American Political Culture

Political Culture --

Distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic aid should be carried out

Political System

Liberty

we are preoccupied with our rights and we should be free to do as we please so long as we don’t hurt someone else

Equality

Equal vote and chance to participate

Democracy

Government officials should be accountable to the people

Civic Duty

aught to take community affairs seriously and help out when you can

Individual Responsibility

characteristically American view. Barring some disability individuals are responsible for their own actions

Economy

Americans support free enterprise. We question how much freedom should be in the marketplace. How much should government interact?

Americans tend to support government regulations of business in order to keep some firms from becoming too powerful and to correct specific abuses

Americans are more willing to tolerate economic inequality than political inequality

In the opportunity v results argument, Americans tend to favor equality of opportunity over equality of results

Sources of political culture

American Revolution was fought over liberty. An assertion by the Colonists of what they took to be their natural rights

Constitution - reconcile liberty with needs of social control

Preoccupation with maintenance of rights

Distrust of authority and people wielding power

Civic Duty

The belief that one has an obligation to participate in civil and political affairs

Civil Competence

a belief that one can affect government policies

Class Consciousness

a belief that you are a member of an economic group whose interests are opposed to people in other such groups

Culture War

Compromise almost impossible to arrange, conflict that is more profound.

For example: Orthodox v Progressive, abortion, gay rights, drug use, different from other disputes because money is not at stake

Orthodox

a belief that morality and religion out to be decisive

Progressive

a belief that personal freedom and solving social issues are more important than religion

Political Efficacy -

a belief that you can take part in politics (internal) or that the government will respond (external)

Mistrust in Government

Since the 1950s there has been a decline in trust of government

People are talking about government officials, not the system, we are actually supportive of the system

Why? Watergate, Vietnam, Lewinsky

9/11 reinvigorated patriotism, but slowly declining again