political culture a distinctive and patterned way of
TRANSCRIPT
POLITICAL CULTURE WHAT IS IT? A distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life should be carried out. POLITICAL SYSTEM Americans typically believe that people should have equal access to politics and influence over government. ECONOMIC SYSTEM Americans generally favor equality of opportunity over equality of outcome.
SOURCES OF AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Americans are adversarial, distrust political authority and have a preoccupation with rights & liberties. RELIGIOUS BELIEF Americans fear the “dark-side” of human nature, thus a constitution is necessary to curb it. INDIVIDUALISM Derived primarily from the American family where the individual has rights and interests that deserve to be addressed.
AUTHORITARIANS/STATISTS
• Socialists , Communists, Social-Democrats, Democratic-Socialists, National Socialists
• Favor state control of/union with key industries.
• Economic, personal and political freedoms are limited either directly or indirectly as a result of government policy.
• EX: Gun ownership, economic choice etc.
LIBERALS
• Believe in using government power to bring about equal outcomes. (ECONOMIC LEFT)
• EX: Social Welfare Programs, Affirmative Action
• More tolerant of behaviors considered to be outside of social norms.
• (Socially Progressive)
• EX: Same-Sex Marriage
CONSERVATIVES
• Favor limiting state power in the economic sphere to produce opportunity.
• EX: Low taxes; Reduced government spending
• Favor using state power to protect standards of behavior and morality (Socially Orthodox).
• EX: Drug laws •President Ronald Reagan is widely
regarded as the most popular, and
conservative Republican president of the
last 50 years.
• LIBERTARIANS (Old “Liberal”)
• Favor minimal government involvement in the economy or personal behavior (It’s not the government’s job to feed you, house you or tell you that you can’t smoke that)
RED STATE= A state that tends to have predominantly conservative population and thus votes for Republicans in national elections. CHARACTERIZED BY: Rural Populations Agriculture or service-based economies Lower taxes Lower-than-average income REGION: South and Western states.
Red States vs. Blue States
Red States vs. Blue States BLUE STATE=A state that tends to have predominantly liberal population and thus votes for Democrats in national elections. CHARACTERIZED BY: Large urban centers Manufacturing or tech-based economies Higher taxes High Minority Populations Higher-than-average income REGION: East & West Coast, Mid-west.
POLITICAL ELITES POLITICAL ELITES=People actively involved in politics: Politicians Campaign workers Media Special Interest Groups Activists More ideologically pure due to higher information intake and peer groups. Members of Congress tend-to be more polarized. IMPACT 1. Elite “media-ites” raise and frame political issues. 2. Set the “norms” for how an issue should be settled.
POLITICAL ELITES EX: Environmental issues; foreign affairs QUESTION: Are politicians more polarized because the people are, or
vice-versa?
PUBLIC OPINION
BLACK PETROLEUM ENGINEER
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
BLACK PETROLEUM ENGINEER
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
PUBLIC OPINION
WHITE JOURNALIST FROM MICHIGAN
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER FROM
MISSISSPPI
WHITE JOURNALIST FROM MICHIGAN
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER FROM
MISSISSPPI
PUBLIC OPINION
BLACK ARMY VETERAN BLACK COMEDIAN
BLACK ARMY VETERAN BLACK COMEDIAN
BLACK ARMY VETERAN BLACK COMEDIAN
PUBLIC OPINION
PUBLIC OPINION=How a significant number of people feel about key issues. POLLS Random Sampling of at least 1,000-1,500 people. LIMITATIONS: Factions prevent public opinion from being accurately measured. Internal efficacy of respondents The type of issue determines the strength of the response Political Socialization (Ideological and background traits impact responses). Wording of the questions