Political Ideology A consistent set of views about

Political Ideology A consistent set of views about the policies government should pursue (e. g. liberal vs. conservative)

Write down a list of words/ideas/people that you associate with these terms: Liberal Conservative

Policy Tendencies: Liberal Conservative Democrats Republicans Pro-Choice Pro Life Higher taxes Lower Taxes More Government Services Fewer Govt. Services No Prayer in Public Schools Prayer in Pub. Schools Gun Control Right to Bear Arms Pro Same-Sex Marriage Anti Death Penalty Pro Death Penalty Universal Healthcare Individual Responsibility Welfare Safety Net Individual Responsibility Regulation of Business Little Regulation of Business Minimum Wage Govt. out of the Job Market

Liberal or Conservative? Government should not censor speech, press, media or the internet. Repeal laws prohibiting adult possession and use of drugs. Let people control their own retirement; privatize Social Security. Replace government welfare with private charity. Government regulation of business is necessary to protect the public interest Government regulation of business usually does more harm than good. Too much power is concentrated in the hands of a few large companies. Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and The government should help those in need even if it has to raise taxes. Government programs like welfare discourage people from working.

Liberal or Conservative? Government should not censor speech, press, media or the internet. Liberal Repeal laws prohibiting adult possession and use of drugs. Liberal Let people control their own retirement; privatize Social Security. Conservative Replace government welfare with private charity. Conservative Government regulation of business is necessary to protect the public interest Liberal Government regulation of business usually does more harm than good. Conservative Too much power is concentrated in the hands of a few large companies. Liberal Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and Conservative The government should help those in need even if it has to raise taxes. Liberal Government programs like welfare discourage people from working. Conservative

Voter A: “I worked my way up from poverty to become the successful business owner I am today. I get frustrated when I think that my tax money goes to support people who won’t help themselves. I think part of the blame belongs with the media – they promote all the wrong values. ” Voter B: “I really don’t care what other people do in their free time, as long as they don’t bother me. I sure don’t like it when the government tells me what to do with my money or in my own home – I’m certainly not going to turn around and do the same thing to my neighbors. ” Ideology?

Voter C: “I really worry about the state of the world today. It seems like more and more kids are growing up in poverty and there’s no one there to help them. I think we need to do more toward providing healthcare and education programs for our young people. ” Voter D: “These days, you can’t be too careful. I think we need to spend a lot more money on the national defense. I wish there was a police officer on every corner! The police could search my car all they want, since I don’t break the law. I also think the government should crack down on the media – their reporting gives our enemies an inside look at all our military preparations. ” Ideology?

Historical Definitions Radical Liberal Moderate Conservative Reactionary Wants sweeping change Wants some change Few changes Few or no changes Wants sweeping change By any means; sometimes violent or revolutionary Through compromise By Any means; sometimes violent or authoritarian Some new; some focus on tradition Toward the past, or stay with tradition Change toward the past, the good old days Change towards the Toward the future, new directions solutions

The Spectrum with Politics in Mind Reactionary Conservative Moderate Liberal “RIGHT” Radical “LEFT”