Book 1

Original Course has been out of copyright and print for some 50 years and is now in the public domain. It was adopted and edited for use today by the Conservative Party USA. THE INDIVIDUAL IN POLITICS Politics Shapes Government; Many Forces Affect Government; Elections Are at the Heart of Politics; Political Activity is Not an End in Itself; Government Represents All Groups; The Individual in Politics; The Mechanics of Politics. THE ACTION COURSE IN PRACTICAL POLITICS Preface As a participant in the "Action Course in Practical Politics" you are beginning what I know will be an interesting and rewarding experience. As you read this first pamphlet in preparation for your first workshop session-and as you study succeeding pamphlets and attend other workshops, you will get new insights into what has been called "the great game of politics." This practical politics course is the inside story of politics, how it's organized and how it's played; its problems, challenges, opportunities, frustrations and rewards. As more citizens like yourself become more knowledgeable, more active and more effective in politics, there will be a reward that will make the effort worthwhile-a reward for you, your family, your community, state and nation. That reward will be better government, government truly representative of all the people. In essence, better government is the purpose of this practical politics program. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Individual in Polities This is the first in a series of eight pamphlets that are a basic part of an "Action Course in Practical Politics." The course is described briefly in the last section of this pamphlet. It was developed by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States in response to requests from its members, local and state chambers of commerce, trade and professional associations, individual business firms and businessmen, for material they could use to help increase the political awareness and effectiveness of businessmen. Politics Shapes Government In a democracy, the line between politics and government is difficult to define. Politics profoundly shapes the character of government, and government profoundly affects every individual in the United States at the local, state and national level. Government, in turn, shapes politics. This course, however, distinguishes between government and politics. Politics, essentially, is the process of selecting and electing the men and women who, as representatives of the citizens, manage the public affairs of the nation at the local, state and national level. Government is the actual management of those affairs. An incident illustrates both the difference between politics and government and the relationship between them. A businessman asked the administrative assistant to a United States Senator about the probable fate of a bill which the business community generally regarded as economically unsound. The aide replied: "The Senator is against the bill. He will oppose it on the floor of the Senate. But I am afraid he is not going to get much help. The bill will pass by a substantial majority." As the businessman turned to leave, the Senator's aide added: "The trouble with most businessmen is that they are not doing very much in politics. If they would get active, and get some people elected who would pay some attention to them, there might be a different story when a bill like this comes along. "Businessmen neglect politics and then deplore the passage of unsound legislation." Many Forces Affect Government The basic philosophy and attitudes of the American people ultimately determine the solutions to critical governmental questions, such as: What is the proper dividing line between government and private action? What should be the relationship between the states and local communities and the national government? What forms of taxation will best allow maximum economic growth? Every individual has a responsibility for studying basic issues such as these, for observing and analyzing the operations of government, and for expressing informed views on proposed governmental proposals and actions to his friends and neighbors, and to those who have been elected to conduct his government for him. But government is also shaped by the philosophies of those who are selected and elected by their fellow citizens to represent them. They translate the views of the majority into specific governmental action. Inevitably their own views color that translation. A look at any given Congress, for example, will disclose many senators and representatives who have followed a "conservative" philosophy. Others have been just as consistently "liberal." Each of them has chosen to build his career around basic articles of faith. Elections Are at the Heart of Politics Too many people tend to brush off the actions of Congress, or of state legislatures, or of county councils with the phrase, "It's all politics." What do they mean? They could mean a congressman voted for a bill because he thought approval of the measure would gain votes among his constituents. A state legislator voted against a bill that was opposed by some influential groups because he knew they would support him in his next campaign for re-election. A member of a county council paid what is commonly called a "political debt" stemming from support he received in a previous political campaign. The adage that "the first duty of a politician is to be reelected" is based on hard realities. But its significance is easily misinterpreted. It does not necessarily mean politicians lack integrity. Many politicians have developed the fine art of compromise on the unessential while adhering steadfastly to the principles in which they believe. None of them can ignore elections, however. Politicians are a cross-section of America. Some are good, some are bad, some are indifferent. Some are opportunists and others will not compromise their principles. Like other Americans, they want to keep their jobs or get better ones. The county attorney wants to be governor. The governor would like to go to the Senate. Many senators would not be averse to sitting in the White House. Despite these very human ambitions, however, many politicians with a sound economic philosophy have had the courage in their campaigns for election or re-election to advance this philosophy with all the vigor and sincerity at their command. Perhaps they won; perhaps they lost. If they lost, a soul-searching question is in order: Could they have won if politically nonactive men of management had known how to be politically effective, and had put that knowledge to good use in supporting their campaigns? The great majority of people today are "political consumers." Their votes are the currency with which they buy the packaged candidates and platforms of one party or the other. They do not help determine to any appreciable extent what goes into those packages. To become more than a "consumer" in politics, it is necessary to know something about how politics is organized and how it operates. This "Action Course in Practical Politics" presents such background information. It will be especially helpful to those who say in effect, "I want to be politically active. But how? Where do I start? What can I do?" Political Activity Is Not an End in Itself Although many people have made careers out of politics, the average man must inevitably regard politics as a means to an end. The end is good government, government that will promote the general welfare of the nation, government that is broadly representative of all interests and all groups. Government is managed by people selected and elected through our political processes. The rules and regulations, the laws, passed by these men affect the health and expansion of the economy, the fiscal solvency of the nation, the proportion of an individual's income that is taken in taxes, the way that tax money is spent, and a thousand and one other items that determine the future of the United States. Every individual who abdicates his political responsibilities to other more politically active individuals and groups should remember the admonition of President Theodore Roosevelt: if decent people do not like the way politicians behave they should either get into politics or refrain from complaining about anything the politicians do. Government Represents All Groups Our society is composed of many groups with varying interests, geographic, economic, ethnic and social. The authors of the Constitution felt that the views of all these groups should be represented in government to obtain a final result acceptable to the majority without trampling on the basic rights of any minority. A candid-thinking businessman once said: "The growth and use ... by one special interest group of political power which has no effective check is not the fault primarily of those who achieved the power, for it is their right to try. Rather, the fault is principally on the part of those who, by their inactivity and silence, allowed it to happen." In his book, You're the Boss, Ed Flynn, long-time Democratic political leader said this about complaints directed at the political influence of the CIO Political Action Committee, the forerunner of the Committee on Political Education (COPE) of the AFL-CIO: "If the citizens whose interests are different from, or broader than, those championed by the PAC would take as much pains to protect those interests as labor is taking to protect its interests, the story might be an entirely different one. Certainly, there is no point in condemning PAC-endorsed candidates for feeling under obligation to organized labor. "Unfortunately, however, the citizen with broad interests is rarely a party worker, or even an active citizen. Why, therefore, should he be surprised that more 'independent' candidates are not elected to office. "It would be a fine thing if all officeholders felt under obligation to all types of citizens and hence based their judgments on the rules of the greatest long-term good for the greatest number. But we will never reach that Utopia unless or until all citizens resolve to work three hundred and sixty-five days a year at being citizens." The Individual in Politics Two important features of politics in the United States increase the opportunities for effective political action by individuals: o Politics is organized group action. o Politics is local. These two facts must inevitably shape any "Action Course in Practical Politics." Politics Is Organized Group Action. Any individual who wants to increase his political effectiveness must start with the realization that politics is organized. Candidates have been nominated and elected in the past without his active support. The men and women who represent him will continue to be selected through the political process, whether he participates or not. In the United States, politics revolves around the two major political parties. Many of the framers of the Constitution were fearful of political parties and warned against them, but their development was inevitable. Even if they were not essential in our form of government, political parties would have developed. It has been said that "if politics were not organized, someone would come along and organize it." As long as people have different views on basic questions of government, those with similar views will join together, recognizing that "in union there is strength." Defects in the party system as it has grown up in the United States is a favorite subject of political scientists. Many books have analyzed the growth and operation of political parties and have recommended improvements. This course is not concerned with such value judgments. It accepts as basic premises that political parties do exist, that they are already organized to perform a major political role in our system of government, and that to be effective a beginner in politics must relate his activities to party organization. In fact, the existence of political parties offers real advantages to the beginner in politics. It means he does not have to embark alone on an uncharted sea. Political parties are composed of millions of workers. There is a niche for him-if he wants it. Politics is Local. As he casts his first tentative glances at political participation, the beginner can easily make the age-old mistake of "concentrating on the forest instead of the trees." He recognizes the fact that political parties play a dominant role in politics, but he is inclined to think of them in terms of a national election, a far-removed national committee composed of party leaders with state-wide and national reputations. He would be less than human if he did not wonder how he could make an appreciable impact in such a system. But that's looking at the forest and not at the trees. The beginner, even as the professional in politics does, should concentrate on the individual trees, the precinct, the ward, the town, the city. Political parties are composed of thousands of individual political organizations. In the final analysis, the success of the party depends upon the effectiveness of these organizations. That "elections are won and lost in the precincts" is a political truism. A handful of votes can change the result in many local elections; even the majorities that run into millions in a presidential election are built up one vote at a time. Anyone becomes effective in politics just as soon as he becomes effective in politics in his own community. The Mechanics of Politics Most individuals have definite opinions on the type of government that is most conducive to the development of this country and the well-being of all its inhabitants. Many of them, however, have not taken the time to study the mechanics of politics that will help them achieve better government. They may not understand: How candidates are selected for public office . . . how politics is organized . . . how a political campaign is run . . . where political clubs fit into the political picture . . . how a precinct leader is selected and what he does . . . This course is concerned with those mechanics. It provides insights into the many different ways individuals can be active in politics and explains how they can use their skills and knowledge most effectively in political activity. The Action Course in Practical Politics is a series of nine two-hour workshops held weekly (or every two weeks), attended by 12 to 20 participants and conducted by a discussion leader. Each workshop deals with one important aspect of practical politics. Materials Used in the Course 1. Discussion Leader's Manual (not yet available), explains how to organize and operate the workshops to make them most productive. The manual was developed with the help of training experts and contains a complete blueprint of the course, including instructions on how each workshop operates. 2. Set of Eight Pamphlets, one pamphlet for each of eight workshops. The pamphlets are a compilation of information on practical politics prepared especially for the course. 3. Case Problems in Practical Politics (not yet avaiable), descriptions of political problem situations common to almost every community in America. They are designed to prepare participants for effective participation in politics by developing their ability to analyze political problems and work out suitable solutions. Procedure As preparation for each workshop, each participant reads the pamphlet that pertains to the subject to be discussed at that particular workshop. All workshops are conducted as discussions. In the workshops the participants work out solutions to one or more of the Case Problems. The problems provide opportunities for the participants to relate the information in the pamphlets to problem situations they can expect to encounter in politics. Capsule Summary of the Workshops First workshop-The Individual in Politics The role of individuals in politics, a discussion of political participation opportunities available to the individual. Second workshop-Political Party Organization Why, and how, political parties are organized from the precinct up. Analyzes why individuals are more likely to be effective in politics working through established parties. Third workshop-The Political Precinct One way to get started in politics. The precinct leader's and workers' role. Analyzes the tactics and strategy used by a precinct leader in getting voters in his precinct registered and to the polls. Fourth workshop-The Political Campaign Second way to get started in politics. How a campaign is organized and run; how to get out your vote; how to influence the undecided; how to raise money; election day activities; campaign follow-up. Fifth workshop-Political Clubs A third way to get started in politics. Covers the importance of manpower and training-in politics. How-and why-clubs are organized; the relationship of the club to the party organization. Sixth workshop-The Political Leader's Problems Designed to develop an insight into some of the practical problems facing political leaders, selecting qualified candidates who can win; financing; intra-party problems; manning the precincts; training workers; patronage. Seventh workshop-Political Meetings Types of meetings particularly important in precinct work, campaigns, clubs, etc. How to plan, conduct and follow-through on effective meetings. Eighth workshop-Businessmen in Politics What business firms, associations and chambers of commerce are doing, and can do, to increase the number and effectiveness of businessmen in politics. Ninth workshop-The Politicians Speak A supplementary session designed to help participants relate their political knowledge to the local scene. Local, county and state politicians are invited to discuss practical politics, and participants are given an opportunity to raise questions and get further information on politics at the local, county and state The "Action Course in Practical Politics" will serve as a useful map for those who wish to increase their effectiveness in politics. It points our recommended routes and warns of pitfalls and detours. Individuals can study this map for informational purposes only. Or they can put it to use in charting a course to a destination.