Unit III: Political Participation Advanced Placement Government and Politics

1. Unit III: Political ParticipationAdvanced Placement Government and Politics

2. Chapter 5 : Public Opinion • The views of many people on subjects of politics and government • Hard to define • Many diverse “publics” • So many opinions…hard to quantify • Opinion on most issues is • Uninformed; we have no idea what is being asked • Unstable; changes based on new data, news, etc… • Sensitive to how question is asked

3. Sources of Public Opinion • Family • Political affiliation almost totally a factor of parents • Policy preferences not related to party/parents • Political ideology communicated from parents • Religion • Catholics more liberal • Protestants more conservative • Jewish most liberal • Theories as to why? • Immigrant experiences • Content of religions

4. More Sources of Public Opinion • Gender • Women more likely to be Republican/Conservative after 1950’s • Women more likely to be Democrats since 1980’s • Shift due to changing party positions on gender-sensitive issues like: • War • gun control • Pornography • Prohibition • Abortion • Etc…

5. Even More Sources of Public Opinion • Schooling/Education/Information • College students more liberal than population • Even more liberal at prestigious schools • Social science teachers/students most liberal • Younger faculty most liberal • Extends beyond college due to increasing political participation • Not college at all, personal traits • Exposure to more information, viewpoints, cultures, etc… • Liberalism of professors, materials, textbooks, etc… • Effect has increased as more people attend college

6. Changes in Public Opinion • Social Class • Working Class v. Upper Class • More important in 1950’s on issues like unemployment, education, housing, welfare • Less important in 1960’s on issues like poverty, health care, Vietnam, jobs • Determination of party affiliation, liberal/conservative identity now caused less by economic issues

7. Race and Ethnicity • Has become more important on issues like busing, home sales, death penalty, defense, and welfare • African-Americans are most consistently liberal racial/ethnic group in US • Hispanic-Americans less liberal on issues like abortion, welfare, death penalty, crime prevention, etc… (depends greatly on family’s original country of origin) • Asian-Americans more likely to be conservative

8. Geographic Region • Affect political attitudes; Southern and Northern Americans disagree on many issues • Regional differences greater on non-economic issues • South used to be “Solid South” (Democratic until 1980) • Southern lifestyle different • More accommodating to business • Less supportive of labor (unions) • Gave greater support to 3rd parties (G. Wallace, R. Perot, etc…) • Opposed to income-redistribution plans • Southerners more conservative socially • Becoming less loyal to Democratic Party • Only Presidential candidate that could have won w/out South was LBJ since 1940

9. Political Ideology • The philosophical differences between people regarding governmental policies and issues • Most citizens display little and know less • Many people do not have strong predispositions to any one ideology • View that people have inconsistent opinions is arbitrary and assumes all liberals/ conservatives share identical views

10. Political Ideology • Liberalism: philosophy that government should do more to regulate the economy and have less involvement in people’s personal choices • Conservatism: philosophy that government should do more to regulate people’s personal behavior and less regulation of the economy

11. FDR’s “Liberalism” • New Deal=Liberal • Government intervention in the economy • Social welfare programs • Helping labor gain power • Increase the size/power of the middle class • Some equalization of wealth and opportunity

12. Opponents to FDR called themselves Conservatives • Free markets rather than regulated • State’s rights rather than national supremacy • Self-reliance; gov can’t do it all! • Less equalization of wealth • Less support of labor • Individual choice/opportunity • Etc…

13. Four Categories to Compare Liberal and Conservative • Economic Policy

14. Civil Rights

15. Public/Private Conduct

16. Foreign Policy

17. Analyzing Consistency • Pure Liberal: tax the rich, regulate business, and leave my personal life alone. • Pure Conservative: “Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that guy behind the tree.” Strom Thurmond, Sen. SC. Leave the economy alone, control the behavior of “bad” people. • Libertarian: Leave me and the economy alone! • Populist: Government should regulate everything and tax everyone! (except me!)

18. Chapter 6: Voting! • The problem of Non-Voting: • Alleged American Problem: people don’t vote • It appears that fewer Americans (%) vote compared to other nations • 50% of Americans vote; 90%+ vote in Europe • Argentina has 100% turnout! • Comparison is skewed: • Compare our % of voting age people who vote to their % of registered voters who vote • Makes a 34% difference in the statistics

19. Common Explanation: Apathy! • Not real source for problem • Real problem in US is the REGISTRATION RATE! • Most who register will vote • How can we get people to vote? • Attempts: • Motor Voter Act • Get Out The Vote • Vote or Die • Choose or Lose • Etc…

20. Proposed Solution: Get out the Vote • Won’t work; need to register first • Need a way to get more people to register • Apathy towards voting is not the issue

21. Apathy not only cause of non-registration • Why won’t people register??? • May not care about politics/civic duty • Burden is on the individual • More “costly” to register (time, effort, etc…) • Americans are reasonably satisfied w/ gov’t • Fear of looking stupid (not sure how) • Language barriers • Lack of information/education

22. Voting is not the only way to participate • Join civic organization (Lion’s Club, Rotary, Knights of Columbus, Masons, etc…) • Support movement (gun control, abortion rights, immigration, flag burning, etc…) • Write Congressman • “fight city hall” (protest) • Join interest group (NRA, AARP, ACLU, etc…) • Contribute to campaign (time, money, talent) • Take part in political party activities • Express opinion (talk radio, blog, tweet, etc…) • Run for office yourself • Etc…

23. Movement Towards Universal Suffrage • Originally, most voter requirements left to State (except: Most Numerous House Rule) • Lots of variation from State to State on who was eligible to vote • In beginning few could vote because of • Age • Race • Religion • Property ownership • Taxes • gender

24. Constitutional Amendments, Laws, Supreme Court Decisions Changed from State to Federal Control • 15th amendment: race • 17th amendment: Senators • 19th amendment: Gender • 23rd amendment: Washington, D.C. • 24th amendment: poll tax • 26th amendment: 18+ year olds voting rights • 1842 law requiring House to be elected by District not State-wide • Laws requiring all federal elections to be held on same day in every State

25. Voting Rights for African-Americans and other Minorities • 15th amendment made ineffective by Supreme Court • Southern States attempts to disfranchise voters: • Literacy tests • Poll tax • White primaries • Grandfather clauses • Gerrymandering • Violence/intimidation

26. Women’s Suffrage • Western States allowed women to vote by mid 1870’s • 19th Amendment 1920 • No major change in the outcome of elections has resulted from women voting • WHY not?

27. Youth Vote • Voting Rights Act of 1970 • 26th Amendment 1971 • Low turnout • No support for any one party

28. Now have national standards on most aspects of voting • Age • Residency • Registration • Citizenship

29. Voter Turnout • A real decline in turnout does exist (except 2008/2012) • Decline in popular interest • Less competitive parties • Same old people running (except Obama) • No “real” issues of interest to the majority • Lots of other things to do • Etc…

30. Decline in turnout is more apparent than real • Induced by a more honest count of ballots • Voter fraud was more commonplace before 1980 • Parties used to print all the ballots (mark them too) • No secret ballots (cast vote publically) • Parties controlled count (padding) • Parties used “floaters” and “repeaters” to increase turnout

31. Most scholars see a real decline in turnout • After 1890, registration more difficult • Longer residency requirements (up to 1 yr) • “Australian Ballot” adopted • Aliens no longer able to vote • Racial discrimination • Educational requirements to vote (some States) • Register much longer in advance of election

32. Who can participate in politics? • Forms of Participation: • Inactives (do nothing!) • Voting Specialists (only vote) • Campaigners (vote and volunteer) • Communalists (work on civic issues w/in community; write to congressmen, vote, but don’t like parties) • Parochial Participants: (don’t vote, stay out of elections and civic organizations, but will contact politicians about issues)] • Complete Activists: (do it all! Vote, campaign, join parties, in civic organizations, protest, write letters, etc…)

33. What influences participation? • Family (Mom and Pop are #1!) • Education (on politics) • Age • Race/ethnicity • Smaller factors • Larger population of young people and minorities • Decreasing effectiveness of parties • Remaining impediments to registration • Apathy: feeling that elections/vote doesn’t matter

34. Chapter 7 Political Parties

35. Political Parties: • Definition: a group of people who seek to control government by winning elections and holding office • Exist in 3 arenas: • Label in minds of voter • Organizations that recruit and campaign • Set of leaders that try to control gov/agenda

36. Decentralization of Parties • Results from: • Federal system • Locally based party system • Primary elections select candidates • Separate elections for Congress and President

37. Weaknesses of American Parties • Institutional and legal factors • Fund-raising laws • Spending limits • Free speech/Fairness Doctrine • American political culture • Parties unimportant to most Americans • Parties are separate from the rest of our lives * Most Americans are independents!

38. Political Party History • The “Founding” Period (1789-1824 • Framers opposed parties or factions • Washington warns against them in farewell address • Policy and elections disputes (Hamilton v. Jefferson) and legitimacy of gov • Federalists (Hamilton/Adams) and Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson) • Weak party structure • Experimental system • No past to tie to • Political leaders are not professional politicians • Federalists have limited base (rich!) • Mostly made up of local notables w. no national following • Participation was limited • No representation on clear economic issues

39. Jacksonian Era (1824-1861) • Political participation become mass phenomenon • More voters available (population grew, fewer restrictions) • Party system built from bottom up (local to national) • Abandonment of Presidential Caucuses • Party Convention developed to nominate presidential candidates

40. Civil War and Sectionalism (1861-1911) • Jacksonian system could not survive slavery issue • Democrats and Whigs split over slavery, new parties emerged • Republican Party emerges as dominant national party due to: • Lincoln’s Election • Civil War • Bryan’s nomination by the Democrats in 1896 • 1896-1930 North will be solidly Republican; South will be solidly Democrat • One party States developed, dividing by factions • Factions especially strong among Republicans: • Stalwarts (Old Guard) • Mugwumps, Progressives, Reformers

41. The Era of Reform (1912-1948ish) • Progressives supported measures to curtail partisan power • Primary elections • Non-partisan elections • Opposed business-party alliances • Stricter voter registration requirements • Civil service reforms • Initiative and referendum • Effects of Progressivism • Reduced the worst forms of political corruption • Weakened all political parties

42. National Parties Today (1948-NOW!) • Two Kinds of party structures • Democrats : Fractional or factional party • Republicans: organized party (run like a business) • Structural similarities • National Convention • National Committee • Congressional Campaign Committee • National Chairman(woman) • Appear to be controlled top down • Not true • At every level (local, County, State, National) organization does whatever it wants. • No real national control

43. The Two Party System • A political system in which two major parties dominate. • Only 15 of 131 nations have • Two parties are evenly balanced nationally, but have local loyalties • Why is 2 party system for permanent in US? • Plurality system: Winner Take ALL! • Single-member Districts for US HoR • State election laws (like TX) • Opinion of workers/US Citizens who prefer it

44. Minor or Third Parties • Smaller political associations that rarely win in national or State elections • Types of: • Ideological (Nazi, Communist, Worker World, etc) • Single-issue (Right to Life, Green, Know-nothing) • Economic Protest(Greenback, United We Stand American) • Splinter (Bull-Moose, Dixiecrats, Populists)

45. Roles of Third Party • Spoiler: take enough votes away from major party candidate to “spoil” their victory • Innovator: bring new idea to debate • Critic: criticize BOTH major parties

46. Political Party Finance • “Money is the Mother’s Milk of Politics” • Golden Rule of Politics: “He with the most gold, RULES!” Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neal

47. Presidential Campaign Finance • Total spent in 2012: $5.3 Billion • Obama: $1.4 Billion • Romney: $1.37 Billion • Independent Expenditures: $1.27 Billion • Parties: $1.26 Billion • Source: Open Secrets

48. Sources of $ • Federal Matching Funds (Pres only) • Federal Lump Sum Grants (Congress only) • Family or Self (Mr. Romney) • Individual Small Donors ($25-50) biggest source in 2008 • Political Parties • Fund-raisers: concerts, dinners ($30,000 to eat w/ Obama’s), cocktail parties, Bar-b-ques, picnics, fish fries, auctions, etc…

49. Functions of Parties • Nomination • Informer-stimulator • Bonding Agent • Governmental • Watchdog

50. Chapter 8: Elections