we end up focusing on our differences, pointing figures, and who is right, rather than uniting for a common good and purpose to solve our nation's problems. What do you think?
Also, you wrote that officials have the power as long "as they make decisions that benefit the people who elected them." What about when presidents are already in office and they make decisions that we disagree with, or that we think do not benefit us? I think this is difficult because once a president is in office, it seems that the power is in Congress voting, and citizens have no say in what bills are enacted.
I agree with you that partisan politics can easily become far too 'partisan' meaning people start to only think in terms of what is best for them at the time rather than what is best for the nation as a whole. Our country is unique in its ability to contain so many different types of people, different cultures, religions, ethnicities, etc. without war or major conflict. It is nearly impossible to make decisions for a country as diverse as ours without disappointing some. However, when discourse becomes too partisan, certain voices can be drowned out and that to me is problematic. As far as those in office, they are still accountable to those who voted them in. The system is not always perfect, but it is supposed to provide checks and balances so that no president can make sweeping decisions without the approval of congress, who are dependent on re-election to maintain their seat.
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