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RED STATES AND BLUE STATES

NASCAR DADS AND SOCCER MOMS

POLITICAL VALUES IN AMERICA

Democratic Values Group Discussion

1.  What are stated American values? Which of these are the most important?

2. To what extent do we agree on those values and their

meaning? 3. Do our actions reflect what we say is important? What facts

support this claim? 4. Do our personal and public budgets reflect our stated values?

Do we base our priorities, but allocate little to make them happen? Provide examples. 5. Do our major institutions (government, schools, corporations,

legal system, etc) reflect behavior consisted with shared values? Explain 6. What would America look like if we truly value respect, justice,

diversity, intergrity, and similar values? Can we construct a road map of how to get from here to there? Explain.

But, first a word from our President

Ronald Reagan

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Total

population % of

population

Total population 281,421,906 100.0% White 211,460,626 75.1

Black or African American 34,658,190 12.3

American Indian and Alaska Native 2,475,956 0.9 Asian 10,242,998 3.6

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 398,835 0.1% Some other race 15,359,073 5.5 Two or more races 6,826,228 2.4 Hispanic or Latino 35,305,818 12.5

2004 ELECTIONS

2004 ELECTIONS BY COUNTIES

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A PURPLE AMERICA ??

BASED ON POPULATION

ELEC TORAL COLLEGE

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2006 Congressional Election

2006 Senate

A CHANGING NATION

§  1960-2004 elections

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2008 Election

Which word would you use in describing your political position to a friend: left, right, liberal,

conservative, centrist, libertarian, or authoritarian? 5% Left 9% Right 26% Liberal 39% Conservative 9% Centrist 2% Libertarian 0% Authoritarian 5% None of those 4% Not sure

Do you believe there are too many laws in the United States?

56% Yes 30% No 14% Not sure

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Right (Conservative)

Conservatives tend to favor economic freedom, but frequently support laws to restrict personal behavior that violates "traditional values." They oppose excessive government control of business, while endorsing government action to defend morality and the traditional family structure. Conservatives usually support a strong military, oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favor a free-market economy, and endorse strong law enforcement.

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Left, Liberal §  Liberals usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded "safety net“ to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression,

support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.

Libertarians

§  Libertarians support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose

government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.

Statists, Big Government

Statists want government to have a great deal of power over the economy and individual behavior. They frequently doubt whether economic liberty and individual freedom are practical options in today's world. Statists tend to distrust the free market, support high taxes and centralized planning of the economy, oppose diverse lifestyles, and question the importance of civil liberties.

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Centrists

CENTRISTS espouse a "middle ground" regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice. Centrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind, tend to oppose "political extremes," and emphasize what they describe as "practical" solutions to problems.

Two Visions of Western Capitalism

§  Anglo-American capitalism is built on a system of values that attributes personal liberty and political democracy to economic prosperity and opportunities for personal wealth.

§  These goals are best achieved through self-interested activities of consumers and producers in an environment fostering maximum personal economic choice, entrepreneurial activity, free trade, and unrestricted markets.

Two Visions

§  Continental European capitalism, [on the other hand, grew out of social democracy, a nineteenth-century philosophy that emphasized] building a just system of economic distribution in society, not merely a wealthy society.

§  This entailed a commitment to equalize wealth, control and ultimately diffuse capital's concentration, and empower the working class with their own political parties and labor unions.

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Documents that Reflect Our Values

§  Declaration of Independence §  Constitution §  Bill of Rights and Fourteenth Amendment §  Pledge of Allegiance §  National Anthem

Constitutional Principles

§  Rule of Law §  Separation of Powers §  Representative Government §  Checks and Balances §  Federalism/Privileges and Immunities §  Civilian Control of the Military

Democratic Beliefs and Values

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American Political Values §  Liberty – rights §  Equality – equal vote; equal chance to participate

and succeed §  Democracy – government is accountable to the

people §  Civic duty – take community affairs seriously and

become involved when possible §  Individual responsibility – individuals responsible

for their own actions and well-being

Rights of the Individual

§  Life §  Liberty §  Dignity §  Security

§  Justice §  Equality of Opportunity §  Privacy §  Private ownership of

property

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Freedoms of the Individual

§  To participate in political process

§  Worship §  Thought §  Conscience

§  Assembly §  Inquiry §  Expression

Responsibilities of the Individual

§  Respect human life §  Respect rights of

others §  Be tolerate §  Be honest

§  Be compassionate §  Demonstrate self-

control §  Participate in the

democratic process §  Respect the property

of others

Beliefs Concerning Societal Conditions and Governmental

Responsibilities §  Laws that are accepted by the majority of

people. §  Dissenting minorities are protected. §  Government is elected by the people §  Government respects and protects

individual rights and freedoms. §  Government guarantees civil liberties. §  Government works for the common good.

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The Culture War

§  The cultural clash in America is a battle over values

§  The culture war differs from political disputes

§  The culture conflict is animated by deep differences in people’s beliefs about morality

Two Cultural “Camps”

§  Orthodox: morality is as, or more, important than self-expression; morality derives from fixed rules from God

§  Progressive: personal freedom is as, or more,

important than tradition; rules change based on circumstances of modern life and individual preferences

Graph of Nonvoters

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Nonvoting Registered Voters Portland, OR

Obstacles 68% Too busy (28%) Illness/tired (21%) Out of town (7%) Worked late (5%) Car problems (4%) All other (3%) inc. funeral, pregnancy, long lines, guests, weather, fishing.

8% 8% 6% 5% 3% 2%

Voter Participation in the 2004 Election

Voter Participation in the 2004 Election

Voter Participation 2004

Elections

2004 Median Age

Over 40

35-39

30-34

25-29

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NY 9.4%

CA 8.7%

PA 6.2%

1960 2000

CA 12.2%

TX 7.4%

NY 6.7 %

2050

CA 16.%

TX9.7%

FL 9.7%

Super-States in Electoral

College

Effects of Aging America

Unlike earlier demographic change …. this one brings the potential for conflict between the generations because of their divergent racial, ethnic, and nativity profiles— the older mainly white, the younger heavily minority and immigrant. These differing political constituencies will place often divergent, perhaps incompatible, demands upon federal government.

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Exit Poll: Ask voters as the leave voting place Focus Group: Small grp questioned in-depth Straw Poll: Non-random, not accurate (online) Census: Ask everyone, 100% accurate Polling: Ask a random sample

Types of Polls

Importance of Issues to Votes for President by vote intention

% extremely important 2004 Oct 22-24 (sorted by "Bush voters")

Bush voters

Kerry voters

% % Terrorism 54 37 Moral values 47 26 Iraq 38 44 Economy 27 54 Same-sex marriage

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Social Security 23 40 Education 21 39 Healthcare 20 42 Environment 13 32 Medicare 12 35

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Figure 4.4a: Views of Toleration and Morality

§  Source: The American Enterprise (January/February 1999): 37, reporting data from Roper, Washington Post, Harvard, and Kaiser Family Foundation polls.

Figure 4.5: Changes in Levels of Political Tolerance, 1930-1999

§  Source: Gallup poll data, various years, as compiled by Professor John Zaller, Department of Political Science, UCLA; The Gallup Organization, Poll Releases (March 29, 1999), 2-6.

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Pew Research March 20, 2008

Pew Research March 20, 2008

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Table 4.9: Public Confidence in Institutions, 1973-2001

Table 4.8: American Beliefs about Faith-Based Programs

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Table 4.3: Attitudes Toward Economic Equality in America and Europe

Credits The One-Man One-Vote Myth: The Impact of Non-Voting Populations on Congressional

Apportionment December 20th, 2007 Orlando J. Rodriguez, M.A. Manager/Connecticut State Data Center College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Connecticut – Storrs http://ctsdc.uconn.edu DR D. Stearns SMU http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/ Ottawa WHAT KIND OF CITIZEN? THE POLITICS OF EDUCATING FOR DEMOCRACY Joel Westheimer University of Ottawa http://sheepledom.org/