1. American Political Culture
Ch 4

2. Political Culture: a distinctive and patterned way of thinking about political and economic life
Conflictual political culture-different groups clash with opposing beliefs and values
Consensual political culture-cultures that have a wide consensus on shared beliefs and values

3. Case Study 1
One day the President (Queen or President of France) was driving his car to a meeting. Because he was late, he was driving very fast. The police stopped the car. Finish the story.

4. Case Study 2
A man is his boat with his wife and his mother and the boat is sinking. One person has to be expelled to save the other two lives. The man has to choose between his wife and his mother. Which should he choose?

5. Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) Democracy in America
Abundant and fertile land
Countless opportunities to acquire land and make a living
Lack of a feudal aristocracy to blocked others ambitions
An independent spirit encouraged by frontier living

6. American Shared (Core) Political Values
Liberty-
Equality-
Individualism-“Rugged Individualism”
Democracy
Civic Duty

7. Liberty-Americans are preoccupied with rights

8. Equality-Americans believe that everybody should have equal vote and chance to succeed

9. Democracy-government officials are accountable to people

10. Civic Duty-Americans believe that we should be involved in civic affairs

11. Individual responsibility-people are responsible for their own actions and well-being

12. 3 questions 1. How do we know that Americans share these values?
2. How we do explain the existence in our society of behavior that in incompatible with these values? Values versus behavior??
3. If there is broad agreement on values, why have we had so much political conflict?

13. Language gives us away!! Americanism as a concept
Un-American activities
American way of life
No “Britishism” or “Frenchism”
No “Un-British” or “Un-French” way of life

14. The Economic System Liberty very important
Free enterprise system values
Regulation of economy to correct abuses
More willing to tolerate economic inequality than political inequality
Maintain equality of opportunity rather than equality of results
Widely shared commitment to economic individualism and personal responsibility

15. Japan and Sweden Japan Sweden Constitutional democracy
Advocate good relations with colleagues, social harmony, and displaying respect for hierarchy
Stress making decisions by avoiding conflicts and consensus building
Constitutional democracy
More Deferential than participatory
Leaders should make decisions based on what is best more than what people want
Value equality more than liberty
Focus on obligations more than rights

16. FDR and the Economic Bill of Rights
We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.
In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

18. President Obama and Joe the Plumber
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19. Mitt Romney and the 47 %
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20. Religion and American culture
American tend to be more religious than people in European countries
1. Belief in god
2. Daily prayer
3. Go to church
4. clear standards of right and wrong

21. Religion and Politics Religious ideals affected American history
Revolution
Struggle over slavery
Temperance Movement
Civil rights movement
Abortion
School Prayer
Creationism
The Pledge of Allegiance

22. The Sources of Political Culture
The Constitution of the US
Belief in the fundamental depravity of human nature
No established or official religion
Religious diversity in America
Dominant religious tradition- Protestantism(Puritanism)
Congregational churches
The Family-relatively egalitarian
Lack of class consciousness

23. The Culture Wars James Davison Hunter
2 broadly defined cultural classes locked in a war over values

24. The Orthodox
Moral rules drive from the commands of God or the laws of nature
They are clear and unchanging, and independent of personal preference
Fundamentalists and evangelical Christians
Orthodox Jews
Mormons
Conservative Roman Catholics
MO Synod Lutherans

25. The Progressives
Personal freedom more important than traditional moral rules and rules must be reevaluated in light of the circumstances of modern life-moral beliefs are cultural constructed realities
Liberal Protestants (Episcopalians and Unitarians)
Secularists
Liberal Jews and Roman Catholics

26. Some key facts Money is not at stake Compromises hard to arrange
Deep differences between peoples beliefs over moral issues
Deals with what kind of county we want to be
2 theories
1. Cultural war a myth
2. Americans choosing political party on position on these issues

27. Mistrust in Government

28. Key facts Since the 1950’s steady decline in trust in govt
More about the officials than the institutions
Maybe in 1950’s, unusually high level of government
Reflects American views towards representative democracy and their place in it

29. Trust in Government

30. Political efficacy
The citizen’s ability to understand and influence political events
Internal efficacy-the ability to understand and take part in political affairs-not much change since the 1950’s
External efficacy-the ability to make the system respond to the citizenry-since the mid-1960’s steady and steep decline

31. Efficacy

32. Takeaways Much higher than Europeans
Wider declines in social and civic engagement in all areas-religious institutions, charitable organizations, political parties, and government
Perhaps Americans are “bowling alone”

33. Political Tolerance
Americans are very tolerant in the abstract, but not as tolerant with groups they dislike in the concrete cases
American in polls have said they have become more tolerant
One person’s intolerance can be another’s heartfelt display of civic concern
We rarely act on our beliefs
Courts and judges act against public opinion and protect disliked groups

34. Political tolerance