Unit 4: Political Beliefs and Behavior

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Which of the following do you agree with?

Freedom of speechAbortion

Gun ownershipJustice

IndividualismFreedom to worship

Hard workLegalization of marijuana

Freedom of the pressRespect for others

PrivacyCommunity involvement

Gay marriagePreservation of the

environment

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What is the difference between these issues?

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What is a political culture? Political CulturePolitical Culture

a distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life should be carried out

this is NOT political ideology (consistent views concerning the policies government ought to pursue)

people can disagree on ideology but share a common PC

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What is American political culture?

liberty (rights) equality (of opportunity, not treatment) democracy (gov’t is accountable to the people) civic duty (people should take community affairs

seriously and help when they can) individual responsibility

5

Rank em! Which of these is the most important American political value?

liberty (rights) equality (of opportunity, not

treatment) democracy (gov’t is accountable

to the people) civic duty (people should take

community affairs seriously and help when they can)

individual responsibility

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Which of these is most absent in today’s political culture (that is, where is

our greatest deficiency?)?

Comparing America with Other Nations

(*generalizations, of course*)

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SwedenSweden democracy more deferential

than participatory citizens rarely challenge

govt. decisions in court “what’s best” over “what

people want” value equality as much

as/more than liberty favor equal pay, top limit on

incomes; favor less income inequality

JapanJapan•value good relations with colleagues•emphasize group decisions and social harmony•respect the hierarchy

tend to be more assertive about rights recent studies indicate: Americans lousy

in voting rates but not in other forms of participation; more confidence in gov’t institutions

Americans acknowledge flaws, still “very proud” of nation, “willing to fight” for it

Americans tend to be more religious than Europeans

Religion important in American politics; libs/cons both use religion to promote politics

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Where Does Political Culture Come From?

Historical Roots American Revolution =

basically about liberty

Federalist-Jeffersonian transition, 1800—birth of party politics birth of opposition party,

adversarial culture; shows liberty and political conflict/change can co-exist

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Legal-sociological factors absence of state religion means no “policy from the

pulpit” “Protestant work ethic” (Max Weber): work, save $,

obey law, do good works absence of class consciousness (most people consider

themselves middle-class) political views of employed & unemployed similar

(“rags-to-riches” still popular)

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The Culture War

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battle over values; money not at stake

compromises are almost impossible

conflict is more profound

about what kind of country we “ought” to live in

CULTURE WAR SLAPFIGHT!! Is America a “Christian” nation?

Should the Ten Commandments be posted in: Public schools?

State/federal courtrooms?

Public government buildings?

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Simply put, two camps:Simply put, two camps: Orthodox: morality is as or

more important than self-expression, derives from fixed rules of God

Progressive: personal freedom is as or more important than tradition with changing rules based on circumstances of modern life

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PUBLIC OPINION People don’t spend a lot of time

thinking about politics

polls reflect ignorance of legislation, poor name recognition of leaders

public opinion is not firmly held

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What do you think of H.R.5309, the Access to Birth Control Act ?

How about this: do you think pharmacists should have the right to refuse to fill prescriptions for contraceptive devices (especially birth control pills) if they are religiously opposed to such devices?

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Rep. Carolyn Mosley, D-NY, author of HR

5309

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National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform:

NBC/WSJ Poll, November 2010 Given more than a dozen options

for helping balance the budget, majorities backed just four: Reduce the number of federal workers

trim federal workers’ salaries

cut overseas military bases

eliminate the tax deduction on home mortgage interest in exchange for lower income tax rates.

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/WSJpoll111710.pdf

"I'm sure there's waste somewhere," said Terri Davis, 44, a travel company employee from Ashburn, Va. "But I like a lot of government programs that keep order in the streets, that do research about what's dangerous. A lot of things are worthwhile."

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AND HERE’S YOUR PROBLEM…

Erskine Bowles & Alan

Sampson