1. Political Tolerance & Mistrust of the Government
Political Culture
Political Tolerance & Mistrust of the Government

2. Value Changes during the 1930s
Although the Preamble to the Constitution states that “promotion of the General Welfare” is a major purpose of government, the meaning of that value was transformed during the 1930s

3. Value Changes during the 1930s
Great Depression brought about the near-collapse of capitalism
FDR’s New Deal affirmed government’s responsibility for the welfare of its people

4. Value Changes during the 1930s
In FDR’s 1944 inaugural address, he outlined a “Second Bill of Rights”
Reflected FDR’s firm commitment to “economic security and independence”

5. FDR’s “Second Bill of Rights”
Asserted everyone has a right to:
Useful job
Food
Clothing
Decent home
Adequate medical care
Good education

6. FDR’s “Second Bill of Rights”
These beliefs played a major role in the creation of the civil rights & welfare legislation of the 1960s & as recently as the early 1990s

7. FDR’s “Second Bill of Rights”
Clinton referred to FDR’s “Second Bill of Rights” when he said: “Health care is a basic right all should have”

8. Value Changes
The defeat of Clinton’s health care plan indicates that Americans don’t always agree on the meaning of this value

9. Value Changes
The government’s responsibility for the general welfare became a major issue of the 2000 election campaign

10. 2000 Presidential Election
Candidates George W. Bush & Al Gore debated the merits of a government-sponsored prescription plan for the elderly

11. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
American value
Easily misunderstood

12. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
Democracy depends on citizens being reasonably tolerant of the opinions & actions of others

13. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
Most Americans believe themselves to be fairly tolerant
Studies shows that political tolerance is much more complex a value than it appears on the surface

14. POLITICAL TOLERANCE Key findings:
(1) Overwhelming majority of Americans agree with freedom of speech, religion, & the right to petition—at least in the abstract

15. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
(2) People are not as politically tolerant as they proclaim themselves to be
(3) Americans are willing to allow many people with whom they disagree to do a great deal politically

16. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
(4) Americans have become more tolerant over the last few decades
(5) Most people dislike one or another group strongly enough to deny it certain political rights—although people are not always inclined to act on their beliefs

17. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
As a general rule, people are willing to deny rights to people on the opposite end of the political spectrum

18. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
Liberals are most likely to deny rights to right-wing groups (neo-Nazis)
Conservatives are most likely to deny rights to groups they may disapprove of (gays, atheists)

19. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
Americans remain more tolerant of unpopular ideas, individuals, and groups in the abstract than in reality

20. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
Personal liberties & constitutional freedoms endure:
Americans often do not act on their beliefs

21. POLITICAL TOLERANCE
Cannot agree on which group, individual, or idea should be suppressed
Permit the courts to enforce constitutional protections

22. Mistrust of the Government
Values of the political culture are not immune to change
Trust that Americans have in their government has varied considerably

23. Mistrust of the Government
Although the trust reflected in the 1950s & early 1960s may have been artificially high, trust in government & its officials has declined significantly since the mid 1960s

24. Mistrust of the Government
Many scholars blame the Vietnam War & Watergate for the initial, dramatic drops
Trend is persistent into the early 21st century (Americans in record number express their disgust with politics & politicians)

25. Political Efficacy
Accompanying the mistrust of government has been a drop in external political efficacy
Belief of an individual that government will respond to his/her personal needs or beliefs

26. Mistrust of the Government
Americans are now much more likely to say that public officials care little about what the people think or want

27. Mistrust of the Government
Americans seem to have come to the conclusion that government is too big & pervasive to be sensitive to individual citizens

28. Mistrust of the Government
However—international studies show that:
Americans feel significantly higher levels of political efficacy than do citizens of many European countries

29. Political Efficacy
Americans are less likely to vote than most Europeans
Americans are more likely to engage in other forms of political participation:
(1) Sign petitions
(2) Work to solve community problems
(3) Regularly discuss politics