Unit II

The Socialization of politics = The development of traditions, values and ideologies of

the American political animal. HOW is political socialization acquired? More through formal or informal learning?

Agents of political socialization? a. families b. mass media c. tradition + customs d. schools Which is the primary source?

American Political Culture

Equality of Opportunity

Individual Freedom

Representative Democracy

Equal Opportunity v Equal Results

Equality of Opportunity A view that it is wrong to

use race or sex either to discriminate against or give preferential treatment to minorities or women

Equality of Results A view that government

should do everything in its power to guarantee all a standard quality of life

America’s Demographics:Who are we?

Demographics = science of population changes Gender Occupation Race Religion social class

Three major demographic changes in U.S. Minority Majority Regional Shifts Graying of America

Census building - every 10 yrs since 1790 a “Nation of nations” LBJ said. . .

Immigrants: First wave, pre-Civil War -- NW Europeans 2nd wave, post-Civil War – S & E Europeans 3rd Wave, after WWII - Hispanics + Asians Current immigration policy?

Minority/majority is influencing the great melting pot In the next few decades – Whites predicted to no

longer be the majority of society Hispanics now the largest minority group.

Minority Majority

What will the growth of the Minority Majority mean for politics in the U.S.?

“Minority-Majority” emerging

Simpson/Mazzoli Act (1987) requires employers to document the citizenship of employees or face fines.Concerns?Should government benefits be denied to

people who are not legal residents?Act now viewed as a dismal failure

Asian influx has brought an educated elite into America. . .the SUPERACHIEVERS! the typical downtrodden immigrant now is

highly educated Even with casinos, Native Americans

maintain the most dismal ranking in acquiring the American dream.

America’s Demographics: Who are we?

REGIONAL SHIFTS- Demographics have changed with our mobility- From the Rust Belt…PA, OH, MI to the Sun Belt …South and West – FLORIDA- Dramatic changes in FL & TX from “Frost Belt”- Cause political changes every 10 years after census

- REAPPORTIONMENT of the 435 seats in the House- FL now has 27 House seats, 29 electoral votes!

GRAY POWER “Organized influence

exerted by seniors.” For 1st time in U.S. history, the

“senior” segment of the population has

become largest segment of the population Baby boomers now represent 26% of the population and 40% of the

economy They will collect approximately $5 trillion in Social Security benefits! AARP is the largest special interest group today & possesses the

most political clout

Group Factors that Affect Public Opinion & Political Ideology:

Race/Ethnicity: Affiliations are based on freedom-equality issues and socioeconomic conditions

White-Favor Republican Black-Overwhelmingly favor Democrats Hispanic

Overwhelmingly favor Democrats Except Cubans

Asian-relatively neutral

Progression of Race and Voting 15th Amendment (1870)

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

24th Amendment (1964) Prohibits a poll tax as

qualification to vote Voting Rights Act (1965)

Prevents states from denying citizens the right to vote based on race.

Helps enforce the 15th Amendment.

Group Factors that Affect Public Opinion & Political Ideology: The Gender Gap

Differences in political views and voting behavior of men and women

Men tend to favor Republicans Conservatives

Women tend to favor Democrats Liberals

Differences between Men and Women Role of Government: Doing

too much? Yes: women (50%); men

(66%) Social Programs: Favor

cuts? Favor: women (47%) men

(60%) Should more be done to

expand good, affordable child care, or should it be left to families and individuals? Do more: women (63%);

men (41%)

Should fed government guarantee medical care? Yes: women (69%) men

(58%) Poverty and homelessness

important: One of most impt probs:

wom(63%); men 44% Should affirmative action be

continued or abolished? Abolished: wom 36%, men 52%

Do you think women have equal job opps No: women 69% men 59%

Group Factors that Affect Public Opinion & Political Ideology:

FAMILY INCOME LEVELThe higher one’s income,the more likely they are to…

Register to vote Vote Vote Republican

Effect of Education: The more education one has the more likely they will:

Register to vote Vote Vote Democrat

(at least in the beginning)

Participate in various methods

Jewish persons & Black Protestants are generally the most liberal of all religious groups

Catholics Liberal EXCEPT on social

issues Protestants

Conservative, particularly in South / Bible Belt

Jews Liberal Democrats

Group Factors …..Religion

Urban v. Suburbanv. Rural America

Population Density The more people living in your

area, the more democratic your area tends to be

Higher populated cities tend to benefit more from federal spending

More government services are needed in densely populated areas

Regional Factors that Affect Public Opinion & Political Ideology:

Region South

Traditionally votes heavily Republican Many Christian conservatives

East Coast (Northeast) Large ethnic mix, heavily unionized, large urban areas Most liberal region of the country, Democrats

Midwest tends to be a mixture of the two ideologies Has heavy union activity….Democrats (MI, IL,) Also has large amount of rural areas/farmers … conservative

Republicans (IA, MO…) West Coast

Traditionally liberal; environmental concerns Some large urban areas Getting a bit more of a mixture due to migration patterns

Region

Summary of Voting trends by region Northeast

Democrat Midwest

Republican South

Republican West

Democrat Swing States

Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania

Democratic Party - a net loss of six electoral votes in safe states, for a national total of 242Republican Party - a net gain of seven electoral votes in safe states, for a national total of 181Swing states a net loss of one, for a national total of 115.

2012 ELECTORAL VOTES

How do we know how America is changing?

POLLING!

Public Opinion: An aggregate of

the individual views, attitudes, and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed by a significant proportion of a community

Public Opinion Polls are conducted by news organizations, politicians, candidates, interest groups

Early 1950’s George Gallup “polled” a microcosm of American political thought – a Sample

the more “random” the better. .o everyone should have a chance

of being selected. .

1,000 to 1,500 usually enough

Samples are not perfect – there is a sampling error of about 3-4% in a typical poll

Supporters: Polls assist politicians in “detecting” public preferences. . .Are there shifts in thinking . . . Should they create possible “shifts” in policy making?

Dectractors: It has become the issue of selling policy instead of possibly doing what’s right! - avoiding compromises to appease radical shifts. Politicians love polls when they agree with them, they hate them when they disagree.

Bandwagon effects. . .jump on board. . .instead of being prudent and doing your own research Elections too often tied to them. . .takes over issue

development. Exit poll can control elections.

For ex., the Florida debacle in the 2000 election. Gore won Florida, and then lost Florida. . .and then it was too close to call.…..

The questions are the key. . .and a major problem is that too often they are misleading!

Determining Poll Legitimacy Who conducted/sponsored the poll?

Neutral polling organizations would produce the most accurate results

Political parties or other biased organizations would not How many persons were interviewed?

Minimum 1,000 people Reduces the margin of error

Who was interviewed? Many people choose not to participate in polls; this can skew the

results How were the questions worded?

Pollsters must be careful how to ask the question When was the poll conducted?

Temporary passions can also skew the results How was the poll conducted?

Phone, Internet, On the street

Types of Polls Exit Polls

Questioned right after voting

Indicates who people voted for

Census Tracks/Tracking Polls Questioning specific

groups within the population

Indicates the public’s tendencies across a specific period of time

Our questions…Our questions… Who are we as a society?

More diverse, more spread out, and older! How we learn about politics?

Family, the media, and school, just to start. How do we measure what we believe as a society?

Through polls, which may or may not be accurate. What do we believe as a society?

That we’re all over the place and that sometimes labels mean more than anything else.

How do we participate in politics? From the inside or the outside: by trying to change the system or

protesting the system to make a change.

Political participation: The many forms--

HOW DO WE PARTICIPATE? 1. Voting. Only 50% vote in national elections.

Voters see a lack of political efficacy. . .not being able to have a political “effect” on society through the political process - they have no influence.

2. Join SIGS – special interest groups 3. Give $$$$ to SIGS thru PACS 4. Contacting gov’t officials on a regular basis 5. Working on a campaign 6. Civil disobedience – think Rosa Parks! 7. Violence ….. NOT a legal method of participation

WHO PARTICIPATES? Age and socio-economic status matters – those

with more participate more. . . and get more!

Types of Political Participation

POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES& POLITICAL PARTIES

DemocratsRepublicans

& &LiberalsConservatives

What is a Political Continuum?

A person’s views on the issues help determine where they fall on the political spectrum.

The labels used on the spectrum are not pure categories, but they make up a continuum, or value line, and citizens and politicians fall somewhere on that line depending on what they believe.

ATTITUDES REGARDING POLITICAL & SOCIAL IDEALS IN THE U.S. HAVE BEEN GIVEN LABELS:

LIBERALS or CONSERVATIVES

• These labels are part of a political spectrum that goes from the Left (extremely liberal) to the Right (extremely conservative).

• To determine your placement, you have to assess where you stand on a number of social (people-related), economic (money-related), and political (governmental) issues.

• Take the PBS Quiz at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/08/where-do-you-fit-introducing-the-pewnewshour-political-party-quiz.html

LEFT vs. RIGHT

The terms came from the French where the liberal parties traditionally sat to the left and the conservative parties sat to the right.

Two major factors shape political views: The first is how much change a person is willing

to have within their society and government. The second deals with how much government

involvement in the economy a person calls for.

LIBERAL vs. CONSERVATIVE IDEALS:

The federal government should take a very active and large role in the domestic affairs of all the nation’s citizens

The federal government’s role is too big & should not be expanded further – more control should be given to state and local governments over their own citizens

LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE

LIBERAL vs. CONSERVATIVE IDEALS:

• National Security:• Adequate military;

multilateralism; United Nations

• Economic Policy:• Fed. Gov’t

regulation of business; deficits when necessary; favor government spending

• National Security:• Strong military;

unilateralism• Economic Policy:

• Free markets; limited role of fed. gov’t in regulating business; balanced budget; low taxes; tax cuts

LIBERAL

CONSERVATIVE

LIBERAL v. CONSERVATIVE – Social Issues:

• Social safety net (gov’t)• Public Welfare• National healthcare• Pro-affirmative action• Pro-choice• Anti-prayer in school• Strict separation of church &

state• Tolerance for many religions• Protection of defendants’

rights• Gay marriage/civil unions• High value on change and

principles of tolerance & diversity.

• Individual responsibility• Private charity• Private health coverage• Anti-affirmative action• Pro-life• Pro-prayer in school• Traditional Judeo-Christian

religious values• Opposed to “coddling”

criminals• Traditional family and marriage• High value on principles of

community, tradition, law & order, family & religious values.

LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE

What is a Radical? Far left of the political

spectrum Call for wide-sweeping

rapid change in the basic structure of the political, social, or economic system.

Wlling to resort to extreme methods to bring about change, including the use of violence and revolution.

V.I. Lenin: Mastermind of the Russian Revolution and Father of the

Soviet Union

What is a Liberal? Liberals believe that the

government should be actively involved in the promotion of social welfare of a nation’s citizens.

Usually call for peaceful, gradual change within the existing political system.

Reject violent revolution as a way of changing the way things are, often called the status quo.

Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King

What is a Moderate? Moderates may share

viewpoints with both liberals and conservatives.

Seen as tolerant of other people’s views, and they do not hold extreme views of their own.

Advocate a “go slow,” “wait-and-see” approach to social or political change.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is generally seen as a moderate.

What is a Conservative? Favor keeping things the way

they are or maintaining the status quo

Conservatives are usually hesitant or cautious about adopting new policies, especially if they involve government activism in some way.

The less government there is, the better.

They agree with Jefferson’s view that “the best government governs least.”

Former California Governor and U.S. President Ronald Reagan

What is a Reactionary? Far right of the ideological

spectrum Want to go back to the way

things were—the “good ole’ days.”

Often willing to use extreme methods, such as repressive use of government power, to achieve their goals.

Scapegoating is common. The term “reactionary is

generally negative. A positive way to say the same thing is “arch-conservative.” Hitler’s Mein Kampf is a typical

reactionary manifesto

Expanded views of Liberals & Conservatives:

Classic Liberals Radical Liberals Blue Dog Democrats

Conservative Democrats

Dixiecrats anti-civil

rights

Democrats

True Conservatives Moderate

Conservatives Social Far Right Economic

Conservatives

““To be young and a conservative is to have no heart, to be old and a liberal is to have To be young and a conservative is to have no heart, to be old and a liberal is to have no mind.” no mind.” Winston Churchill 

American Politicians on the Spectrum:

A historical worldview:

More views on the Political Spectrum