1. Political Culture Public Opinion Voting and Elections
Political Influences
Political Culture
Public Opinion
Voting and Elections

2. Political Culture Relationships within a culture
Consensual – some conflict between ideas
Conflictual – opposing belief systems clash with each other

3. Core Values Liberty (Thomas Jefferson and Locke)
Equality (social, political and opportunity)
Individualism (rugged, common sense, choice and limits)
Democracy (majority rules with minority rights)
Rule of Law (vs. rule of the individual)
Civic Duty

4. Changing values Capitalism – FDR and the 2nd bill of rights
Free Enterprise
Political Tolerance
Mistrust (increased since the 1960s, internal efficacy - take part; external efficacy – govt will respond to needs)
The “isms” – liberal, conservative, communist, socialism, libertarian, etc.

5. What is Public Opinion?
The distribution of individual attitudes about a particular issue, candidate, political institution, etc.
Many Publics – not just one
George Gallup
Gallup Polls started in 1932
1st “pollster”
Agency has only picked one general election result incorrectly since the year 1936

6. Public Opinion Measurement of:
Straw Vote Polls (quantity is more important than the quality)
Call in votes (American Idol, America’s Got Talent),
Scientific (quality is more important than quantity)
This is what we generally see done today
Gallup Poll, Harris Poll, CBS News/USA Today polls

7. Steps to a Good Public Opinion Poll
Define the universe (everyone that is to be asked the questions)
Create a sample (random, quota,census tract, etc – only 1500 needed for US)
Questions created (yes/no the best)
How to ask the questions? (face to face, phone, etc)
Tabulate the results (sampling error +/- 3 points the maximum for a good result)

8. Characteristics of a poll
Intensity – how strong are the feelings for the issue?
Latency – is it a visible or hidden question?
Salience – what relevance does it have to me?
Consensus v. Polarization
Fluidity- how likely is the opinion to change within the time frame

9. Polling Bias Types Testimonials: Implied endorsements from celebrities
Mudslinging: Name calling or groundless assertions about another candidate (negative advertising tends to have more watchers)

10. Polling Bias Continued
Transfer: Use of popular symbols or causes to create a positive connotation for a candidate or the use of negative or controversial symbol and cause to create a negative connotation of the competition’s candidate
American Supporter
Unamerican hearings

11. Bias in Polling
Cardstacking: Use of statistics in a one sided manner; the omission of information that is crucial to drawing an informed conclusion
Glittering Generalities: use of very vague words or phrases that may have a positive effect on the viewer and appeal to a variety of interests.

12. Your Public Opinion – how formed?
Political socialization – the process by which attitudes are shaped and passed from generation to generation
Cradle to Grave
Never Ending
Factors that influence a person’s opinion
People in different social “groups” tend to share certain opinions: group identification

13. Family as an agent Number One influence of political attitude
Very strong correlation for Political Party support
More often associated with economic issues (the pocketbook issues)

14. Gender as an agent Examples: More men support the military
More women consider sexual harassment a serious issue/problem
Women tend to vote Democratic more often whereas men tend to vote Republican more often
Abortion issues, death penalty issues
“Gender Gap” issue

15. Religion as an agent Example:
Protestants are more conservative on economic matters than Catholics or Jews
Jews tend to be more liberal on economic and social issues than Catholics or Protestants
Catholics tend to be more liberal on economic issues than they are on social issues (Catholics are becoming more conservative)m

16. Education as an agent Example:
Higher education – more conservative, but while attending college you tend to be more liberal
Conflicting results – not the best correlation
“Regular School” – we try to teach the values of education and the nation (think about history classes and civics)

17. Social Class as an agent
“Blue Collar” (laborer) typically votes Democratic
“White Collar” (management) typically votes Republican
Relationship is becoming less clear
Hourly wage earners v. salaried
Low income v. Higher income play a part in the voting

18. Race and Ethnic Background
Examples:
90% of African Americans vote Democratic
Hispanic Americans – tend to affiliate with the Democrats, but less than African Americans
Asian Americans – less liberal than Hispanic Americans or African Americans – but still vote consistently Democratic
White, more divided, tends to flucuate by the election (economy)

19. Geographic region Examples:
East and West Coast – tend to be more liberal
Mid West – more conservative
Urban – more liberal
South – 1870 through 1950s – Democrat “Solid South” but today primarily social conservatives
White Southerner less liberal

20. Public Opinion Political Ideology
Coherent and consistent set of political beliefs about who ought to rule, the principles that the rulers need to obey and what policies rulers ought to pursue.
Changes over time
Liberal and Conservative have different meanings depending on historical time

21. Factors That Determine Placement
Two major factors shape political views.
The first is how much change a person is willing to have within their society and government.
The second deals with how much government involvement in the economy a person calls for.
Others also bring in the question of how much freedom from government authority a leader is willing to give the people.

22. Political Labels
To see where you stand, you would have to figure out where you stand on a number of social (people-related), economic (money-related), and political (governmental) issues.
First you need definitions of the terms radical, liberal, conservative, and reactionary. Some authors include the terms authoritarian and libertarian.

23. What is a Radical?
Seen as being on the far left of the political spectrum, radicals call for wide-sweeping rapid change in the basic structure of the political, social, or economic system.
They may be willing to resort to extreme methods to bring about change, including the use of violence and revolution.
V.I. Lenin: Mastermind of the Russian Revolution and Father of the Soviet Union

24. Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King
What is a Liberal?
Liberals believe that the government should be actively involved in the promotion of social welfare of a nation’s citizens.
They usually call for peaceful, gradual change within the existing political system.
They reject violent revolution as a way of changing the way things are, often called the status quo.
Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King

25. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is generally seen as a moderate.
What is a Moderate?
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.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is generally seen as a moderate.

26. What is a Conservative?
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 usually hesitant or cautious about adopting new policies, especially if they involve government activism in some way.
They feel that the less government there is, the better.
They agree with Jefferson’s view that “the best government governs least.”
Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) is widely regarded as the father of the modern conservative movement

27. Hitler’s Mein Kampf is a typical reactionary manifesto
What is a Reactionary?
Sitting on the far right of the ideological spectrum, reactionaries want to go back to the way things were—the “good ol’ days.” Often reactionaries are willing to use extreme methods, such as repressive use of government power, to achieve their goals.
The term “reactionary is generally negative. A positive way to say the same thing is “arch-conservative.”
Hitler’s Mein Kampf is a typical reactionary manifesto

28. Liberal v. Conservative
Health care to ordinary people – national system
Cure the economic and social causes of crime.
Regulate business for public interest
Spend less on military
Tax rich more, reduce the inequality in income
Help the poor through employment
Conservative
Private insurance for health care
Punish not coddle the criminals
Businesses allowed to operate under free market
Spend more on military
Taxes should be kept low
People responsible for their own well being – welfare takes away incentives to take care of themselves

29. How ideological are Americans?
1950 study – “The American Voter”
4 basic types of voters
Ideologues – 12% of people connect their opinions to party lines
Group benefits voters – 42% of people connect their opinion to their “group” (labor union, interest groups, class, race)
Nature of the Times Voter – 24% - economic good times and bad times
No issue content – 22% - no reason for the way they voted in an election (think now about looks, how they sound, personal characteristics of the candidate)

30. Political Spectrum

31. The Political Spectrum

32. American Politicians on the Spectrum
Here is how one website places important American political figures on the spectrum. You can take the quiz at

33. Where leaders stand on the political spectrum?

34. Political Participation
Amendments:
15th – all males
19th – females
23rd – residents of DC
24th – no poll tax
26th – lowered age to 18
Laws:
Voting Rights Act of 1965 (extended in 1970, 1975 and 1982)
Motor Voter Law – 1993 – made registration easier for all those wanting to vote

35. Supreme Court involvement in Voting
Oregon v.Mitchell – no literacy tests
SC v. Katzenbach – Voting Rights Act constitutional
Gomillion v. Lightfoot – no gerrymandering
Smith v. Allwright – no all white primaries
Harper v Virginia Board of Elections – no poll tax for state elections
Guinn v. United States – no racial gerrymandering
Dunn v.Blumstein – no more than 30 days for residency for registering to vote

36. Who votes? Voters tend to be: Those that tend not to vote:
Higher educated
Higher income
Employed, government employees
Older
Midwestern section
Caucasians
Presidential Elections
General Elections
Those that tend not to vote:
Satisfied with the government
Apathy
Predictions already made
Too many offices
Timing – day of the week
Role of the Political Parties

37. Reasons for voting: Sociological: Psychological: Income - higher
Occupational – skilled
Education – higher
Gender – males
Age – older
Religion – church goers
Ethnic
Psychological:
Party identification (number one reason) – long term
Decreasing due to the number of increasing independents and split ticket voting
Candidates and Issues
Short term
Image
Pocket book

38. Most common forms of participation:
Watch Television
Voted
Influence somehow
Political Meeting
Work for candidate
Give money

39. Election participation
82% watched the campaign on tv
73% voted in the election
34% tried to influence others how to vote
10% put a sticker on their car
9% gave money to help a campaign
5% attended a political meeting
3% worked for a party or candidate
Is this true? 73% of people voted - NO

40. Types of voting
Straight ticket voting – vote for one party and only one party
Split Ticket voting – switch between parties for different offices
Prospective voting – what promises have been made
Retrospective voting – record of candidates
*Ballot fatigue – vote for a few offices, but get too tired to finish the entire ballot

41. Elections in the United States
Function
Determine the leaders and the policies to be followed
Legitimacy of the issues, plans
Role of the party is a label

42. The winner take all system
In order to win an election, you need to win only a plurality (the most) of the votes
Versus:
Proportional Representation
Single Member Districts

43. Types of elections Nomination Phase – Step One
Self announcement
Primary and Caucus
Open v. closed v. Blanket
Presidential v. Congressional
National v. Regional
Role of incumbency and lame duck
Coattail effect
Every two or four years

44. Campaigns and Elections
How the president, and members of Congress are actually elected to office?

45. Function of the Election
Choose over 500,000 public roles
Contest between political parties (general election – interparty fight)
Winner take all – the person with the most votes (plurality) not 50% (majority) wins the seat
Plurality v. majority
Single member districts – one representative per district

46. Presidential Election Process
Each state holds a primary or caucus between January and June to determine the candidates from each party (intraparty contest)
Candidates then enter the general election against other parties (interparty contest)
More people will vote in a general election – in % voted in general election with only about 25% voting in the primaries

47. Congressional v. Presidential elections
Congress elections are REGIONAL
Senate by State; House by district
House elections are less competitive than Senate or president
Incumbents – rep. up for reelection – usually win elections by at least 605
Congressional elections every two years – fewer people vote in “off year” elections or “mid term” elections which means voters in these elections are more activist

48. Congressional v. Presidential
Coattail Effect – presidential popularity effecting congressional elections during midterm elections
Congress communicates with their constituents more directly, often personally, while President relies on the media
Congress reps can deny responsibility and blame problems on other representatives or President

49. Running for President MONEY Organization Strategy and Themes
Fund raisers, lawyers, accountants, media consultants, advisors, pollsters, --- staff of hundreds
Strategy and Themes
Tone, Theme, timing and Target

50. Running for Congress Incumbents have huge advantage
Money, Time and Name Recognition
Franking Privileges
Cater to distrust by public of federal government
Run against Congress, not for it
Sophomore Surge

51. Steps to the White House
Announcements
Primaries and Caucuses
Front loading (New Hampshire and Iowa)
Win delegates
Convention
Party Unity
Rubberstamp
Platform Written
General Election
Labor Day through November
The people

52. Winner-take-all System
Delegate Selection
Proportional System
Primary system used by the Democratic Party
Candidates are allocated the same percentage of a state’s delegates as they received in popular votes
Winner-take-all System
System used in most Republican primaries
The winner of the popular vote in that state receives all that state’s delegates

53. The Electoral College 48 states utilize the Winner take all Each State
Maine and Nebraska do not
Each State
Number of electors equals number of members in Congress
One vote for President and One vote for Vice President
Ballots in December
Changed from original by the 12th amendment
No winner – House chooses the President (one vote per state) and Senate chooses the Vice President

55. Plans to reform the electoral college
District Plan – one winner per congressional district and state as a whole
Proportional – percentage of popular vote equals percentage of electoral vote
Direct election – need 40% of the popular vote to win the election
National Bonus Plan – changes the numbers of electoral votes
*Problems – rise in the influence of third parties

56. Election Reforms FECA of 1971 and 1974:
Limit if matching funds
FEC created
Creation of PACs and soft money
Buckley v. Valeo- no limit on expenditures but limit donations
Bipartisan Reform Act
No soft money
527s created
No issue ads
Increase amounts to be donated by individuals

57. Types of elections Maintaining Critical Realigning Dealignment –
1860, 1896 and 1932 – switch party alliances for the election – made more permanent changes
Dealignment –
No party influence – some changes but no long term effects
Reinstating
Return the original party to power