Political Behavior

Political Beliefs & Behaviors AP UNIT II

Alexis De Tocqueville A foreign observer of American politics, who visited

the United States in 1830’s. Democracy in America

Political Culture A patterned set of ways of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out.  Elements of American Political System 

  

liberty - preoccupation with rights equality - equal vote, equal opportunity, equality under the law, but not equal wealth democracy - politicians accountable to the people Government by the people…for the people

 

civic duty - serve community individual responsibility – barring some disability, individuals responsible for own actions and well being

Political Culture & Public Opinion  Are closely related, they both refer to the beliefs, values,

and ideas held by the people of a nation. The difference: - Political culture involves beliefs, values, and ideas that are deeply held and widely shared. (stable over time) - Public opinion focuses on the peoples view on a wide range of issues and controversies. (can change at any moment)

Political Socialization process by which parents and others teach children

about values, beliefs and attitudes of political culture

Agents of Socialization Family Schools Mass Media Peers Political Institution & Leaders (especially in times of

crisis) Religious Organizations

Other than family which one do you think has the greatest influence? The least?

Family  the primary influence on political affiliation  among high school seniors only 9 percent belong to

members of the opposite party of their parents

 In adults, 60 percent are the same party and the rest are

mostly independents, few are opposite party

School Elementary school – give sense of national pride,

idealized notion of govn’t., introduction of authority figures outside the family, govn’t. seen often as the president High school – Greater knowledge of system, can see erosion in trust of government (especially among urban youth), most knowledgeable about current events than past history College – (important because about 25 % receive college degrees)

Students usually become more liberal -- longer they are in college the more liberal they become Why? People who go to college may be prone to liberalism (favors social progress by reform and by changing laws rather than by revolution ) People are exposed to a wider variety of materials

(possibly produced by a liberal cultural elite)

College teaches liberalism

Exception – The higher education level = more

socially liberal (personal freedom), but more fiscally conservative (economic freedom) – possibly a reflection of class College kids today are entering college slightly more conservative than their predecessors in the 1970s How long do you stay liberal? Depends on: did you marry liberal? are your friends liberal? level of education, level of activism during college

Class We usually have seen blue collar, or unskilled

workers embrace Democratic and liberal views on economic policy Professionals tend to be more conservative on economic policy But the electoral division between the classes seems to be narrowing 



many people vote on social, moral and foreign policy and not economic issues education is liberalizing

Race African-Americans  Heavily democratic (78%) (though younger Blacks more willing to vote Republican); in more recent elections (2004 & 2008) nearly 90% voted Democrat Hispanic  Mostly Democratic (54%) but can have crossover (George W. Bush as governor) – Mexican American = Democratic 

Cuban-American = Republican

Asian  Slim majority who are Republican (38 % Repub, 35% Dem)  

Japanese = more conservative Korean = more liberal

White  More likely to be Republican (35% Repub, 37% Dem) than Black or Hispanic (but not Asian)

Race and ethnicity, on the other hand, seems to be a clearer source of political cleavage than class.  



 

Many modern differences hinge on remedying past discrimination and racism. Whites are more likely than blacks to support the death penalty for murder& increased defense spending but less likely to support national health insurance. However, Blacks and Whites do agree that police should be allowed to search homes of known drug dealers without warrants, that women shouldn’t be able to get abortions simply by demanding them, and that marijuana shouldn’t be legalized. Blacks have become the most consistently liberal group in the Democratic Party. There also appears to be less divison among [poor and rich] Blacks than among [poor and rich] Whites.

Gender Since the 1960s – more men have been becoming

Republicans creating a gender gap (is a pattern seen throughout the world) Main reason seems to be men’s conservatism on social issues like gay rights, abortion, gun control and size of government About 58% of women identify as Democrats

Geographical region also widely affects political attitudes.

 







Southern members of Congress seem to vote more conservatively than Northern ones. In the past, Southerners agreed with Northerners on issues of economic issues, but issues of race and liberty always seemed to pull them apart. The Southern lifestyle itself is different from the Northern way of life since the South has been more receptive to business enterprise and less so to organized labor than the Northeast. The South has been against big government and civil rights, and lately, less Southerners are identifying themselves as Democrats than in the 1950s. These changes are important, since without the South, no Democrat except Lyndon B. Johnson would have become president of the United States.

Religion  Generally Protestants more conservative than Catholics

who are more conservative than Jews Why?  Class – Jews and Catholics were immigrants who saw more support with Liberals  Religious tradition  

Protestants – individual salvation Jews – social justice

 The difference is fading with time – tend not to see a lot of

difference on economic issues, more difference on social issues

Region (Don’t see big differences in economic policy)  South – more conservative socially  Northeast – more liberal socially  Midwest – more conservative socially  West – More liberal socially

I.

In a democracy, government policy is supposed to follow public opinion. A. Yet the history of capital punishment in America shows that government policy may resist public opinion. B. Democratic theory implies that government leaders are able to ascertain what the public is thinking about current political and social issues. 1. According to the majoritarian model, government should do what the majority wants. 2. According to the pluralist model, government should allow free expression of the often numerous “minority” opinions.

C. Statistical sampling theory and computer technology have made it possible to be better informed about the distribution of the population’s beliefs and attitudes about politics and government. 1. Modern survey research methodology allows national opinion to be estimated within specified degrees of accuracy.

2. The three main factors that influence the accuracy of a sample are a. The way the sample is selected: Random sampling is needed to compute sampling error. b. The size of the sample: National samples of 1,500 cases will be accurate within three percentage points, plus or minus. c. The amount of variation in the population: Pollsters compute sampling accuracy by assuming maximum variation in the population.

Gallup Poll accuracy in predicting presidential elections over 60 years. Only 1948 (Truman vs. Dewey) predicted the winner of the election incorrectly. Ross Perot’s third party candidacy in 1992 skewed the results in that election year.

D. Knowing how often government policy runs against majority opinion, it becomes harder to defend the U.S. government as democratic under the majoritarian view of democracy. 1. Surveys show that citizens often prefer a policy different from that followed by the government. 2. To evaluate the role of public opinion in U.S. government, we need to know more about how opinions are distributed and how citizens acquire their opinions.

Public Opinion Polling http://

www.sciencenetlinks.com/Esheet.cfm?DocID=157 For those of you who have taken or are taking

Psychology, what are possible errors when surveying?

Ideology in America

Ideology: A consistent pattern of opinion on certain

issues that stems from a core belief or set of beliefs “research indicates that no more than a third of Americans, and perhaps a few as a tenth, have a pattern of opinions on issues that is consistent enough to be described as a manifestation of true ideology” Why do you think this is?

Ideological Definitions

Conservatives: Emphasize the marketplace as the

means of distributing economic benefits, but look to the government traditional social values Liberals: those who favor activist government as an instrument of economic security and redistribution but reject the notion that government should favor a specific set of social values

Populist: Those that favor activist government as a

means of promoting both economic security and traditional values. Libertarians: Those who oppose government as an instrument of traditional values and economic security.

ISSUE

LIBERAL VIEWS

CONSERVATIVE VIEWS

Interpretation of the United States Constitution

Favor loose construction – Constitutional interpretation may change as modern society evolves

Favor strict construction – Constitutional interpretation should remain constant through the years

Tradition vs. Change

Favor change over status quo

Favor tradition over change

0 0 2

E 4

c e l

n o ti

Party Identification  A person’s loyalty to or preference for one political party  When people identify with a party, they usually agree with

the party’s stance on a few major issues and give little weight to its stance on issues they consider minor or secondary.  An individual’s party identification tends to be life long unless there is a major shift in a party’s agenda or problems with its leadership.

Political Participation

Florida Voting Regulations  Be a citizen of the United States of America;  Be a Florida resident;  Be 18 years old (you may pre-register to vote if you are 17 years old or

have received a valid Florida driver’s license, whichever occurs earlier);  Not now be adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state;  Not have been convicted of a felony without your civil rights having been restored; and  Provide your current and valid Florida driver’s license number or Florida identification card number. You must provide the last four digits of your Social Security Number if you do not have a Florida driver’s license number or a Florida identification card number. If you do not have any of these items, you must mark the box indicated on the Voter Registration Application as “NONE.”

History Created by delegates during the Constitutional

Convention. Founding Fathers felt that citizens of the time were not smart enough to make a decision as large as the Presidential election. Tuesday following the first Monday of November in years divisible by four, the people in each State cast their votes.

What if there is no Majority?  The U.S. House of Representatives (as the chamber

closest to the people) selects the president from among the top three contenders with each State casting only one vote. If a majority is still not reached it goes to the Senate…

Electors Each state has a number of electoral votes equal to

the number of representatives and senators. Electors are chosen by political parties. There is a total of 538 electors, each with one vote. Electors vote in the December after a November election in their states capital.

The House of Representatives

The Senate

Only four times in election history has a

candidate won the popular vote but lost the election.  Andrew

Jackson (1824)  Rutherford B Hayes (1876)  Benjamin Harrison (1888)  Al Gore (2000)

Pros of Electoral College

It contributes to a united country by requiring a

distribution of popular support to be elected president It enhances the status of minority interests. It contributes to political stability by encouraging two-party System. It is extremely difficult for a third party to win enough popular votes

Cons of Electoral College The system makes it possible to elect a

president who has not won an absolute majority of popular votes. The risk of so-called “faithless” Electors. Its failure to accurately reflect the national popular will. The Electoral College overrepresents unpopulated rural areas. Time zone factor.

Why Should I Vote? Many people say “Why should I vote?” “My vote won’t make any difference.” …But one vote decided  In the 1960 Presidential election, John F. Kennedy’s 120,000 vote edge over Richard M. Nixon was created by majorities as small as one voter per election district in 12 states. Kennedy won Hawaii by just 115 votes.

1876  One vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency of the

United States. In the 1876 presidential election, Samuel Tilden received a half million more popular votes than Hayes. The electoral college was not in agreement about who should be America's next leader. A special commission was formed to make the final decision. The commission decided, although Hayes had lost the actual vote by the citizens of the United States, he had won the electoral vote by just one ballot: 185 to 184.

1948 One vote per voting precinct gave Harry S. Truman

the presidency. If Truman's opponent, Thomas E. Dewey, had received one vote more per precinct in Ohio and California, there would have been a tie and the House of Representatives would have decided the election. And because Dewey had more support in the House than Truman, Dewey would have won.

1960 One vote per voting precinct would have elected

Richard Nixon rather than John F. Kennedy president.

2000  The election on November 7, 2000, was the closest

presidential race in history. In the final count, Governor George W. Bush of Texas won by 4 electoral votes, but Vice President Al Gore had won the popular vote by 337,576 votes. Bush was the first presidential candidate in more than a century to win the presidency while losing the popular vote. The deciding factor in Bush winning the election was a victory in Florida by just 537 votes over Gore!

Democratic Pro Union Pro Union Pro consumer Pro trial-lawyers Strongly favor Public prop. rights & 5th amendment Cooperative Fed. Nat’l Government Cooperative Fed. Cooperative Fed. Prefer Categorical

Republican

Economics (Cont.) “Right to Work” Workplace safety Consumer safety Product liability Environmental regs. Property Ownership Federalism Social issues Economic issues Criminal Justice Welfare Spending

Pro Management Pro Management Pro Management Pro Management Largely oppose Private prop. rights & 5th amendment States rights Nat’l Gov, if at all Mostly Nat’l Gov. State Control Prefer Block grant

Democratic

Republican

Right to life Abortion

Pro Choice Physic.-assisted suicide Generally favor Stem cell research Generally favor extending cell lines from frozen embryos Causes Criminal Justice Rights of accused Focus Treat drug abusers Rights Decrease demand Drug War Restrictive interpr.

2nd Amendment

Pro-Life Generally oppose Generally oppose Especially research into extended cell lines Punishment Rights of victims Punish dealers Cut off supply “Liberal” interp.

Democratic Strongly oppose Sep. church/state Up teacher salaries Cut classroom size

Republican

Education Vouchers Religion Spending

Strongly favor Pro relig. Instruction “School Accountability” Subsidies to private educ. / home schools

Democratic

Republican

“Family Values” Pro civil union, oppose Homosexuality Oppose all unions marriage ~ “Gay rights” ~ “Special privileges” Gov. reg. or assistance Health care Maintain private Gov. encouraged Child care Maintain private Philosophically support Welfare Philosophically oppose Willing to “deal” in practice In practice support Butter, some guns Defense Guns, some butter Generally favor decrease Spending Usually favor increase Oppose as wasteful Missile Defense Support as necessary Focus on ? War on Terror Focus on Iraq Rights over safety Safety over rights Criminal justice strategy Pre-emption strategy