XI - POLITICAL PENGUINS



Voter Participation

A. 1780s – 1840s – States determined voting rights

B. Gradual Nationalization of Voting Rights

1. 1842 – Congress Mandates Single Member Congressional Districts

2. 1870 – 15th Amendment – Black Voting Rights

3. 1919 – 19th Amendment – Women Voting Rights

4. 1964 – 24th Amendment – Eliminates Poll Tax

5. 1965 Voting Rights Act

a. Discriminatory State Statutes Eliminated

b. Discriminatory Party Regulations Eliminated

6. 1971 – 26th Amendment – Age 18 to Vote

XI. Voting Blocs in American Politics

A. Historically Based on Economics and Geography

B. Modern Era of De-Alignment

1. Impact on Political Parties

2. Major Party Attempts to Attract Independent Voters

a. Cross-Over Primaries

b. Mail-In Balloting

3. De-Alignment and Voter Apathy

C. Factors that Determine Voter Participation

1. Parents

2. Wealth

3. Education

4. Age

D. Factors that Determine How One Votes

1. Parents

2. Job / Career / Profession

3. Religious Beliefs

4. George Lakoff: “People don’t vote in their self-interest, they vote their identity.”

i. “Soccer Moms”

ii. “Limousine Liberals”

E. General Ideological Divisions in American Politics

1. Pure Liberals – Progressives

2. Pure Conservatives – Neocons

3. Libertarians

4. Populists

5. Nativists/Isolationists

F. Impact of Ideological Divisions on Democratic and Republican Parties

1. Cross-Cutting Issues and Cross-Cutting Pressures

a. Issues that force the voter to decide between cultural and economic priorities

b. Sample Cross-Cutting Issues

i. Civil Rights

ii. Public Political Conduct

iii. Law and Order

iv. States’ Rights

v. Moral / Religious Values

vi. Economic Regulations

2. Wedge Issues

a. Issues that may divide the voting blocs that comprise the coalition that forms the opposition party

b. Wedge Issues may also be Cross-Cutting Issues

3. Slippery-Slope Issues

a. Issues / Initiatives that impact all other issues

b. The issue itself is less important than the overall impact on all other issues.

c. Sample Slippery-Slope Issues

i. Tax Cuts / Tax Relief

ii. Testing and Public School Accountability

iii. Tort Reform – Prevent Large Punitive Damages Awards

XIII. The “Culture War” in American Politics

A. Origins in 1968 Election

1. Wallace and the “White Backlash” Vote

2. Nixon Captures “White Backlash” Vote in 1972

3. Democratic “New Deal” Coalition Crumbles due to a Combination of Cross-Cutting, Wedge, and Slippery-Slope Issues

4. Watergate disables the Moderate Wing of the Republican Party

5. Reagan’s Election in 1980 brings the “Conservative Right” to Power

a. Dismantle the “New Deal” Federal Bureaucracy

b. Limit the Impact of Secular Humanism

c. Promote “States’ Rights”

B. Two Conflicting Frames – World Views

1. Orthodox – “Strong, Strict Father” - Conservatives

a. The World is a Dangerous Place

b. Supports the Family in the Difficult World

c. Teaches Children from Right and Wrong

2. Progressive – “Nurturant Parent” – Liberals

a. The World is a Good Place and Can be made better

b. Community-Building is the key to society

c. Teaches Children Empathy and Responsibility

3. Applications of the Two Frames to Politics

a. Which is more concrete (e.g. conventional)?

b. What types of policies will be promoted by each frame?

i. Foreign Policy

ii. Military Policy

iii. Social / Welfare Policy

1. View of the Role of Wealth and Morality

2. View of Freedom and Equlaity

iv. Education Policy

c. Language of the “Culture War” – Framing Issues

i. Gay Marriage v. Same-Sex Marriage

ii. Pro-Life v. Pro-Choice

iii. “Starve the Beast” v. Investing in Public Institutions

iv. “Secure our Borders” v. “Land of Opportunity”

d. Impact of 9-11

i. Strengthened “Strong Father” Frame with “War on Terror,” National Security, anti-immigrant feelings, and Public Policy pertaining to children

ii. Tax Cuts plus Diversion of Funds to Military Policies “Starve the Beast”

iii. Promoted the Need for “Standards” in Evaluating Public Policy – especially Public Education Policy (NCLB)

e. Impact on the Next Elections

i. How will the two major parties evaluate the potential cross-cutting, wedge, and slippery-slope issues in light of the culture war?

ii. Will a re-alignment of the political parties replace the de-alignment?

iii. Will the Progressives / Liberals be able to Re-Frame the arguments and control the language of the next political generation?

iv. Remember Murray Edelman

1. The Political Spectacle

2. Condensation Symbols

3. Who will be able to command the two elements of politics that Edelman sees as more important than the issues themselves?

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