Political Beliefs and Behaviors
LEARNING TARGET:
STUDENTS SHOULD UNDERSTAND HOW POLITICAL
BELIEFS ARE FORMED, EVOLVE AND THE PROCESSES
BY WHICH THEY ARE TRANSMITTED. ADDITIONALLY,
STUDENTS SHOULD UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFERING
POLITICAL BELIEFS AND BEHAVIOR HAVE
CONSEQUENCES FOR THE POLITICAL PROCESS.
CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS:
STUDENTS WILL IDENTIFY THEIR OWN POLITICAL
AFFILIATION, CONSIDER WHAT FACTORS HAVE
INFLUENCED THESE BELIEFS AND HOW THESE
BELIEFS COULD IMPACT THE POLITICAL PROCESS.
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Political Beliefs and Behaviors: 10–20%
A . Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its
leaders (Chapter 6)
B . Processes by which citizens learn about politics
(Chapter 6)
C . The nature, sources, and consequences of public opinion
(Chapter 6)
D . The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate
in political life (Chapters 6, 10)
E . Factors that influence citizens to differ from one another
in terms of political beliefs and behaviors (Chapter 10)
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Platform Issues
Democrats (Liberals)
Platform Issues
Republican (Conservative) GOP
Increased gun control
Gun Control
Decrease Gun Control
(Pro 2nd Amendment)
More sympathetic
Immigration
Less sympathetic
More for economic growth
& social programs
Spending
Cut spending and allow private
sector growth
Pro-choice
Abortion
Pro-life
More supportive; support
Gay Marriage
Gay Rights
Less supportive; opposed to Gay
Marriage
Tax the Rich
Taxes
Give Tax BREAKS to the Wealthy
End ASAP
Military
Fight to the finish
ObamaCare
Health Care
Keep it Private, fix it…
Race to the Top
Education
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Keep it; fix it
Social Security
Move to privatization
Support it
Welfare
Oppose it
Oppose it
Death Penalty
Support It
Legalize it
Marijuana
Keep it illegal
Support – less funding than
Rep.
Homeland Security
Secure our borders
Political Affiliation and their Influences
 What are your political beliefs on these issues?
 What 3 issues are you the most passionate about?
 Why do you believe what you believe?
or
 What has influenced your beliefs?
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Political Typology Quiz
 TYPOLOGY GROUP PROFILES
Source: Pew Research - http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/26/typology-comparison/
Public Opinion and Demographic Statistics
 Study the data provided
 What conclusions can you draw?
 Discuss possible conclusions with your group
 Make a list of these conclusions as a group.
 Considering the conclusions made, determine a possible
thesis you could draw about Political Typology and
Demographics.
 Create an outline with at least 3 supporting details to explain
your thesis.

Focus on the “why” of your thesis (not just a longer description of the
data already presented)

I.E. – Thesis: Young people tend to be bystanders
 Outline… why?
• Young people don’t care about politics
• Young people do not realize how much government can impact them… yet
• Young people are disenchanted by the arguing that takes place in politics and
doesn’t want to be a part of it.
 Explain your arguments to the class
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Political Ideology:
Coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy
Liberal
Conservative
 Under 30
 Over 60
 African American
 Hispanic
 Women

Gender Gap: women more
likely to support Democratic
candidates (who support
social services and oppose
military spending)
 White
 Midwest & South
 “born-again” Christians
 Jews & Catholics
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Public Opinion
 Distribution of populations beliefs about politics and
policy issues
 Measured by polling
 Sample size – 1000 to 1500
 Random Sampling – everyone should have a chance to participate
 Consider Sampling error - typically  3 percent

Challenges:
Prevalence of cell phones as opposed to land lines
 Wording of questions can be misleading

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The Impact of Polling
Pro
Con
 Help candidates know
 Politicians become
what matters to people
 “Tool for democracy”
 Allows for immediate
response
followers (of public
opinion) as opposed to
leaders
 Creates bandwagon
effect
 Exit polls can lower
voter turnout
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American Demographics
 Census indicates changes in population
 Every 10 years
 Impacts reapportionment

Growth in the West and South since WWII
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Impacts on Apportionment
Source: Census.gov http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-data.php
Impacts on Apportionment
Source: Census.gov http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-data.php
American Demographics
 Minority Majority
 White majority will eventually no longer be a majority
 Hispanics largest minority group (15%)
 Largest growing age group
 Citizens over 65
 Impact on Social Security debate
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Political Culture
 Overall set of values widely shared within a society
 Equality
 Freedom
 Security
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Political Socialization
 “Process through which an individual acquires his or her
particular political orientations...”
 Family

#1 indicator of political affiliation
 Schools

Educated on values of free enterprise and democracy

“Better educated citizens are more likely to vote in elections, they
exhibit more knowledge about politics and public policy, and they are
more tolerant of opposing (even radical) opinions.”
 Media

“new parent” in terms of political socialization
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“Not to be a republican at 20 is
proof of want of heart; to be one at
30 is proof of want of head.”
François Guizot
Age and the impact on Politics
 Stronger party attachment
 Increased voter turnout
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T6-2
Turnout Increases with Age
Source: Authors’ analysis of 2006 Census Bureau data.
Americans and Public Knowledge
 “dismally low”
 “The paradox of mass politics is that the American
political system works as well as it does given the
discomforting lack of public knowledge about
politics.”
- Russell Neuman
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“The American Voter”
 Ideologues
 Connect opinions and beliefs with broad policy positions
 Group Benefits voters
 Groups they like based on benefits for their “Group”
 Nature of the times voters
 Good times – party in power; Bad times – party out of power
 No issue content group
 Vote on personality of candidate
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Political Participation
Conventional
Unconventional
 Voting
 Protest
 Campaigning
 Civil Disobedience
 Running for office
 Violence
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“Americans are ideological
conservatives but operational
liberals”
- “GOVERNMENT IN AMERICA”
Nominations & Campaigns
The Road to the White House
 Announce Candidacy

1-2 years before general election
 Campaign

Money, media, momentum
 Primaries

Winter/spring of election year
 Nominating Conventions


Win majority of delegates to win nomination at convention
Not the drama it used to be
 More campaigning
 General Elections
 Electoral College
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Selecting the Nominee
Primaries
Caucuses
 Voting within state to
 Meeting to express
choose nominee
 Majority of states
 New Hampshire has
the first one
 Usually proportional
representation when
selecting delegates
preference for nominee
 Rural states
 Iowa has the first one
 Lower voter turnout
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Nominating process
 State law and Parties determine rules and guidelines
for determining delegates to convention
 Superdelegates – national party leaders who
automatically get a delegate slot at the national party
convention
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Problems with the Nominating Process
 Disproportionate attention to early states
 Long campaigns cost money and time
 Participation is low and unrepresentative
 Media has power
 Attention focused on New Hampshire, Iowa & the “horserace”
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Nominating Convention
 Opportunity to energize campaign
 Adopt Party Platform
 Presidential Acceptance Speech
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Election Reform
 McGovern-Fraser Commission
 Create more democratic primaries by taking power from party
“bosses” and allowing for primaries to select nominee
 Primary Proposals
 National Primary


Regional Primary


Failure to win majority would lead to run-off elections
Favorite sons would have an advantage in first regions
Graduate Random System

Not supported by large states
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Campaigning
 Media Attention
 Direct Mail
 Campaign Commercials
 Most of budget spent here
 Importance of the Internet
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Campaign Financing
 Federal Election Campaign Act
 Federal Election Commission
Tighten reporting requirements
 Limit overall expenditures



Presidential Election Campaign Fund
Matching Funds

Not used since 2000
 Soft money
 For generic party advertising
 Banned under McCain-Feingold Act
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Supreme Court and Campaign Financing
 Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
 First amendment right upheld to spend as much as you want
on your own campaign
 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
(2010)

First amendment right upheld for corporations and unions to
spend as much as they want to promote political views
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Campaign Financing Loopholes
 527 groups
 Independent groups with unlimited funding for non-specific
political campaigns
 501(c) groups
 Unlimited contributions without reporting
 Half of funding on political activities
 Political Action Committees (PACs)
 Concern of impact of PAC on winners once in office
Weaver's World by Ashley Weaver is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/10/08/us/politics/DONATE.html?ref=politics
Cost of Campaign
 Time away from real job
 Fundraising efforts
 But $ doesn’t necessarily mean a win
 Reinforce
 Selective perception – pay attention to what they already agree
with
 Activate
 Convert
 Rarely
 Promises made cost money and increase gov’t power
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Elections and Voting Behavior
Elections
 Legitimacy
 Institutionalize politics
 Provide regular access to political power
 Primary Elections
 Select nominees for general elections
 General Elections
 Select the leader for a certain position
 Policy Elections
 Vote on legislation
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Policy Elections
 Referendum
 Voters approve or disapprove of legislation or constitutional
amendment
 Initiative Petition
 Citizen proposed law with enough signatures to get on ballot
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Election of 1800
John Adams (Federalist)
VS
Thomas Jefferson (Democratic Republican)
 Very little campaigning by candidates
 Unreliable “media” coverage
 2 Electoral Votes cast by each elector


Leads to a tie between Burr and Jefferson
House ultimately votes for Jefferson
 First peaceful transfer of power between parties
through the electoral process in world history!
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Election of 1896
William McKinley (Republican)
VS
William Jennings Bryan (Democrat)
 Economic debate


Republicans: gold standard and high tariffs
Democrats: silver standard
 Highest turnout ever in an election
 Northeast & Midwest to Republicans
 South & West to Democrats
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Voting
 Suffrage
 Legal right to vote
 Has increased over time… but participation has decreased
 Political Efficacy
 Belief that your vote matters
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Non-voting
 No time
 Saturday election?
 No difference between two parties
 Lack of political efficacy
 Voter Registration
 In an attempt to prevent corruption
 Motor Voter Act (1993) in an attempt to increase registration
 Elections are often (too often?)
 Limited choice in elections
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Likely Voters
 Educated
 Older
 White
 Women
 Married
 Government Workers
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Voter Behavior
 Mandate Theory of Elections

Winner has free reign to carry out policy
Because he got elected
 According to that person…

 Party Identification

Simplifies voting process
 Evaluation of Candidates

Integrity, Reliability, Competence
 Policy Voting – easier now than ever




Voters know where they stand
Voters know where candidates stand
Voters see a difference between candidates
Voters actually vote
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Electoral College
 “archaic, undemocratic, complex, ambiguous, indirect
and dangerous”
 Created to allow the nation’s elite to elect the President
 Educated
 “Small State Advantage”
 No Favorite Son
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 Number of Delegates per state:

Based on total number of Congressmen



(Senators plus Representatives)
Colorado has 9
Chosen by the political party that wins the most in the popular vote
 Winner take all system

Except Maine and Nebraska
 Electors cast their vote in December for President

For whomever they want to…
 270 needed to win

No majority vote – House of Representatives decides
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Problems with the Electoral College
 In Case of a Tie:
 House of Representatives chooses the President
 Senate chooses Vice President
 The winner of the popular vote may not become
President

2000 election (and 1824, 1876, 1888)
 Nothing requires an elector to vote for the candidate
the people choose

i.e. John Edwards in 2004
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Electoral College
Pro
Con
 Gives smaller states
 The winner can lose
“voice”
 Without…$ would stay
on coasts and in cities
 Need a broad appeal
across many states
 Stability through a 2
party system
 Not 1 person, 1 vote
 Minority party not
represented
 Regional campaigning
has limited impact
 Lower voter turnout
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Not Large or Small but SWING
Hand represent number of
visits by candidates in last
5 weeks before election
(2004)
$ represent $1 million
spent by candidates in last
5 weeks before election
(2004)
Digital Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)
Digital Image courtesy of http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/11/01/163632378/a-campaign-map-morphed-by-money
Proposed Reforms
 District Plan



Electoral college on district level (not state)
Still could win electoral and lose popular vote
Gerrymandering would be more prevalent
 Proportional Plan


Split states electoral vote according to % of popular vote
Strengthen minor parties (don’t need entire state)
 Direct Popular Election


Voters directly elect President
Small states would “lose power”
 Electors for electoral college vote for whomever wins the
popular vote

Effective once 270 votes worth of states adopt this method
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