american political culture
DESCRIPTION
American Political Culture. Chapters 4, 7, 8, & 9. Alexis de Toqueville. Democracy in America The effects of “culture” “Problems” of America Size Languages “melting pot” Religion Class Consciousness Political Equality over Economic Equality. Elements of the American Political System. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
American Political CultureChapters 4, 7, 8, & 9
![Page 2: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Alexis de Toqueville
• Democracy in America• The effects of “culture”• “Problems” of America– Size– Languages– “melting pot”– Religion– Class Consciousness– Political Equality over
Economic Equality
![Page 3: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Elements of the American Political System
• Liberty• Equality• Democracy• Civic Duty• Individual Responsibility• The Role of the Civil Society• The Necessity of Political Tolerance
![Page 4: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
• How do we know that Americans share these beliefs?
• Why is our society inconsistent with our beliefs?
• Why is there so much political conflict?• Does the economy reflect our values?• What is the affect of Religion?• Are we Red, Blue, or Purple?
![Page 5: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Elements of the American Political System
• Proper Definition of Terms– Conservative– Liberal
• Where did the Political Spectrum originate?
![Page 6: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
The Political Spectrum
![Page 7: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
The Political Spectrum
![Page 8: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
The Political Spectrum
![Page 9: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Check YOUR Political Standing
•http://www.gotoquiz.com/politics/political-spectrum-quiz.html
![Page 10: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
The Value of Public Opinion
• Plenty of Problems:– There are many “publics”– Difficult to measure accurately– “We know very little, but we reason fairly well.”
• Errors occur:– We don’t use terms correctly.– Our desires are inconsistent.– We hide our truest thoughts.
• “Public opinion is often dynamic, not static.”
![Page 11: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
“Inside Information”
• Table 4.2 ~ Survey says: We take more pride, believe that we are in control, think kids should be taught the value of hard work, and believe that belief in God is essential to morality than Europe.
• Table 4.3 ~ In the past 40 years, confidence in church, schools, newspapers, unions, business, and Congress have all declined.
• Table 7.1 ~ young adults are pretty jaded.
![Page 12: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Scientific Polling
• Straw polls• George Gallup• Random sampling• Margin of error (sampling error)• Exit polls• Effect of Elites• Bill Clinton – Overpolling?
![Page 13: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Political Socialization
• Family (basics > party) (kids less partisan)
• Age (younger = more socially liberal)• Education (more schooling = less partisan)• Religion (attendance increases Conserv.)• Gender (Women!)• Class (Economics trumps all.)• Race/Ethnicity (Party and Issues)• Region (“Stronghold” – myth?)
![Page 14: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
How do we participate?
• Voting• “Getting out” the vote• Campaigning• Donating• Being informed• Signing petitions• Letter-writing• Volunteer work
![Page 15: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
A Brief History of Voting
• 1776 ~ White, male, taxpayers (property)• 1828 ~ Removal of most property requirements• 1868 ~ Amd. 14 – male citizens, age 21• 1870 ~ Amd. 15 – race, color, servitude• 1920 ~ Amd. 19 – sex • 1961 ~ Amd. 23 – District of Columbia• 1964 ~ Amd. 24 – No poll taxes• 1971 ~ Amd. 26 – Age 18• “Motor voter” laws
![Page 16: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Other voting issues
• NonVoting– Too busy (25%)– Family obligations (12%)– Lack of efficacy (12%)
• Disenfranchisement of Criminals• Literacy Tests• Grandfather Clauses• Numerous offices
![Page 17: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Voting Trends
• Chart page 185– Older voters vote in larger percentages– Presidential elections draw larger turnouts than
Midterm elections– Less than half of registered voters ages 18-20 vote
in Midterms– Younger voters fluctuate more (disinterest?)– 2008 got the most out of every group
![Page 18: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Choose your ballot wisely
• Early Party “Ballots”• The Australian Ballot• “Office bloc” Ballot (Mass.)• Straight ticket?• Voting machines– The Lever– The Punch Card (The Florida Fiasco - 2000)– The Video Game
![Page 19: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Political Parties
• Despised by the Founders– Factional– Fighting– Treasonous?
• A basic label– Becoming less descriptive
• Perhaps in decline (but probably not)
![Page 20: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
A Brief History of Political Parties
• Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans– (Adams vs. Jefferson)– Killed the caucus system, created Conventions
• Whigs vs. Democrats– (Clay vs. Jackson)
• Republicans vs. Democrats– Created by Civil War– Union = Republican / Confederacy = Democrat
![Page 21: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
A Brief History of Political Parties
• William Jennings Bryan – Populism– Progressives and Mugwumps
• MAJOR CHANGES:– Primary elections, Nonpartisan local elections– Voters’ registration– Initiative and Referendum– Use of mass media– Decrease in patronage
![Page 22: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
A Brief History of Political Parties
• FDR and the Final Domination of Democrats
• Alternating Current– Democrats have controlled Congress– Republicans have “controlled” the Presidency– Continuous divided government
![Page 23: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
An even briefer history of “minor” parties
• 1964 – George Wallace• 1980 – John Anderson• 1992 & 1996 – Ross Perot• 2000 – Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan• 2010 – Tea Party
![Page 24: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
2 Parties or Multiple?
• Problems in a 2-Party system– Contentiousness– Corruption– Divisiveness
• Problems in a Multiparty system– Coalitions– Run-offs– Plurality
![Page 25: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Political Conventions
• Primary or Caucus?• “Superdelegates”• Usually activists• Delegates do NOT reflect the masses
![Page 26: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Who’s at the convention?
Democrats % Republicans %
Women 49 32
Blacks 23 2
Protestant 50 57
Catholic 25 30
Jewish 9 3
College degree 80 80
Income < $500,000 45 32
Income > $500,000 43 51
Union members 25 5
Born-again 14 34
Gun Owners 33 60
![Page 27: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Who’s at the convention?2008 Dem Delegates % Voters % Rep. Delegates %
Male 50 46 68
Female 50 54 32
African American 23 12 2
Hispanic 11 8 5
Income > $75,000 70 31 66
Union Members 24 9 5
TOTAL (#) 4419 2380Govt. must solve national problems
83 43 3
Should have stayed out of Iraq
95 59 13
Abortion should be generally available
70 33 9
Religion ext. import 23 28 37
Restrict guns – laws 62 52 8
No legal gay unions 5 39 46
![Page 28: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
The problem of corruption
• Patronage – “To the victor…”
• Tammany Hall
• Political Machines
• Hatch Act
![Page 29: American Political Culture](https://reader030.vdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022032708/56812a83550346895d8e195d/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
Questions
• If we do away with political parties…– How will candidates be found?– How will good candidates be recruited?– Where will candidates find support?– Who will hold candidates accountable for their
actions?
• Why don’t the best people run for office?