This document provides a summary of a lecture on Western political thought and California politics. It covers topics like the Homestead and Transcontinental Railroad Acts of 1862, the growth of industries in California like agriculture, media and technology, as well as the major political parties in California and how they relate to national parties. It also discusses concepts like pluralism, candidate image, and how the masses perceive and are pandered to by the major political parties. Key historical figures and policies are referenced to illustrate these concepts.

1. Western Political Thought
John Paul Tabakian, Ed.D.
Political Science 5
Fall 2014 – Power Point #8

2. COURSE LECTURE: WEEK 8 (1)
Today’s Lecture Covers The Following:
• Graft & Pandering
• Homestead Act of 1862
• Transcontinental Railroad Act of 1862
• Elite Consensus
• Liberty, Private Property, Limited Government
• Andrew Carnegie “The Gospel Of Wealth”
• Muckrackers
• Upton Sinclair “The Jungle”

3. COURSE LECTURE: WEEK 8 (2)
This Week’s Lecture Covers:
• Foundation Of California Politics
• California Republican Party
• Democratic Party Of California
• Power Structure Of Both Major Parties
• Interest Groups In The Golden State
• Aerospace
• Environmental and “Green” Companies
• Media – Music, Film, Television
• Agriculture
• Healthcare
• Computer Technology
• Transportation

4. 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.

5. TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD ROUTE

6. RAILROAD TOWN: KORBEL CITY

7. SACRAMENTO BROTHEL

8. 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”).

9. 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.

10. “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.

11. “GREEN” COMPANIES – TESLA

12. CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is a major industry for the Golden State. With
88,000 farms and ranches, California agriculture is nearly a
$32 billion dollar industry that generates $100 billion in related
economic activity. This enormous achievement is possible
through a combination of tradition and innovation that has
secured California's status as the most productive agricultural
state for more than 50 years. Farmers and ranchers blend old-
fashioned notions of patience and perseverance with cutting-
edge technologies and advanced agricultural practices. The
result is a highly adaptable and diverse industry encompassing
more than 350 plant and animal commodities.
(Source: California Department of Food & Agriculture)

13. 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. Big
budget films for instance first
generate box-office receipts then
carry over to “Pay-Per-View” and
DVD sales. Students need to take
into account the various players of
the industry to realize Hollywood’s
impact on California’s economy.
MAINSTREAM MEDIA

14. Direct sales of pornography in
the state of California exceeds
$20,000,000,000!
•Over 52% of all sales go to
women.
•Over half of all hotel guests
purchase adult videos in their
room.
XXX

15. PARTISANSHIP
Variables can help determine partisanship like the religion, social
status and place of residence of the individual. For example, Catholics
tend to be Democrats and Protestants tend to be Republicans. Those
individuals having a low social status tended to associate with the
Democrats and those holding high social status tended to be
Republican. Rural citizens tend to be more closely associated with the
Republican Party and those residing in the urban areas tended to lean
towards the Democratic Party. A conglomeration of variables or even
a particular characteristic can assist us in determining individual
behavior. Though this is true, it is the degree of partisanship one
holds that remains the best predictor for determining how one may
vote on Election Day.

16. 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”.

17. OBAMA GIRL

18. CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY
1.Financial Conservatives
2.Social Conservatives
3.Moral Conservatives
There are three conservative factions within the
Republican Party. Individuals may identify themselves
with more than one. These are:
Moral Conservatives are the most partisan and ideological
who impact statewide office seekers during a primary.

19. CRP - MORAL CONSERVATIVE IMPACT
Governor Davis faced
considerable opposition during
his re-election campaign for
governor. Richard Riordan was
viewed as the most formidable
opponent if he were to be the
Republican nominee. Gray
Davis’s strategy was to attack
Richard Riordan during the
primary so the more
conservative opponent, Bill
Simon acquires the nomination.
These campaign commercials
from Gray Davis were directed
towards moral conservatives to
nominate Bill Simon.

20. 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.

21. MAJOR PARTY POWER
Even though the national
parties have become
weaker and less active,
that the same cannot be
said of state and local
party organizations.
Parties at the sub-
national level are
stronger and more active
than they were in the
1950s, which was at the
peak of partisanship. It
was discovered that 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

22. PLURALISM

23. BUSH IN 30
EXAMPLE OF PLURALISM

24. BUSH IN 30
EXAMPLE OF PLURALISM

25. AMERICA’S TWO PARTY SYSTEM
Our system maintains a process
where unsuccessful parties are
discarded or forced to join with other
minor parties, which in this case has
resulted in the formation of two
major parties. Many of the rules
pertaining to elections in the United
States have been designed to weed
out nuisance candidates. Only those
candidates who have demonstrated a
good deal of public support are
allowed access. America continues to
enjoy a stable political system that is
maintained with its two party system.
Enjoy this video of Frank Grimes, the
2004 nominee of the American
Fascist Union for the Presidency!

26. AMERICA’S TWO PARTY SYSTEM

27. 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.

28. CANDIDATE IMAGE

29. 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, but also a man 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!

30. 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.

31. HOW THE MASSES PERCEIVE THE PARTIES
Activists are most likely to participate in
campaign activities. These are the most
partisan among typical voters. Two of the
most common activities aside from
voting is donating personal labor and
financial resources. Political pandering
refers to how parties cater to their core
base of activists. Those found in the
Republican Party tend to be more
conservative than the average
Republican voter. Democratic activists
on the other hand tend to be more liberal
than the average Democratic voter.

32. HOW THE MASSES VIEW THE PARTIES
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?
Hollywood + ReligionRace Based Politics

33. BULLWORTH – RELIGION

34. BULLWORTH – HOLLYWOOD

35. 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.

36. OBAMA & APPLE

37. OBAMA & APPLE