Political Culture and Ideology Applying the Principles of the Declaration of Independence

Major Themes of the Declaration of Independence Among these rights: Life Liberty Pursuit of happiness Self evident truths Human equality Natural rights Purpose of gov’t Measure of Justice Right of revolution Limits to the right of revolution To secure rights Consent of the governed Whenever any form of gov’t is destructive of the security of natural rights Prudence: Long-established gov’ts shouldn’t be overthrown for “light and transient causes” Experience: Men are more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable than to right themselves All men are created equal We hold these truths to be self-evident They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights

Political Culture A general set of Ideas, attitudes and beliefs Shapes a region’s politics Political Cultures in the US may identify with certain principles in the Declaration of Independence Political culture sometimes confused with ideology Most communities in the US participate in at least one of the following: –Traditionalism –Individualism –Moralism

Traditionalism Basic featuresAssociated regionAdvantagesDisadvantages Strong attachment to long-established institutions Preference for traditional ‘modes and orders’ Suspicion of change Family legacies The “Old South”: South Carolina North Carolina Virginia Tennessee Georgia Mississippi Alabama Louisiana Texas Stability Predictability Laws and customs tend to remain constant Inflexibility Lack of social mobility Tolerance of corruption in the public sector Hostility to reform Fatalism Examples: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” “You can’t fight city hall.” Uncontested elections Political Dynasties (Bush, Thurmond, Moncrieff, Kennedy)

Individualism Basic featuresAssociated regionAdvantagesDisadvantages Strong belief in self-reliance Preference for individual and independent action; free enterprise Suspicion of public institutions Resistance to regulation “The Self-Made Man” The “Old West”: Wyoming Texas Colorado New Mexico Arizona Nevada Montana North Dakota South Dakota Opportunity Privacy Recognition of individual efforts Accountability Isolation Lack of community support Intolerance of public sector involvement Tolerance of corruption in the private sector, provided one isn’t caught Examples: “You’ll get my gun when you pry it from my cold dead hands.” “You’ve got nobody to blame but yourself.” Entrepreneurs, independent contractors “Caveat emptor”

Moralism Basic featuresAssociated regionAdvantagesDisadvantages Strong belief in community, “commonwealth” Preference for formal community action Suspicion of private institutions and interests Strong regulatory presence “New England”: Massachusetts New Hampshire Connecticut Maine New York Pennsylvania Also prevalent in the Pacific NW and in capital cities Community Accountability Active social support structures “safety nets” Intrusiveness Tolerance of corruption in the public sector if it serves the “moral duty” of serving the commonwealth Inaction unless initiated by community officials High public debt; high taxes Examples: “Did you bring enough for everybody?” “We’re from the government and we’re here to help you.” Social Security, social welfare programs Public education programs

Political Culture v. Ideology Political Culture A set of general attitudes, ideas and beliefs Broadly informs and shapes a region’s politics Ideology A set of specific attitudes, ideas and beliefs Provides or advocates a coherent plan for social, political, or economic action

Examples of ideologies Political ideologies –Libertarianism –Liberalism –Conservatism –Anarchism –Socialism –Fascism –Communism –Communitarianism –Statism Economic ideologies –capitalism –communism –globalism –protectionism –Keynesianism –monetarism –Market fundamentalism Social ideologies –Tribalism –Ethnocentrism –Nationalism –Feminism –Multiculturalism –Supremacism

What ideology Is A set of specific ideas, attitudes and beliefs Provides or advocates a coherent plan for social, political, or economic action Plan is consistent with, and is explained in terms of, the ideas, attitudes and beliefs held

What ideology is not: Ideology is not political culture –Traditionalists are not necessarily conservatives –Liberals are not necessarily moralists Ideology is not partisanship –Democrats are not necessarily liberal –Republicans are not necessarily conservative Ideology is not a policy position –E.g. Abortion advocates are not necessarily libertarian or liberal opponents are not necessarily conservative or libertarian –E.g. Immigration “Open border” advocates are not necessarily libertarian globalists “Closed border” advocates are not necessarily conservative ethnocentrists

Comparative Ideology 1: Left and Right Wings Origins in the French National Assembly Motto of the French Revolution: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité (liberty, equality, brotherhood) Revolutionary Advocates of Liberté and Egalité, opposing the ancien régime (the Old Order) sat on the left side of the room Advocates of Liberté and Fraternité, sympathetic to the ancien régime, sat on the right side of the room This distinction grafted onto the American Congress in the early 19 th Century

Left and Right: The Political Spectrum The most common comparative model of ideological preference in the US Left WingRight Wing LiberalismConservatismCentrismSocialismCommunismStatismFascism

First suggested in Jerry Pournelle’s Doctoral dissertation in 1964 Appeared in Meltzer, Albert and Stuart Christie. The Floodgates of Anarchy. (London: Sphere Books, Ltd., 1970) Seeks to address limitations of the Political Spectrum Describes two independent dimensions: –Moral: Individualism to Collectivism –Economic: Capitalism to Collectivism Clarified for American audiences in 1971 by David Nolan –Economic Freedom v. Economic Control –Personal Freedom v. Social Control Favored by those whose ideologies do not fit well with the Political Spectrum, especially libertarians Widely used by online political actors, pundits & campaigners Comparative Ideology 2: The Political Compass ?

Limits of the Political Compass Equates policy positions with ideology in their tests (See the Nolan Quiz) –Identifies attitudes on “personal” and “economic” issues –Does not identify organizing principles or the general purpose of government Ill-equipped to distinguish moderates from extremists –communists from welfare liberals –anarchists from libertarians –fascists from conservatives Does not distinguish one kind of “centrist” or “moderate” from another Fails to identify some known ideological positions –Communitarianism –Anarcho-communism –Anarcho-syndicalism –Nazism (with its fascist rhetoric and anarchist means) Unable to account for real linkages within its framework –liberal-leaning conservatives –conservative-leaning liberals Assumes liberals and conservatives are opposites

Comparative Ideology 3: Ideological Space Suggested by Steven Kautz in 1995: “enduring controversies regarding the nature of popular government give rise to three distinct strains: –liberals (who love liberty) –democrats (who love equality) –republicans (who love virtue)” Problems with Kautz’ formulation –Order more fundamental than virtue Political “virtue” depends on the political order it inhabits –Kautz’ vision clouded by the American partisan/ideological debate “Liberal” has different meanings inside and outside the US “liberal” is an ideology “democrats” and “republicans” are coalition political parties in the US Alternative principles of ideological preference –Liberty –Equality –Order “Ideologies…map the political and social worlds for us. We simply cannot do without them because we cannot act without making sense of the worlds we inhabit.” Michael Freeden, Ideology: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2003.

Liberty, Equality, Order Widely held political principles –Regardless of expressed ideology –Held in different proportion by different ideological adherents Ideologies can be identified by different proportional attachment to or rejection of these three principles –Suggests measurability –Attachment to: positive ideology –Rejection of: negative ideology May be used to describe an ideological map with three axes –Liberty –Equality –Order

LEO Space Three axial principles (Dimensions) Liberty Equality Order Six levels Describe distance from ideological center Centrist Moderate Ideologue Hard-Liner Radical Extremist

Ideological Regions in LEO Space 1.L + E + O + (Standard Ideological Preference) 2.L - E + O + (Anti-libertarian) 3.L + E - O + (Anti-egalitarian) 4.L - E - O + (Anti-libertarian and Anti-egalitarian) 5.L + E + O - (Anti-establishmentarian) 6.L + E - O - (Anti-communitarian) 7.L - E + O - (Anti-libertarian and Anti-establishmentarian) 8.L - E - O - (Universal Opposition) Most ideological preferences found in only 1 st region

LEO Made Simple PrincipleModerate IdeologyRadical or Extreme IdeologyCentrist Ideology Liberty Equality Order Libertarian Centrist Liberal Centrist Conservative Centrist Libertarian Left Libertarian Right Libertarian Liberal (US), Labour (UK) Liberal Egalitarian Liberal Communitarian Conservative Liberal Conservative Libertarian Conservative Conservative Communitarian Liberal Conservative Anarchist Anarcho-Communist Anarcho-Syndicalist Socialist Communist Statist Fascist

Other Ideologies in LEO Communitarianism –Equal parts Equality and Order –Liberty subordinate The Reagan Coalition –Equal Parts Liberty and Order –Equality subordinate Thomas Hill Green’s Welfare Liberalism –Equal Parts Liberty and Equality –Order subordinate

Critique of the LEO Model Advantages –Identifies a wider range of ideologies than either Spectrum or Compass –Suggests linkages between ideologies –Renders ideological claims testable –Distinguishes mere negative opposition from true preference –Predicts accusations of extremism by opponents –Independent of policy position –Independent of partisan assumptions Disadvantages –Complexity –Abstraction –Potentially awkward or unfamiliar ideological nomenclature –Posits potentially absurd ideological possibilities –Still unable to explain Nazism (fascist rhetoric, anarchist means)