INTRODUCTION Four Major Political Ideologies

Most Americans are in this range

Liberalism Historically, industrialism brought many problems to society and government intervention was seen as a way of promoting individual development, thus liberals began to support wage and work hour regulation. Government could be used to liberate people from poverty, oppression, and economic exploitation. IN SUMMARY Liberals tend to believe:  Solving problems collectively through government  Programs to provide for the economic well-being of the nation  Non-interventionist foreign policy  Liberals believe that government should be activily involved in the promotion of social welfare of a nation’s citizens; toleranace of various lifestyles  They usually call for peaceful, gradual change within the existing political system. “ …if by a liberal they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people—their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties—if that is what they mean by a "liberal," then I am proud to be a liberal."-- John F. Kennedy Obama to gay group: 'Still laws to change, hearts to open' 0/10/obama.gay.rights/index.html Healthcare Reform Bill

Thomas Jefferson summed up the noninterventionist foreign policy position perfectly in his 1801 inaugural address: "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none." Washington similarly urged that we must, "Act for ourselves and not for others," by forming an "American character wholly free of foreign attachments

Libertarianism Libertarian views have traditionally been ignored until the last few decades. They tend to embrace the autonomy of the individual and the minimal role of government in both economic and noneconomic spheres. They tend to reject any regulation of private matters of religion, morality, or conscience to the extent that they tend to approve of efforts to legalize drug use and prohibit restrictions of any kind on abortion. IN SUMMARY Libertarians believe:  Protection of property rights  Freedom of the individual  No government intervention in the economy  Noninterventionist foreign policy  Reduction in defense spending Dallas-Libertarian-Examiner~y2010m4d11- Libertarians-to-Tea-Party-rediscover-your-roots Thomas Jefferson summed up the noninterventionist foreign policy position perfectly in his 1801 inaugural address: "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none." Washington similarly urged that we must, "Act for ourselves and not for others," by forming an "American character wholly free of foreign attachments."

Conservatism After the industrial age, conservatism called for government to stay out of economic affairs and allow businesses to follow their own actions. The focus was on what was good for the economy as a whole-the industrial age saw an economic boom in production and trade. IN SUMMARY Conservatives believe in:  Reducing spending on social programs  Reduction of taxes to encourage economic growth  Strong military defense; assertive foreign policy  Little action to redress gender and racial discrimination (strong opposition to quotas)  People who hold conservative ideals favor keeping things the way they are or maintaining the status quo if it is what they desire.  Conservatives are ususally hesitant or cautious about adopting new policies, especially if they involve government activism in some way.  They agree with Jefferson’s view that “the best government governs least.” T ea Party protester Don Miller says the US government should not have so much power. (ABC News: Kim Landers) /04/17/ htm?section=world

Moderates Moderates may share viewpoints with both liberals and conservatives. They are seen as tolerant of other people’s views, and they do not hold extreme views of their own. They advocate a “go-slow” or “wait-and-see” approach to social or political change. /

Populists Also and outgrowth of industrialism. They tend to embrace many of the liberal ideals of private property and individualism-the economic system has not provided those to enough people. Economic intervention is needed on behalf of the common man, not business. They tend to reject changes in social values and mores that came with industrialization-they want to preserve more traditional social values and are willing to use the government to achieve that purpose. IN SUMMARY Populists tend to believe in:  Programs to provide for the economic well-being of small business and common man  Reducing spending on social programs  Reducing taxes to encourage economic growth  A noninterventionist foreign policy  A return to the values of the past  Mistrust of foreign competition olitics/15poll.html The Tea Party: Populism of the privileged