This document provides an overview of various topics that will be covered in a political science course on Western political thought, including the Homestead and Transcontinental Railroad Acts of 1862, Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis, interest groups and political parties in California, industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and Upton Sinclair's book "The Jungle". It also discusses the California Republican and Democratic parties, campaign rhetoric, candidate images, and how Hollywood portrays political parties.

1. West Coast American Leadership Academy
Political Science 5 – Western Political Thought
Spring 2016 / Fall 2016 – Power Point 8

2. 1. Homestead Act Of 1862
2. Transcontinental Railroad Act Of 1862
3. Turner From “The Frontier”
4. Interest Groups In The Golden State
5. Partisanship
6. California Republican Party
7. Democratic Party Of California
8. Power Structure Of Both Major Parties
9. Carnegie From “Wealth”
10.Upton Sinclair “The Jungle”
Course Lecture Topics

3. Homestead & Transcontinental
Railroad Act Of 1862
Industrialists looked to the Northwest Territory as a
market for manufactured goods.
• Homestead Act opened more land to settlers.
• Transcontinental Railroad Act gave the railroads
incentives to link the east and west coasts.

4. Transcontinental Railroad Route

5. Railroad Town: Korbel City

6. Sacramento Brothel

7. Turner From “The Frontier” (1)
• Turner’s thesis: “The existence of an area of free land, its
continuous recession, and the advance of American
settlement westward, explain American development.”
• As a type of determinism, Turner’s thesis ties geography to
national ideology/culture, defining the character of
Americans and American society: a type of “primitivism”
where “[T]he wilderness masters the colonist. (meeting point
between savagery and civilization)”.
• American social development “continually beginning over
again on the frontier.” (“perennial rebirth,” “fluidity of
American life”).

8. Turner From “The Frontier” (2)
• “European life entered the continent” and “America
modified and developed that life and reacted on Europe.”
• “New Product” “away from the influence of Europe, a
steady growth of independence on American lines.”
• “Composite Nationality”; “tides of continental immigration”;
“mixed race”
• Dangers of individualism out of control; relate to
DeToequeville.
• What endures? The notion of going west for opportunity,
ground for new ideas? Consider that the real move was to
the towns and cities along with the expansion into free,
wilderness land.

9. “Green” Companies – Tesla
California influences the nation. If
the state were its own country it
would be the 6th most
economically powerful. The
Golden State also influences
national as well as world opinion.
Californians are known to be pro-
conservationist. “Green” policy is
also profitable. Tesla is a
relatively new car company
located in San Carlos, California.
They are leading the rebirth of the
electric car. This is a “Nightline”
report of the Tesla Roadster that
aired May 25, 2007.

10. “Green” Companies – Tesla

11. California Agriculture
• Agriculture is a major industry for the Golden State.
• 88,000 farms and ranches.
• California agriculture is nearly a $32 billion dollar
industry that generates $100 billion in related
economic activity.
• Combination of tradition and innovation has secured
California's status as the most productive
agricultural state for more than 50 years.
• Highly adaptable and diverse industry encompassing
more than 350 plant and animal commodities.
(Source: California Department of Food & Agriculture)

12. • Mainstream media generates
over $60 billion in related
economic activity.
• Some put the estimate at over
$80 billion.
• Various aspects apply to making
this estimate.
Mainstream Media

13. • Direct sales of pornography in
the state of California exceeds
$20,000,000,000.
• 10,000 LA County jobs:
makeup, lighting, carpentry,
catering, payroll, web design,
acting, DVD replication, etc.
• 52% of all sales go to women.
• 50%+ hotel guests purchase
adult videos in their room.
XXX – Prior To Measure B

14. • County of Los Angeles Safer
Sex In The Adult Film Industry
Act (Measure B).
• Requires the use of condoms
in all hardcore sex scenes
filmed in Los Angeles County.
• Prior to Measure B, more than
500 permits filed from adult-
film studios with Film L.A.
• After passage, only 24
permits were filed from adult
film studies with Film L.A.
XXX – Measure B (1)

15. Yes on Measure B recruited porn
actors who had contracted HIV to
make their case. The majority of
voters were convinced that health
was more important than jobs and
tax revenue.
XXX – Measure B (2)

16. Yes On Measure B

17. No on Measure B recruited adult
fil actors currently working in the
industry, along with people who
work behind the scenes.
Pornography is taboo and adult
actors are sometimes viewed in a
negative light. The campaign
sought to connect voters with
workers behind the scenes to
show that passage of Measure B
would harm their livelihood.
XXX – Measure B (3)

18. No On Measure B

19. Partisanship
• Variables help determine partisanship like the religion,
social status and place of residence of the individual.
• Catholics tend to be Democrats and Protestants tend to
be Republicans.
• Individuals having a low social status tend to associate
with Democrats and having a high social status tend to
be Republican.
• Rural citizens tend to be more closely associated with
the Republican Party and those residing in the urban
areas tend to lean towards the Democratic Party.
• The degree of partisanship one holds remains the best
predictor for determining how one may vote.

20. Mass Authored
Campaign Rhetoric
Official Campaign Rhetoric is
being challenged due to
advances in technology allowing
for cheap distribution via the
Internet. It has also become
cheaper to produce material
due to the ability to produce
high quality video at a greatly
reduced cost. Enjoy this
example of “Obama Girl."

21. Obama Girl

22. California Republican Party
There are three conservative factions within the Republican
Party. Individuals may identify themselves with more than one.
These are:
1. Financial Conservatives
2. Social Conservatives
3. Moral Conservatives
Moral Conservatives are the most partisan and ideological who
impact statewide office seekers during a primary. One can
argue that moral conservative influence influenced
Schwarzenegger to not seek the Republican nomination for
Governor in 2002. He instead waited for the right opportunity:
The Recall Election of 2003.

23. California Republican Party
Moral Conservative Impact
• Governor Davis faced
considerable opposition during
his 2002 re-election campaign.
• Richard Riordan was viewed as
the most formidable
Republican opponent.
• Gray Davis’s strategy was to
attack Richard Riordan during
the primary so the more
conservative opponent, Bill
Simon acquires the Republican
nomination.

24. Davis’s Strategy

25. Democratic Party Of California
The Democratic Party Of California is not split into three distinct
factions. It is known as the “Big Tent” or “Big Umbrella” Party.
Though the party consists of various interest groups that are in a
constant pursuit for power, it does not have the same problem as
the California Republican Party.

26. Major Party Power Distribution
National parties have
become weaker while
state and local party
organizations became
more powerful. Sub-
national parties are
stronger and more active
than they were in the
1950s, which was at the
peak of partisanship. As
partisanship continued to
erode that they shifted
gears in order to bolster
their membership base.
National
Party
State Party
Local City /
County Party
Local City /
County Party
Local City /
County Party
Local City /
County Party
Local City /
County Party
Local City /
County Party

27. Pluralism

28. Bush In 30
Example Of Pluralism

29. BUSH IN 30
EXAMPLE OF PLURALISM

30. Candidate Image
Candidate image depicts
situations in which voters
decide whether to support a
candidate depending on the
image they portray and
whether they are appealing
or unappealing.

31. Tear Down This Wall

32. Carnegie From “Wealth”
• Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was a massively successful
business man - his wealth was based on the provision of
iron and steel to the railways.
• Carnegie who recalled his radical roots in Scotland before
his immigration to the United States.
• To resolve what might seem to be contradictions between
the creation of wealth, which he saw as proceeding from
immutable social laws, and social provision he came up with
the notion of the "gospel of wealth.”
• He lived up to his word, and gave away his fortune to
socially beneficial projects, most famously by funding
libraries. His approval of death taxes might surprise modern
billionaires!

33. Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”
• Upton Sinclair was a poor reformer who sought to write the
Great American Novel.
• “The Jungle” examined the unsanitary methods of
Chicago’s meatpacking industry of Chicago. It was released
in 1906.
• President Theodore Roosevelt received advanced copy.
Used his influence to push Congress to pass a law
establishing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Roosevelt coined the term “muckrakers” to describe Sinclair
and other reformist crusaders.
• Roosevelt’s phrase was not meant to be wholly
complimentary. Muckrackers are journalists who expose
political and commercial corruption.

34. How The Masses
Perceive The Parties
• Activists are most likely to
participate in campaign
activities. These are the most
partisan among typical voters.
• Republican activists are more
conservative than the average
Republican voter. Democratic
activists are more liberal than
the average Democratic voter.
• Political pandering refers to
how parties cater to their core
base of activists.

35. Bulworth
Let us now see how Hollywood views the parties from the
perspective of the average Joe or Jane. Our example comes from
the movie “Bulworth” starring Warren Beatty. Two scenes are
shown to demonstrate pandering as seen from the perspective of
Hollywood. What are your thoughts after watching these clips? Do
they coincide with your personal belief systems in any way?

36. Bulworth – Religion

37. Bulworth – Hollywood

38. Obama & Apple
Constituents have witnessed influential campaign
advertisements that are authored by the average person.
The clip on the left was created from an Obama supporter
with commonly available computer equipment who
manipulated the famous 1984 Apple commercial that
introduced the world to Macintosh.

39. 1984 Apple Commercial

40. Obama Apple Commerical