Public Opinion and Political Parties Public Opinion The
Public Opinion and Political Parties
Public Opinion The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues i. e. who believes what? Do you see yourself as a member of a political party or subscribe to a specific ideology? Are you an “Independent”?
Where do these ideas come from? How do people end up adopting a political ideology?
Political Socialization The process by which one develops political beliefs
Factors That Affect Political Socialization
The Family Most important role in socialization Who do you spend the most time with? Who loves you? Are these beliefs usually clearly stated or are they “absorbed”?
School Pledge Gov. class Colleges tend to be liberal (free flow of ideas) College professors tend to be liberal
Religion People who attend church regularly are more likely to vote Fundamentalists (literal interpretation of Bible), Evangelicals, and Protestants tend to vote conservative Catholics have traditionally voted Dem. but it’s more split recently Jews more likely to vote Dem.
Race and Ethnicity African Americans strongly Democratic (88% Clinton) Whites more conservative (58% Trump) Asian Americans historically conservative but more recently Democratic (65% Clinton) Hispanics and Latinos tend to support Dems (65% Clinton)
The American People Page 180
Geography and Location East and West coasts tend to be more liberal The south and mid-west tend to be conservative Urban areas – liberal Rural areas – conservative
Over the last 60 years, the Sunbelt has had the greatest population growth. (1990 -2010) Florida 24%, Texas 23%, California 14% - Northeast 5%. Census – every 10 years ◦ Reapportionment
Mass Media Where do you get your information from? Young people less likely to get their news from television or newspapers than older people
Political Ideology A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose
Liberals and Conservatives Deep breath…here we go…
Liberals The “left” Bigger government Smaller military Pro-choice Pro gay marriage Favor affirmative action Favor taxing the rich Spend more on the poor Solve problems that cause crime
Conservatives The “right” Smaller govt. /states rights Bigger military Pro-life More likely to oppose gay marriage Oppose affirmative action Lower taxes Less spending Harsh punishments prevent crimes
Not liberal or conservative? You may be: Libertarian – less government intervention, more protections for civil liberties Low taxes Pro gun and pro choice “We believe that you should be able to think what you want, live where you want, trade for what you want, eat what you want, smoke what you want, and wed whom you want”
Populist: Fundamental Christian ideas Protection of working class High minimum wage Strong welfare programs
Progressive: Workers rights > corporate rights Wealthy should pay more taxes
Political Parties
What’s a Party? A group of people with broad common interests, who organize to win elections, control government, and thereby influence government policies. The basic idea of a party is “we’re stronger together. ” Since they have similar beliefs, they get together to act on those beliefs
Party Systems We have a two party system But there are one party systems and multi-party systems
One party systems tend to be authoritarian governments ◦ Why? Theocracies are one party governments too
Multi-Party systems Several parties have influence
Brief history of parties We’ve had a lot of different parties Federalists Democratic-Republicans Whigs Even the “liberal Republicans” Party attitudes change over time South?
Third Parties Libertarian Green – Environmental concerns Constitution – strict interpretation of the Constitution There are lots of others
Party Membership What do you have to do to be a Democrat or Republican? Independents – do not align with either major party
Party Organization It’s a bit complicated There’s a national party, state parties, and local parties They cooperate, but there’s no central authority Basic local unit is the precinct
National Party Structure National Committee – meets every four years Party Chairperson – basically runs the party National Conventions – Its’ basically a big party… ◦ Nominates pres and vice pres candidates
What parties do Recruit candidates Educate the public Operate the government Patronage Act as “watchdogs” Reduce conflict
Nominating Candidates
Different states and parties have somewhat different rules for nominating candidates, so it makes things complicated. But… Most states use a direct primary – party members select people to run in the general election
Most primaries are closed primaries – only members of the party can vote in the primary Some are open primaries – anyone can vote in the primary, even if they don’t belong to the party
Nominating the President
States send delegates to the National Convention Some have already pledged their support for a candidate, some have not (super delegates) – candidates try to “woo”these delegates Lots of speeches and cheering (it’s a “political circus”) At the end, the party officially nominates its candidate for President
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