1. People and Politics
Political Culture

2. Political culture is a distinctive and pattered way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out.

3. Five Elements of the American view of the political system
Liberty
Equality
Democracy
Civic Duty
Individual Responsibility

4. Liberty
People are free to do as they please as long as we do not hurt other people
Liberty over authority
Freedom over responsibility
Americans are preoccupied with rights
Rights over Duties

5. Equality Political Equality Economic Equality
Equal treatment under the law
One man one vote
Equal chance to hold public office
Economic Equality
Equal opportunity
Not Equal results
Social background, race,, religion, and gender should not limit opportunity to achieve to the best of our ability

6. Democracy Government of the people, by the people, and for the people
Government officials should be accountable to the people

7. Civic Duty
Civic duty is the belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs
People ought to take community affairs seriously
People ought to help out when they can

8. Individual Responsibility
Individuals are responsible for their own actions and wellbeing
A persistent commitment to the individual
Concern for preserving individual freedom of choice and what if any limits
Limits generate intense conflict

9. Other American Democratic Values
Power to the People
Democratic Consensus
Justice and Rule of Law
Nationalism, Optimism, and Idealism

10. Political Ideology
Ideology – One’s basic beliefs about power, political values, and role of government
Beliefs that arise out of education, economic, and social conditions and experiences
It includes the views that people have about how government should work and how it actually works
Links values to policies
People can disagree on ideology but share a political culture

11. Ideologies Contemporary Liberalism
Belief in the positive use of government to bring about justice equality of opportunity
Preserve rights of the individual and private property
Government should intervene into the economy to remedy defects in capitalism
Government should provide against inadequate or deficient healthcare, housing, and education

12. Generally, believe in affirmative action, worker’s safety and health protections, tax rates that rise with income, and union’s right to organize and strike
Believe in progress and change
Trust government programs

13. Conservatism
A belief limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity
Private property and belief in enterprise are central attributes of conservatism
Keep government small, especially national government, except in national defense
Believe in strong leadership institutions, firm laws, and strict moral codes to ensure social order
Believe in individual responsibility
Believe change in moderation

14. Socialism
An economic and government system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange
Socialism has been combined with democracy – Democratic Socialism
Socialism and totalitarian governments combined is simply referred to as Totalitarian Socialism

15. American Socialism There are a few examples – favor
Expanded role for government
Nationalize certain industries
Institute public jobs program
Steeper tax burden on the wealthy
Drastically cut defense spending

16. Environmentalism
An ideology that is dominated by concern for the environment but also promotes grass-roots democracy, social justice, equal opportunity, nonviolence, respect for diversity, and feminism
Associated with the so called “Green Movement”

17. Libertarianism
An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on sharply limited government, promoting a free-market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in the moral and social spheres
Opposition to most all government programs
Massive cuts in government spending
Abolish government agencies – FBI, CIA, and regulatory agencies
Oppose participation in the UN

18. Make war only if attacked
Decriminalization of drugs
Abolish income tax
Withdraw American troops from abroad

19. Public Opinion
The distribution of individual preferences for, or evaluation of, a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population
Distribution means the proportion of the population that holds a particular opinion
The framers of the Constitution intended to give the people an active voice in governing
The framers also wanted to insulate the government from the shifting whims of ill-informed public opinion

20. Methods of measuring public opinion
Political party organizations
Interest groups
The media
Scientific polling
Three steps
Selecting a sample
Presenting carefully worded questions
Interpreting the results

21. Where do we get our public opinions and values?
The process by which we develop our political attitudes, beliefs, and values is called political socialization
Starts in childhood
Children learn the content of our culture in childhood and adolescence but reshape it as they mature
Socialization lays the foundation for our political beliefs , values, ideas, ideology , and partisanship (party preference)
Nationalism is a common element of socialization

22. We form our attitudes in groups
The sources of our views are varied due to our pluralistic political culture
Political attitudes may originate in religious, racial, gender, ethnic, or economic beliefs and values
We form our attitudes in groups
Family
Schools
Social Organizations
Everyone is exposed to the mass media
The media acts as agents of socialization
Our choice of media source is selective and people often choose sources they agree
Often the media influences what we think about but not always what to think