Governing Elite the Power Elite

Governing Elite The Power Elite Some believe that the United States has never replaced its governing elite with non-elite. They allege that membership in the government is only open to those that acquire wealth and property and who accept the national consensus about private enterprise, limited government, and individualism. They further maintain that revolutionary change has never occurred in America's history.

Finally they allege that while the governing elite have modified public policy they have not radically replaced policy and only when the elite have perceived a threat to their authority and power. The theory of the power elite proposes that "less than 250 people hold the most influential posts in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government, while approximately 200 men and women run the three major television networks and most of the national newspaper chains" (Reynolds).

Those that ascribe to the theory of the power elite envision a "pyramid of power" (Reynolds, with a tiny elite class making the decisions for the rest of America. An essential part of the theory of the power elite is that the majority of Americans are powerless to hold those in power accountable for their actions. This is because those, whom Americans would hold accountable, such as their government representatives, are not in the power elite, but actually in a middle level, which is controlled by the power elite.

The theory further states that the power elite itself is composed of the highest political leaders, including the President, major corporate owners, and high-ranking military officials (Reynolds). Furthermore, the theory of the power elite does not maintain that the power elite is a closed group. Instead of membership in the power elite being hereditary, it is based upon sharing certain values.

The power elite theory proposes that: The elite agree on the basic outlines of the free enterprise system including profits, private property, the unequal and concentrated distribution of wealth, and the sanctity of private economic power. They take giantism in the world of commerce for granted. More important, they are united in their belief that the primary responsibility of government is to maintain a favorable climate for business. Other governmental responsibilities, such as social welfare and concern for the environment, are secondary to that task (Reynolds).

No Power-Elite Looking at American history, one can easily see the flaws in the theory of the power elite. First, the Presidency has not been confined to those people that could be described as members of the power elite. Second, economic and ownership opportunities are open to all people, not just those that follow the traditional pathways attributed to the power elite. Finally, there has been true revolution in American history, as demonstrated by the Civil Rights Movement.

Presidents Membership in the American Presidency was initially limited to a small group of people: wealthy, white landowners. Although the Constitution did not place those qualifications on the Presidency, the first few American Presidents certainly qualified. However, within 100 years of becoming a country, Abraham Lincoln, one of America's most respected and influential Presidents was elected. Lincoln was not the only man that was firmly outside of the power elite to hold the office of President. Andrew Jackson and Lyndon B.

Johnson both came to the Presidency by methods outside of the power elite structure and, like Lincoln, attempted to represent the interests of the people. Abraham Lincoln did not come from money; he was the son of a Kentucky frontiersman who taught himself to read and write ("Abraham Lincoln"). Furthermore, Lincoln did not have the opportunity to attend those institutes of higher learning that were associated with power and money; he began as a storekeeper and taught himself the law.

Lincoln received the Republican Party's presidential nomination based on the strength of his debating skills. As President, Lincoln continued to govern from the heart. He took the first steps towards the most significant revolution in American History by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and freeing the slaves. More nearly than any of his predecessors, Andrew Jackson was elected by popular vote; as President he sought to act as the direct representative of the common man" ("Andrew Jackson").

Jackson was born in the backwoods of the Carolinas and did not receive much in the way of a formal education. Instead, Jackson educated himself, eventually becoming a lawyer and property owner. Although Jackson did become wealthy, he did not align his interests with those of the upper classes. In his first address to Congress, Jackson proposed doing away with the Electoral College, so that Americans could truly select their own President.

Furthermore, Jackson readily used the power of the veto to establish Federal policy, rather than allowing Congress to establish policy. Had Jackson come from the upper echelons of society or been interested in representing the power elite, this use of the veto would have supported the idea of a governing elite; however, Jackson continued to represent the ideals of the average American.

Although there have been several other Presidents that came from outside of the prescribed echelons occupied by the power elite, Lyndon Johnson was arguably the most revolutionary President in American history. Like Lincoln and Jackson, Johnson grew up feeling the sting of poverty. However, unlike his predecessors, Johnson did not go into the law. Instead, Johnson began his career as a school teacher. Although Johnson became President in a tragic way, through the death of then-President John F. Kennedy, Johnson was far from America's consolation prize.

Johnson "urged the Nation 'to build a great society, a place where the meaning of man's life matches the marvels of man's labor'" ("Lyndon Johnson"). The legislation urged by Johnson and the goals accomplished during his Presidency proved Johnson's commitment to the average American. Not only was Johnson the President responsible for leading the Nation away from segregation, but he also worked hard to ensure improvement in the lives of all Americans.

Included among the few mini-revolutions attributable to Johnson are: "aid to education, attack on disease, Medicare, urban renewal, beautification, conservation, development of depressed regions, a wide-scale fight against poverty, control and prevention of crime and delinquency, removal of obstacles to the right to vote" ("Lyndon Johnson"). Johnson's concern for the American people was recognized and rewarded: he won re-election by the widest-ever majority of the popular vote. As demonstrated by the different administrations of Jackson, Lincoln, and Johnson, the Presidency has not been exclusively for members of the power elite.

All three men came from impoverished backgrounds. More importantly, all three men governed for all of the American people. Economic Power Another facet to the theory of the power elite is that economic power is concentrated in a small group of people. The theory continues to say that ownership of assets is restricted to members of the power elite, and that even if someone has access to employment opportunities, they have limited access to ownership opportunities.

While there are several Americans whose personal success stories challenge that idea, the most dramatic example of someone who defies the power elite theory may be Bill Gates. Almost everyone knows the story of Bill Gates. A college dropout, Bill Gates created Microsoft, and went on to become the richest man in America. According to the theory of the power elite, the accumulation of such a fortune would have been almost impossible.

However, where Gates really challenges the idea of the power elite is with the fact that he gives away his money. Bill and Melinda Gates are responsible for endowing their foundation with over 28 billion dollars, which they are using to combat problems such as homelessness, education disparity, and childhood disease (Gates). Rather than using his tremendous financial resources to reinforce his position in the economic structure, Gates has channeled the majority of his fortune towards programs that will make today's students more likely to be his future economic rivals.

The Civil Rights Movement The final element to the theory of the power elite is that there has never been true revolutionary change in American history. However, there was a huge revolution in American society in the last 100 years: the Civil Rights Movement. During the Civil Rights Movement, black Americans, who were absolutely restricted from membership in any type of power elite, took the first major strides towards political and economic equality.

Although many people were responsible for the Civil Rights Movement, the acknowledged leader of the Civil Rights Movement was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was not a member of the power elite. Not only was he a member of an oppressed minority group, he also a minister and in a lower economic group. Furthermore, beginning with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Civil Rights Movement was accomplished by imposing financial punishments on those in power elite. Therefore, it.