Unit 4 AP GOV

Political Ideologies and Beliefs in the United States

American Political Culture 

• Various common beliefs, values, and societal norms held by most Americans 

  • Help to define the relationship that U.S. citizens have with their government and among themselves 

• These values: 

  • Civic Duty: 

    • Refers to citizen participation in government functions. 

      • Voting, military service, serving on a jury, paying taxes 

  • American Exceptionalism: 

    • Rooted in the idea that U.S. history and development differs from all other nations. Unique American political culture 

  • Empire of Liberty 

    • The U.S, responsibility to spread the concept of American freedom and self governance to foreign countries and states 

  • Equality under the law, democracy and self-governance, freedom of religion, separation of church and state

Core American Political Values 

• Equality of opportunity is the belief that individual are protected equally under the law and have equal opportunity to achieve their goals regardless of their social backgrounds 

• Individualism is the belief that Americans have a high degree of individual liberty and choice over decisions in their lives. 

  • Rugged Individualism - importance of character traits such as self-reliance and hard work 

• Limited government is the belief that the government should be limited in its authority and not interfere with decisions and the daily lives of individual Americans.

• Rule of Law is the belief that the law applies to each individual equally and that everyone, including reelected leaders can be held accountable for their actions 

Free enterprise is the belief that the government should interfere with the economic activity of the nation as little as possible

Alexis de Tocqueville - Democracy in America

• French political philosopher who wrote the first major academic study of the various aspects that made up American political culture 

• Tocqueville’s overall goal was to explain the success of American democratic society and explore its possible future and outcomes 

• Noted that: 

  • American had positive views of the free market economy 

  • Americans had a prevailing belief of the nation was that any individual could improve their station in life through hard work due to the equality of opportunity in the nation 

  • The nation's history of the separation of church and state played a crucial role in the development of representative democracy 

• Also criticized: 

  • The American system of slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, the social status and opportunities of American women 

  • All harmed the core principles espoused by the nation’s founders, such as liberty and equality under the law

Consensual v. Conflictual Political Culture 

Consensual political culture: when most people agree on the legitimacy of the antion;s government and support its political decisions, they ultimately agree upon the handling of the government and support its political institutions. 

Conflictual political culture: when a society is deeply divided over politics and cannot agree on the political decisions made by the government. 

The United States alternates between periods of consensual and conflictual political culture. During different moments of American history, this fluctuation leads to either periods of political unity or great political divide that results in dire consequences for the nation. 

Political Ideology 

Set of values and beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue, shape the thinking of individuals about the political world 

Liberal v. Conservative 

Conservatives: 

• Accept Status Quo 

• Laissez - Faire - small government 

• Low Taxation and Government Spending - Less Government involvement and power

• Increase Military Spending and Intervention 

  • Stronger military = intimidation and strength 

• Order over Freedom 

• Emphasis on Traditional Values 

Liberals: 

• Advocate for Change 

• Pro-Government 

• High Taxation and Social Spending - More Government involvement and power 

• Less Military Spending and Intervention 

• Freedom over Order 

• Accept changing values and norms

American Political Ideology 

Far left: 

Progressivisms - tend to support increased government action and involvement and  addressing social issues; support higher taxes on the wealthy, and addressing income inequality, environmental probl;ems including climate change, and government regulation of financial institutions; support expanding universal healthcare and social security 9some democrats) 

Left: 

Liberalism - relates to views such as protecting citizens’ freedoms, increasing government involvement in addressing societal problems, and ensuring equality of opportunity without regard to demographics of an individual

Center: 

Moderates - refer to views that lie in the middle of the political spectrum, are neither overly liberal or conservative; tend to compromise positions between liberal and conservative policy ideas, but are increasingly less numerous due to rising political polarization in the us 

Right: conservatism - tend to favor laissez- faire economic pressures and oppose maintain that the government spending on social welfare programs harms economic growth and that the government should reduce these programs in favor of reduced tax levels; tend to oppose same-sex marriage and abortion 

Far right: 

Libertarians - want to severely limit the government involvement in the lives of us citizens and advocate for extreme laissez-faire economic policies and strong protections for private property against government encroachment; want to reduce or eliminate

Generalizations in American Political Ideology 

• Black americans are the more liberal than Hispanics,  who are more liberal than whites 

• Older Americans are more conservative than yonder Americans 

• Women are more liberal than men 

• Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim Americans are more liberal, protestants are more conservative The more religious the more likely to be conservative 

• Northeast and West Coast tend to be or liberal, Solid South, Sunbelt, and Midwest tend to be more conservative 

• Urban areas teen to be more liberal, Rural areas are conservative 

• More educated Americans tend to be liberal 

• More wealthy Americans tend to be more conservative 

Political Socialization 

• The process through which an individual acquires his/her political orientations 

• Include a wide range if influences: teachers, the media, family members, religion, geographic location 

• All of these influences come together to shape an individual’s political views, mold political philosophy 

• An individual’s ideology and values developed through political socialization help determine how that individual votes in elections and see the government and its policies 

• Impressionable age hypothesis: political scientists think that most individuals for their core political views between the ages of 14-24 and major events and influences that take place during those years are critical to socialization 

Family and Peers: 

• An individual’s family and peers are two of the most important influences on their political socialization - act as opinion leaders, most family and friend groups hold similar opinions. 

• Parents

  • Most direct impact and greatest indicator of future political behavior and party affiliation - model political and civic behavior such as staying informed and voting; teach values and morals 

• Peers 

  • Involves the ability to discuss political positions, contain opinion leaders that help to shape the opinions of the other people in the group, assert peer pressure on its members which leads to, in which the members of a peer group conform to a social conformity 

The Media 

• Internet, print, television, and other media platforms impact an individual’s political socialization 

• Today, social media is the dominant platform through most information is received 

• Social media allows individuals to engage with their friends, family, and strangers with similar or opposing political viewpoints, but many users choose to engage only with people who hold similar viewpoints

• Where people get their news tends to shape their ideology 

• Selective Attention - Confirmation Bias 

  • Selecting to pay attention to things we are interested in or that we approve 

  • Listening to news based on our own bias 

Education 

• Schools promote national loyalty and basic American values, teach basics of American Government and history, encourage critical thinking 

• A college education usually teaches critical thinking skills that help individuals evaluate complex information and make connections to other ideas.  

• Education level is a major indicator of an individual’s political socialization and political leanings. 

  • Americans with a highschool diploma or less tend to be more conservative 

  • Those with a four year college degree are more liberal 

  • Those with post graduate degree tend to be more liberal 

• The location and type of school also has an influence 

Other Factors 

• Religion: 

  • A religion’s interpretation of political issues can impact socialization; while evangelical Protestants are the most closely tied to conservative politics, while Jewish, Muslim, and religiously unaffiliated groups are most associated with liberal political opinions 

• Social and civic organizations: 

  • People involved in social and civic organizations are more likely to vote and engage in other forms of political participation; Civic institutions allow individuals to engage in political processes in local communities 

    • Robert Putman, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community - Americans are spending less time in social and civic groups, this further reduces civic engagement, Americans are not interacting with and learning about the political viewpoints other Americans hold 

• Geographical region: 

  • The American south tends to be conservative

  • The Northeast and West Coast are more liberal 

• Urban vs. rural communities 

  • Urban areas are more liberal and accepting of diverse religious, political, and societal views, while rural areas are more conservative and less accepting of different viewpoints 

• Globalization 

  • The U.S. increased trade and communication with the world, has changed our culture and beliefs 

• Political events 

  • Political events are external events that shape someone’s party identification or views on the government. Some example of political events include: 

    • Elections

    • Terrorist attacks 

    • Pandemics 

    • Wars

    • Recessions 

    • Social movements 

• Generational effect 

  • A collective experience shared by a segment of the population that influences their political viewpoints in a similar way. 

Public Opinion 

• How a nation’s population views leaders and public policy 

• Information about public opinion comes from polls. Polls are surveys that measure public opinion by interviewing a portion of the population 

Public opinion polls 

• Used by government officials to measure the people’s: 

  • Beliefs and or attitudes 

  • Desires on various political, social, and economic issues 

  • Preferences for presidential or congressional candidates 

• Serve to help government officials know what the people think more than once a year during elections 

• Help to inform elected officials of the support of opposition towards their policy agenda and can help drive the passage of legislation at the state and national levels. 

Scientific Polls 

For a poll to be reliable it must be scientific. Scientific polls meet the following requirements: 

• Random sampling 

  • Based on the idea that a small sample of the population selected randomly can represent the whole population

• Representative Sample: 

  • To be accurate, a poll must represent the overall population (represent political parties, regions, ethnic or racial groups, and gender fairly) , avoid selection bias (when the sample does not represent the population at large) 

• Sample Size: 

  • Pollsters must interview between 1,000 and 1,500 people to get a reliable sample with a low margin of error. This is called a sampling error. Many national polls have a 3 to 4 percent sampling error. 

• The questions crafter for a poll must be clear, straightforward, and show a neutral perspective. The questions should not swat (push) the respondent. Vocabulary should be neutral (Affordable Care Act vs. Obamacare)

• Transparency: 

  • Polling companies publish how they obtained the results. When viewing the results of a poll, a critical reader can check the sample size and watch for selection bias and random sampling. 

Types of Polls 

• Benchmark polls: first polls taken in a campaign season. 

  • Shows the public’s first impression of a candidate 

• Push poll:

  • Is a marketing technique that most commonly employed during political campaigning, in which an individual or an organization attempt to interpret or alter the view of respondents under the guide of conducting a poll

• Entrance poll: 

  • Performed on Election Day as people walk into their polling place to vote. Because they are conducted shortly before a person votes, enteral polls tend to be the most accurate polls 

• Tracking polls 

  • A poll repeated at regular intervals. For example, a weekly tracking poll uses the data obtained over a 1 week period. A campaign can then compare what from week to week 

• Exit poll 

  • Taken immediately after the voters have exited the polling stations. Exit polls are among  the most accurate polls and indicate voter preferences. 

Concerns about Polls 

• Random Digit Dialing and Cell Phones 

• Who answers the questions - knowledge 

• Accuracy - polls have miscalculated the outcomes of elections 

• Bradley effect - while voters lie and say they will vote for the minority candidate - social desirability bias 

• Boomerang effect - supporters of a candidate see polls where their candidate is winning and decided not to vote - West Coast and exit polls 

• Bandwagon effect - people adopt the majority’s view on an  issue to fit in or to be associated with the winning side, polls might sway elections when people decide to vote for the winner 

How Politicians Use Polls

Political campaigns: 

• Measure how the candidates performed during debates and the response to their positions on current events 

• Use to adjust message, reach more voters, increase support  

Polls help politicians get reelected - measure political opinion before voting on policy - obligation to constituency, competitive re elections 

• Elected officials use polling to gauge public opinion, reach constituents, and track performance

• Politicians update and amend their messages to better connect with voters. 

• Politicians use polls, such as presidential approval ratings, to track performance. Politicians use these polls to change messages, release popular legislation, or address areas of public concern. 

• Politicians are more likely to use them to craft messages, not make new policy - listening to the people? 

• Politicians are most likely to use public opinion when it is strong, widespread, and steady, close to election time; and personally affects the people 

The Decision to Not Use a Poll 

• Often, elected officials make decisions or govern in ways that are not consistent with public opinion. This is because elected officials: 

  • Might not believe in the trustworthiness of polling data 

  • Might view a poll as a passing trend and believe that public opinion will change on the issue 

  • Might believe that although most people in the country want a particular policy, the constituents of the official's district want the opposite 

  • Are concerned about voting record - monetary support from interest groups and flip flops 

  • Are concerned about their party leadership (Whips, Committee Assignments, Finance) 

  • May oppose using polling data because their political or moral ideology is against the majority opinion 

  • Might believe the issue is more complicated or nuanced than the public realizes 

Political Parties 

• The U.S has a two - party system: 

  • Democrats and Republicans are formed loosely around ideologies 

  • Broad rage of ideas and interests in both parties 

  • Democrats tend to be more liberal, and republicans tend to be more conservative 

  • Independents are Americans that do not align with a party 

  • Blue state support Democrats, red states support Republicans 

• Modern Democratic Party 

  • Larger Federal Government more responsible to the people 

  • Progressive taxation and government spending to support social programs 

  • Demand-side economics (keynesian) 

  • Health-care is a right 

    • Public option or government sponsored 

    • Business (Red Cross, etc) vs government (Medicaid, medicare)

  • Increase federal government's role in education 

  • Increase federal regulation of business - living wage, support labor unions 

    • In order to ensure worker living wage, working conditions, and necessities 

  • Climate Change: 

    • Invest in discovering alternate and renewable sources of energy, regulate environmental protections against pollution and climate change 

  • Path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, immigration reform 

  • Reduce Military spending - focus on diplomacy

  • Support abortion rights, the LGBTQ community and racial equity, support criminal justice reform

  • pro gun control and against the death penalty 

  Modern Republican Party 

  • Small Federal Government - more power to states and /or people - Downsize and Deregulate 

  • Reduce Taxes and Government Spending - welfare 

    • Welfare creates dependency (Republicans oppose this)

  • Supply-side Economics - fiscal conservatism 

    • Supports businesses 

      • Reduce taxes and regulation on businesses in order to create more jobs, increase production, and stimulate economic growth 

  • Privatize Health Care - social security 

    • Healthcare run by private businesses

  • Local Control of Education - school choice 

    • Parents should choose curriculum and school 

  • Decrease government regulation of business - minimum wage, environment

    • Belief that if minimum wages are increased it reduces business   

    • Strict environment regulations on businesses should be removed 

  • Immigration Reform (more restrictions), Border Security, No Amnesty 

    • More restrictions on who is allowed into the country 

    • Donald trump removals 

      • Family first policy - believes that it has caused chain migration 

      • He wants all immigration to be based on the ability to benefit the american economy 

      • Refugee and asylum programs 

      • No undocumented immigrants should be given amnesty

  • Exploration of national lands for energy 

  • Increase Military Spending - Strength in Foreign Policy  

  • Support religious values and freedom - Pro-life, against gay unions and marriages or business right to deny serving 

  • Support the Second Amendment - against gun control, pro death penalty 

  Party Identification 

  Democrats: 

  • Northeast, West Coast, and Urban 

  • Women 

  • Latinx and Black Americans 

  • Young and Old 

  • Lawyers, educators, blue-collar, Labor unions 

  • Poor 

  • Advanced degrees 

  • Catholics, Jewish, Muslims 

  • Divorced, Widowed, Single 

  Republicans: 

  • South, Midwest, and Rural 

  • Whites and Cubans 

    • Cuban: scared of another fidel castro 

  • Middle-aged 

  • Executives, professionals, white-collar 

  • Rich 

  • Highschool 

  • Protestants 

  • Married
    

Libertarian Party 

• Third largest political party in the United States today 

• Very conservative - believe in complete individual freedoms 

• Repeal personal and corporate income taxes 

• Replace all government services with services in private sector (except the military) 

  • Better education with private schools 

• Repeal all regulations (minimum wage, civil rights, environment) all trade should be free 

• Opposes all censorship - supports the right to bear arms, the right to an abortion, and freedom of speech and the press 

• Repeal victimless crime laws- gambling, prostitution, drug use

Economic and Social Policy 

• Liberals and Conservative disagree on the best government approach to sustain economic growth 

• United States has a mixed economy - how much free market vs. how much government intervention 

  • Fiscal Policy

    • Taxing and spending

  • Monetary Policy 

    • Federal money supply 

  • Social Welfare Policy 

• Economic indicators 

  • GDP 

  • Poverty rate 

  • Unemployment rate 

  • CPI