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Finally, American politics demystified. There is acommon belief among college students that American politics andgovernment are broken, or too complicated to understand, orcompletely illogical. With a student-friendly analytical frameworkand vivid, current examples, American Politics Todaydemystifies the political process and shows students how the systemactually works-effectively and powerfully. KEY FEATURES Three key ideas-integrated throughout the text, thepedagogical features, and the student emedia-help students developthe skills they need to make sense of politics. · First, politics is everywhere. Debatesover what government should do or who should be in charge are notseparate from society or from Americans'' everyday lives. Politicsis a fundamental part of everyone''s life, governing what people canand cannot do, their quality of life, and how they think aboutevents, other people, and situations. · Second, political process matters.Governmental actions are the result of conscious choices made byvoters, elected officials, and bureaucrats. The media often coverspolitical issues in the same way it does sporting events, and whilethis makes for entertaining news, it also leads citizens tooverlook the institutions, rules, and procedures that have adecisive influence on American life. Politics really is not just agame. · Third, politics is conflictual. Thequestions debated in elections, and the policy options consideredby people in government, are generally marked by disagreement atall levels. Making policy typically involves important issues onwhich people disagree, sometimes strongly; so compromise,bargaining, and tough choices about trade-offs are central parts ofthe process. Fresh, contemporary examples show the reality of theAmerican political system and encourage in-depth exploration ofpolitical issues. Students often arrive in class with a decidedly negativeimpression