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The American System American Political Culture: Chapter 4 Political Ideology vs. Political Culture • Political Ideology is the common way of thinking WHAT the government SHOULD do. • Political Culture is the common way of thinking HOW things SHOULD be done. • Basic American Political Culture: ▫ All should be POLITICALLY equal ▫ No guarantee of being ECONOMICALLY equal Elements of American Political Culture • Liberty – the freedom to act in any way that does not hurt anyone else • Equality ▫ Voting ▫ Political Participation ▫ OPPORTUNITY Elements of American Political Culture • Democracy – the rule of government which is accountable to the people • Civic Duty ▫ Take community affairs seriously ▫ Help out when possible • Individual Responsibility ▫ You are responsible for your OWN ACTIONS ▫ You are responsible for your OWN WELL-BEING The Economic System • LIMITED government interference • It’s generally fair and efficient • Equality of opportunity not equality of outcome • Economic Individualism (and personal responsibility) ▫ Earnings are based on a person’s ABILITY ▫ No limits on individual success (riches) American Political Culture vs. Other Nations • Stronger sense of: ▫ Civic Duty – one should participate! ▫ Civic Competence – one can affect government policy and direction American Political Culture vs. Other Nations • Have more trust: ▫ Less than before (but still more than most others) ▫ Most think the POLICIES need to be changed … NOT the system!!! Religion’s Role in American Political Culture • Religion has always been important in America ▫ Colonies established for religious freedoms Massachusetts – Puritan separatists from England Connecticut – Religious and political dissenters from Massachusetts Rhode Island – separation of church and state Pennsylvania – Quakers & religious tolerance for all Maryland – Catholics Religion’s Role in American Political Culture • Religion is a big factor in American culture ▫ More religious than most European countries ▫ Becoming more religious over time ▫ Dual Role Spirituality Civic duties ▫ Political Role Independence Movement Civil Rights Movement Candidates often judged on religion Sources of Political Culture • Founding Philosophies Liberty balanced with need for social control Liberty can coexist with political change Distrust of authority Sources of Political Culture • Religion ▫ Original Sin makes it so no one can be trusted with absolute power ▫ Protestant work ethic Work hard Save money Obey the law Do good works Sources of Political Culture • Family ▫ Primary agent of socialization ▫ Lessened (a bit) by Media Peers Entertainment ▫ (Economic) Class Consciousness Not much class warfare Most feel they are “middle class” You can go up in social class with hard work! The Culture War Two Culture Classes Orthodox •MORALITY trumps self-expression •Moral rules come from God or from Natural Law •Criticized as •Moral Majority •Religious Right Progressive •PERSONAL FREEDOM trumps traditional moral values •Morals must be evaluated with the changing times •Criticized as •Secular Humanists •Immoral, Anti-Christians •Growing in numbers The Culture War • Rise of power of media allows culture clashes on a large scale Mistrust of Government • Trust has been in decline since the late 1950s ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ Vietnam (Credibility Gap) Watergate Iran-Contra Scandal Clinton Scandals Iraq War Benghazi Compound Attack Mistrust of Government • Perhaps we OVER-trusted the government before ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ Beat the Great Depression Won WW II Leading Superpower Camelot Image Mistrust of Government • Expectations of government ▫ Higher than before ▫ More difficult than before Environment Globalization / Economy Civil Rights and Equality Political Efficacy • The ability of the common man to ▫ Understand government workings ▫ Affect politics • In DECLINE but still higher than in most European nations • The less the voters trust the government, the more willing they are to vote out incumbents. Political Efficacy • Internal Efficacy ▫ Ability for someone to understand politics ▫ Ability for someone to take part in politics in a meaningful way ▫ Relatively stable • External Efficacy ▫ Ability to make the system responsive to the needs of the people ▫ In SHARP decline! Feeling that government has gotten too big for one person to make a meaningful difference in policy Political Tolerance • Americans tolerate disagreements to a great degree ▫ In policy ▫ In leaders • Americans dislike oppression of “other” thoughts • Can intolerance be a display of concern for the continuation of American culture? Political Tolerance • How do extremely unpopular groups survive? ▫ We don’t act against them Don’t take the time. . Not worth the trouble? ▫ Who are the groups we should deny rights to???? ▫ The courts protect all groups Act based on laws, not on feelings Insulated from public pressure
