Political Culture POLITICAL THINKING 02 08 2016 Carefully gather evaluate info form a knowledgeable view about a political issue Barriers time interest biased content via media left right spin spin room ppl Talk about how great their candidate is Political science systematic study of govt politics descriptive and analytical POLITICAL CULTURE Attitudes toward the political system the role we play in it Broader shared ideas of who should govern for what ends and by what means Derived from a country s traditions Defines relationship btwn Citizens govt PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS Natural Law society should be governed by certain ethical principles that can be understood by reason o Thomas Aquinas indiv Rights to life and liberty among these principles WHAT IS THE BASIS FOR GOVT AUTHORITY Supreme authority was derived from a mandate of the masses PHILOSPHICAL ROOTS Locke 1632 1704 and Hobbes 1588 1679 built on these ideas Social contract thy o Ppl free equal by God they must give their consent to be governed o Hobbes govt necessary b c ppl bad o Locke govt exists to protect properly All born free no authority for king POPULAR CONSENT England 16th century o Separatists and Church of England Self governance Social compacts and covenants Social contract theory KEYS TO POPULAR CONSENT All equally free equal Men and women give consent to be governed CLASSICAL LIBERALISM Rule of law Possibility of meaningful change Asserts the worth of the indiv o Challenges existing powers Specific functions of govt CLASSICAL LIBERALISM WHAT SHOULD GOVT DO Functions of govt o Protect private property o Enforce contacts o Perform functions that can t be performed by the free market AM DEMOCRACY POPULAR CONSENT Draws on ideas from Locke Govt draws its power from consent of governed AM DEMOCRACY POPULAR SOVEREIGNITY Right of majority to govern themselves Political authority rests w the ppl Ppl Have the right to create abolish and change their govts AM DEMOCRACY MAJORITY RULE 50 1 for elections and policies Preservation for minority rights Problem of political apathy CORE VALUES OF AM POLITICS Am Political culture made up of 4 core values o Self govt o Equality o Individualism o Liberty Indivs Should be free to act as they choose LIBERTY Unsettled land fostered freedom thru Migration Response to religious persecution Freedom to do what you want w in reasons EQUALITY Indivs Should be judged based on their own merit o Response to European artistocratic privilege Emphasis on political equality 1 person 1 vote What does equality mean o Equality of opportunity whether rich or poor all that matters is same chance o Equality of condition similarity in result most ppl rich as a result of the same education Political Culture part 2 02 08 2016 INDIVIDUALISM Individualism One s fate tied to one s efforts All indivs deemed rational and fair Endowed w unalienable rights Role of govt is to serve Indiv paramount govt is secondary SELF GOVT governed CONFLICT BTWN THE CORE VALUES Liberty vs equality Neither completely realized Ams w Disabilities Act Campaign IDEOLOGY Am Colonials had substantial self determination Vision of a self governing nation w pwrs from the consent of the Our beliefs about the scope and purposes of govt Shapes our attitudes on political issues Political Ideology what I uniquely believe Political Culture what we believe o Widely diffused attitudes toward the political system Ideology more specific IDEOLOGIES IN THE US Liberalism and conservatism Both classically liberal and reflect values of Declaration of Independence LIBERALS ROLE OF GOVT Involvement in the economy provision of social services Active in securing rights for certain groups Belief in progress change thru Govt Compassion CONSERVATIVES ROLE OF GOVT Govt best that governs least Govt involvement in economic social life infringes on liberty Belief in progress but not thru Govt Slow change Balanced budget LIBERTARIANS ROLE OF GOVT Free market economy w no govt interference in personal liberties Emphasis on individualism Inconsistencies w both liberals conservatives POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES Personal Issues o Govt should not censor speech press media or internet o Military service should be voluntary There should be no draft o There should be no laws regarding sex for consenting adults o Repeal laws prohibiting adult possession and use of drugs o There should be no national ID card Economic Issues o End corporate welfare No govt handouts to business o End govt barriers to int l free trade o Let ppl Ctrl Their own retirement privatize social security o Replace govt welfare w private charity o Cut taxes govt spending by 50 or more POLITICS PWR IN AM Politics means by which society settles its conflicts allocates the resulting benefits costs Power ability of persons groups or institutions to influence political Authoritarian Totalitarian govts nondemocratic repressive developments regime types Political Culture part 3 02 08 2016 Democratic System o System in which the ppl Govern by direct representative o In prac majority rule thru The free open election of reps o Majoritarianism majority effectively determines what govt means does o Pluralism pref of the special interest that largely determines what govt does Constitutional System o Authority recognized right of officials to exercise power o The Constitution elaborate checks balances Bill of Rights o Constitutionalism idea that there are lawful retrictions on govt s pwr o Restraints on majority pwr o Judicial action channel thru Which ordinary citizens can exercise pwr Free Market System o Operates mainly on private transactions o Some govt intervention thru Regulatory taxing spending policies o Tax rate much lower in US than in Eu Countries o Corporate power influence firs have over policymakers o Elitism power exercised by the influential law Who DOES govern pwr grow over time o Defining characteristic of Am Politics widespread sharing of o Women minorities initially excluded their pwr Will steadily CURRENT ATTITUTES TOWARD AM GOVT Ams views about expectations of govt affect the political system High expectations Mistrust politicians Voter apathy Ignore the good Public Opinion WHAT IS PUBLIC OPINION What the public thinks about a particular issue set of issues at any pt in time Opinions citizens that openly stated Public opinion polls o Interviews surveys o Samples of citizens o Used to estimate the feelings beliefs of the entire pop THE ROLE OF PUBLC OPINION IN A DEMOCRACY Why public opinion ought to