Download Day 2

American Political
Culture
Government/Politics
What is Political?
What is Government
The organization that holds a monopoly on
legitimate violence in a particular territory
The authoritative allocation of resources and
values
A location for settling conflicts
Justin’s Broad Definition- any factor that may
have an impact on conflict resolution, decision
making, or policy outputs
Three Broad Classes
Inputs
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Culture
Information
Public Opinion
Institutions
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Branches of Government
Parties/Interest Groups
Outputs
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Policies
Conditions
Outcomes
Why Government
Social Contract Theory
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Human Nature not a pretty
thing
State of nature- Life nasty,
brutish, short (but totally free)
Hobbes- Preserve Life
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Any government better than
no government
Locke- Life, Liberty, Property
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Not only secure life but quality
of life
Rights Precede Government,
Government ensures them
In Both Cases- Protect us from
each other
Why Government?
At a minimum- Provide some degree of
security
Seen in both liberal and conservative
arguments
Homeland Security
Tough on Crime
Welfare and Social Services
Why Government?
Also, pursue goals we could not pursue alone
Collective Action Problem/Free Rider Problem
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Many goods are shared by whole public
Why should you contribute to something if others do
not?
System collapses
Government offers a solution. Compel
Contribution to public projects
Debate about what goals government ought to
pursue
Legitimacy
Why ought A government have control?
Force
Diving Right of Kings
Consent of the governed
Democracy
Rests on notion of consent of the
governed
Direct Democracy
Representative Democracy
Representative Democracy
Why Representation?
Direct democracy unwieldy
Direct Democracy requires considerable
citizen input
Direct Democracy not a cure all
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Same biases in society at large show selves
May have a bias towards the status quo
Representative Democracy
Citizens delegate authority
Minimizes Requirements of
knowledge/attention
Elections provide accountability
Primarily retrospective
Clarity of message sent?
Mandates?
Representative Democracy and
Elections
Elections Provide accountability
Popular consent- Source of legitimacy
Majority Rule-Majority of citizens (50%+1
vote) determine political outcomes

Often replaced by a plurality
Geographic Representation
Single member districts
Culture
Culture- Shared understandings, values
More basic and stable than general attitudes
Political culture- Attitudes toward the political
system and its various parts, and attitudes
towards the role of self in the system
Ecology->Culture->Socialization->Personality>Behavior (Triandis 1994)
Some history in Political Science
American Political Culture
Not perfect fit for every individual
Not monolithic
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Regional differences
Conflict within individuals
Individualistic
Personal liberty
Tolerance
Religion?
American Political Culture
Economic Values
Capitalism
Protestant work ethic
Meritocracy
American Political Culture
Americans are not callous
75% Increase Spending for Elderly
65% Increase Spending for Health Care
73% Increase Spending for Education
71% Increase Spending for the POOR
American Political Culture
Deservingness
Responsibility is a critical theme in American
Politics
Those who are seen as responsible for their own
plight generally seen as not deserving
88%- Government Should help those who
CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES
Recognition of broader forces as well
E.G. Effects of Recession?
American Political Culture
Equality- “We hold these truths to be self
evident that all men are created equal…”
Jefferson
Contested definitions
Equality before the law
Equality of opportunity
Equality of outcomes
American Political Culture
Value Conflict
Societal level
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Regional differences
Individual level
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Value Pluralism- Paul Sniderman
Ideology
While culture widely shared, some differences
Interpretation
Priority among values
Liberal- generally supports active government
activism in ensuring equality, ensuring rights
Conservative- generally opposed to government
intervention, support for more “traditional” values
Ideology’s Dimensions
Economic regulation
Social Regulation
Liberals- High Economic, Low Social
Conservatives- Low Economic, High
Social
Ideology
Paradox- Traditional conception
inconsistent
Libertarianism/Fascism consistent
Perhaps Libertarianism future of ideology
Ideology a worthwhile concept?
Why Americans Hate Government ?
A Quick and Dirty History of
Colonial America
17th Century England- Monarchy
Anglican Church official church
1620s Pilgrims land in Mass. seeking
religious freedom
Gradual settling by English of 13 original
colonies
English Continued to have official
authority, but large degree of autonomy.
History
Development of colonies as important trading
partner
Colonists largely thought of themselves as
English
English provided military support
No income tax
Increased taxes on goods/services
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Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Quartering Act
NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!
History
1776- 2nd Continental Congress adopts
Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence
Grievances both economic and political
1777 Articles of Confederation
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Loose constitution
Limited power of central government
Congress- Limited powers in foreign affairs,
coining money
States retained most sovereignty
History
Colonies eventually win War of
Independence
Continue to function under Articles of
Confederation
Problems
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Inability to collect taxes and pay war debts
No ability to back currency
No Judicial system to handle disputes
between states
For Tuesday
O’Connor and Sabato Ch 2
Enduring Debate 1-34
Pg. 11 Both Questions
Page 34, question 1
First news monitoring report