Ideology & Parties.pptx

What is political ideology?

is set of ideas, beliefs, and values about specific issues that is held by individuals

What are the three major political ideologies discussed in your Texas politics notes?

Conservative, liberal, and libertarian.

What is political socialization?

The process of learning the underlying beliefs and values of a
political system

What are some examples of political values people learn through political socialization?

Democracy, liberty, equality, voting, and other beliefs about government and politics.

How do we view our political ideology?

we view them in two different dimensions

What are the two dimensions of political ideology?

Economic ideology and social ideology.

What does the economic dimension of ideology focus on?

The role of government in the economy and marketplace, including issues such as taxation, regulation, income inequality, and government spending.

What does the social dimension of ideology focus on?

The role of government in personal and social issues, such as abortion, marriage, religion, and individual rights.

What do economic liberals believe about government involvement in the economy?

They believe government should be involved in the economy to reduce economic inequality.

What types of economic policies do liberals generally favor?

Policies that reduce income inequality

What do economic conservatives believe about government involvement in the economy?

They favor limited government involvement.

What type of economic system do conservatives favor?

Laissez-faire capitalism and policies designed to promote economic growth.

What do libertarians believe about government involvement in the economy?

They favor limited government involvement, laissez-faire capitalism, and economic freedom.

What social ideology do Liberals have?

They believe equality and justice are important and expect government to promote the public good.

What do social conservatives believe?

They emphasize religion and traditional family values and expect government to promote those values.

What do social libertarians believe?

Government should have very limited involvement in social issues and individuals should be free to make their own choices.

Mapping Ideology

What is a political party?

are private organizations, with a specific set of values and beliefs, that aim to gain control of government so they can influence policy

How do political parties gain political power?

By winning elections

Why do political parties organize themselves?

They organize themselves to represent the political ideology of people in society – liberals, conservatives, and libertarians in Texas

What do political parties represent?

The political ideologies and interests of people in society.

What is a party platform?

The official statement of a political party's policy preferences and governing philosophy.

How often is a party platform updated?

each party updates every four years after the presidential primaries are completed

What is the highest level of temporary party organization at the state level in Texas?

The State Party Convention.

How often are state party conventions held?

Every four years

What happens at state party conventions?

Political parties organize and establish their party positions and activities at the state level.

About 20% of Texans identify strongly as?

either Republican or Democrat

Those who have a party ID are what type of voters?

base voters

What are base voters?

These are base voters people who are very unlikely to vote for the other party

What is party identification (Party ID)?

an individual voter’s ties to a political party

What is the geographic pattern of party identification in Texas?

Rural areas tend to be Republican, cities tend to be Democratic, and suburbs are mixed.

What economic policies are Texas Republicans generally associated with?

Very low government regulation of the economy and policies friendly toward business.

What do Super-Republican (Conservative Party) oppose in Texas?

Oppose abortion, LGBTQ rights, environment regulation

What is the Super-Republican (Conservative Party) position on large federal programs?

Oppose big federal programs

How are Texas Democrats described compared with Democrats nationally

Texas Democrats are generally more conservative than Democrats nationally.

What is the Texas Democratic Party (Liberals) position on a state income tax and state sales tax?

Oppose state income tax & raising the state sales tax

What areas of government spending do Texas Democrats Party (Liberals) favor?

Favor education and health spending

What is the Texas Democratic Party's (Liberals) position on abortion and LGBTQ rights?

They have moderate support for abortion and LGBTQ rights.

How does Texas compare with most other states in the number of libertarians?

Texas has more libertarians than most other states.

What is the basic economic philosophy of Texas libertarians (Libertarian Party)?

They oppose government intervention in the economy and support economic freedom/fiscal responsibility.

What is the basic social philosophy of Texas libertarians (Libertarian Party)?

Support a government that respects civil liberties and individual choice

Which party believes the minimum wage law must be raised, enforced, and applied meaningfully across-the-board?

Democrat

Which party believes the Minimum Wage Law should be repealed so that businesses can control their own wages?

Republican

Which party believes in repealing the Minimum Wage Law because “people should be free to make whatever employment arrangements they want”?

Libertarian

Which party believes government should be kept out of social issues like abortion, leaving the question up to each individual for their conscientious consideration?

Libertarian

What do Democrats believe on social issues like abortions?

Believe that women have full autonomy over their own bodies, and denying access to abortion is forced childbirth. Society should trust women and their
physicians to make their own decisions about whether or not to bear children

What do Republicans believe on social issues like abortions?

Believe in the sanctity of human life, created in the image of God, which should be protected, from fertilization until natural death because the unborn
child has a fundamental individual right to life

Which party believes that marriage is a God-ordained, legal, religious, and moral commitment only between a natural man and a natural woman, which is the foundational unit of a healthy society?

Republican

Which party believes that marriage is about fairness and equal treatment under the law. Denying homosexuals the right to legally marry in any state or local courthouse is unconstitutional?

Democrat

Which party believes that marriage is a private legal contract that should not be defined, regulated or licensed by the government?

Libertarian

How do you test what’s your ideology?

Answer TWO social issues and TWO economic issues. Use closed questions that are about a specific issue

Solid Liberals:

economically & socially very liberal

Faith & Family Left:

economic liberal but socially conservative

Next Gen Left:

economically conservative on social safety net but socially liberal

Hard-Pressed Skeptics:

liberal but financially stressed and skeptical of government

Young Outsiders:

mix of conservative and liberal views

Business Conservatives:

economically conservative & moderately socially conservative

Steadfast Conservatives:

economically & socially very conservative

Bystanders:

not interested in politics & not registered to vote

Pew Typology Results
Texas Voters ages 18 - 35

Presidential Reconstruction Constitution
(1866-69 under Johnson)

abolished slavery, revoked secession rights, retracted war debts, and did not give any rights to African Americans. It was only slightly amended from
before the civil war

Congressional Reconstruction Constitution
(after Johnson impeached 1869-76)

was written when the Confederacy was occupied. Government power was
concentrated, taxes were significantly raised, and African Americans were given the opportunity to exercise their rights

Dual Federalism (DF layer cake) occurs when?

occurs when federal powers do not overlap or interfere with state powers. The duties/responsibilities of both F&S are clearly defined. Little Federal involvement

Cooperative (CF marble cake) have ………..

No clear definition of power/jurisdiction between F&S, states have most power, when both work together to provide services DF before 1920s CF after (categorical grants)