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Longman PoliticalScience Interactive. Magleby & Light Government by the People Chapter 4 Political Culture and Ideology. Introduced in Congress just days after King’s assassination in 1968, but not passed until 1983
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LongmanPoliticalScienceInteractive Magleby & Light Government by the People Chapter 4 Political Culture and Ideology
Introduced in Congress just days after King’s assassination in 1968, but not passed until 1983 Support was strong among groups such as labor unions and the National Football league Yet states such as AZ, VA, and SC were opposed to the idea In 2008, though racial tensions were never far from the headlines, candidates from both parties celebrated King’s accomplishments Controversy Over the Creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day These changing attitudes toward King exemplify a shift in political culture in the U.S.
Widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to government and to one another Defining the U.S. Political Culture
Shared Values Equality Liberty Individualism Respect for the Common Person Democratic Consensus Justice and the Rule of Law Patriotism Optimism and Idealism
How Do We Get Our Political Opinions and Values? Political Socialization The process, most notably in families and schools, by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs
Where We Learn the American Political Culture Family Schools Number of times a week American families say that they eat together Schools teach an idealized view of the nation’s slogans and symbols
Where We Learn the American Political Culture Peers and Community Research shows that in heterogeneous communities, political participation tends to be higher, with more contested and competitive elections, and with more political debate than in homogeneous communities • Religion • Those raised in religious households tend to be socialized to contribute to society and to get involved in their communities
Where We Learn the American Political Culture Media More than two-thirds of Americans report that they receive “all or most” of their news from television
The American Dream Coming from humble beginnings, Oprah Winfrey—television host, movie actress, and one of the highest-paid people in the country—epitomizes the American Dream
What is Public Opinion? Public Opinion The distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population • The proper wording and phrasing of the questions are vitally important to producing reliable, objective data • Appropriate language and vocabulary • Neutral wording • Open-ended versus closed-ended
What is Public Opinion? Intensity Latency Salience
Awareness and Interest Knowledge Levels Politics is not the major interest of most Americans, and as a result, knowledge about the political system is limited
Participation: Translating Opinions into Action Only a small percentage of the American people are actively engaged in the political process, yet they receive most of the media attention
Political Ideology:A Consistent Pattern of Beliefs About Political Values and the Role of Government A belief that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity Liberalism Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California)
Political Ideology:A Consistent Pattern of Beliefs About Political Values and the Role of Government A belief that limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity Conservatism Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Socialism An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange Retired Rep. Bernard Sanders (D-Vermont) was a self-described Socialist
Libertarianism • m, m An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on a minimal government, promoting a free-market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life Rand Paul, Libertarian Senator of Kentucky
Political Ideology and the American People Figure 4-1
Political Ideology and the American People Figure 4-2
