POLS 125

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POLS 125

• Political Parties Elections

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What do these terms mean?

• Lib-er-al lib-er-uh l Open-minded or
  tolerant, especially free and not bound by
  traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.
• Con-serv-a-tive kuh n-sur-vuh-tiv Disposed to
  preserve existing conditions, and institutions,
  or to restore traditional ones, and to limit
  change.

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X
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Political Ideology
A Working Definition

• LIBERALISM A belief in the positive uses of
  government to bring about justice and equality of
  opportunity.
• CONSERVATISM A belief that limited government
  ensures order, competitive markets, and personal
  opportunity.

LIBERAL
CONSERVATIVE
MODERATE
Is a single dimension really adequate?
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Government Control
Social and political conservatives favor broad
government regulation of individual behavior
CONSERVATIVE
STATIST
SOCIAL POLICY
CENTRIST
LIBERAL
LIBERTARIAN
Social and political liberals favor limited
government regulation of individual behavior
Government Control
ECONOMIC POLICY
Freedom
Economic conservatives favor fiscal
responsibility and limited government
involvement in economic policymaking and
regulation of business
Economic liberals favor spending and broad
government involvement in economic policymaking
and regulation of business
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Government Control
Social and political conservatives favor broad
government regulation of individual behavior
These days, you cant be too careful. I think we
need to spend a lot more money on the national
security. I wish there was a police officer on
every corner! The police could search my car all
they want, since I dont break the law. I also
think the government should crack down on the
mediatheir reporting gives our enemies an inside
look at all our military preparations.
I worked my way up from poverty to become the
successful business owner that I am today. I get
frustrated when I think that my tax money goes to
support people who wont help themselves. I think
part of the blame belongs with the mediathey
promote all the wrong values.
I really dont care what other people do in
their free time, as long as they dont bother me.
I sure dont like it when the government tells me
what to do with my money or in my own homeIm
certainly not going to turn around and do the
same thing to my neighbors.
I really worry about the state of the world
today. It seems like more and more kids are
growing up in poverty and theres no one to help
them. I think we need to do more toward providing
health care and education programs for young
people.
CONSERVATIVE
STATIST
SOCIAL POLICY
CENTRIST
LIBERAL
LIBERTARIAN
Social and political liberals favor limited
government regulation of individual behavior
Government Control
ECONOMIC POLICY
Freedom
Economic conservatives favor fiscal
responsibility and limited government
involvement in economic policymaking and
regulation of business
Economic liberals favor spending and broad
government involvement in economic policymaking
and regulation of business
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A Primer on Party Factions
The Democratic Party

• New Democrats Centrists who take liberal
  positions on social issues, and conservative
  positions on economic issues, organized as
  members of the Democratic Leadership Council
  (e.g., Bill Clinton)
• Blue Dog Democrats Choked blue by the
  partys more liberal leadership, a group that
  pushes an agenda of social conservatism and
  fiscal responsibility
• Boll Weevils 1980s term for socially
  conservative southern Democrats
• Dixiecrats 1950s term for socially
  conservative southern Democrats
• DINOs Democrats-in-name-only (e.g., Zell
  Miller, Joe Lieberman)
• Progressives Preferred term for those who
  find the L-word (liberal) pejorative

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A Primer on Party Factions
The Republican Party

• Rockefeller Republicans 1970s term for those
  who were socially liberal, pro-business, and
  conservative on foreign policy, willing to raise
  taxes instead of running deficits. The social
  conservatism of the Reagan Revolution pushed them
  to the left edges of the party
• The Mod Squad Group of moderate, socially
  liberal U.S. Senators (e.g., Lincoln Chafee,
  Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, etc.)
• Gypsy Moths Republican moderates from the
  North East and Midwest, 1980s
• Log Cabin Republicans Gay, lesbian, and
  bisexual supporters of the Republican Party
• Neo-Cons Big government conservatives,
  foreign policy hawks (e.g., Paul Wolfowitz)
• Pro-Cons a.k.a. Progressive Conservatives,
  fiscal conservatives, social moderates, foreign
  policy eagles (not hawks)
• RINOs Republicans-in-name-only (e.g., John
  McCain, Arlen Specter)

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Government Control
FOREIGN POLICY?
Social and political conservatives favor broad
government regulation of individual behavior
Republican Party
G.W. Bush?
Pro-Cons
Mod Squad
SOCIAL POLICY
Blue Dog Democrats
DLC
Democratic Party
Bill Clinton
Social and political liberals favor limited
government regulation of individual behavior
Government Control
ECONOMIC POLICY
Freedom
Economic conservatives favor fiscal
responsibility and limited government
involvement in economic policymaking and
regulation of business
Economic liberals favor spending and broad
government involvement in economic policymaking
and regulation of business
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We want to get our society back on track-toward
good schools with great teachers, welfare that
really helps, and health care responsive to the
needs of people, not government. We want to make
sure our most important programs-like Social
Security and Medicare-are there when people need
them. We need a smaller, more effective, more
efficient, less bureaucratic government that
reflects our time-honored values. The American
people do not want big government solutions and
they do not want empty promises. They want a
government that is for them, not against them
that doesn't interfere with their lives but
enhances their quality of life. Our purpose in
welfare reform is not to save money but to bring
into the mainstream of American life those who
now are on the margins of our society and our
economy. Government's job should be to give
people the tools they need to make the most of
their own lives. Americans must take the
responsibility to use them, to build good lives
for themselves and their families. Personal
responsibility is the most powerful force we have
to meet our challenges and shape the future we
want for ourselves, for our children, and for
America. We reaffirm our commitment to
agricultural progress, environmental improvement,
and the prudent development of our natural
resources. Our goal is to continue the progress
we have made to achieve a cleaner, safer,
healthier environment for all Americans - and to
pass on to our children and grandchildren a
better environment than we have today. We believe
in equal opportunity for all, and special
privileges for none. Which party used these two
keywords in their slogan Opportunity and
Responsibility?
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Political Ideology vs. Partisan Identification
Percent responding
Percent responding
Strong Democrat
Strong Republican
Extremely Liberal
Extremely Conservative
Moderate
Independent
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Creating a Political Brand
How should the Democratic and Republican parties
position their brands to best capture an
electoral majority?

• Has American conservatism reached a turning
  point? The conservatism that defined itself in
  reaction against the New Deal minimal
  government conservatism is dead, says
  columnist George Will. Big government
  conservatism is on the rise.
• Can American liberalism overcome the stigmatism
  attached to the L-word? Is its future best
  placed in the hands of Howard Dean, who claims to
  represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic
  party, or with someoneanyoneelse?

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(No Transcript)
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Rebranding the Republican Party
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Rebranding the Republican Party
Rebranding the Republican Party
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Rebranding the Republican Party
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Partisan Identification
Generally speaking, do you usually think of
yourself as a Republican, a Democrat, an
Independent, or what? Would you call yourself a
strong DEMOCRAT/REPUBLICAN or a not very strong
DEMOCRAT/REPUBLICAN? IF INDEPENDENT, NO
PREFERENCE, or OTHER Do you think of yourself
as closer to the Republican Party or to the
Democratic Party?
Do all Independents belong in the middle of the
political spectrum?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Strong Democrat
Weak Democrat
Lean Democrat
Lean Republican
Weak Republican
Strong Republican
Independent
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Trends in Partisan Identification,
1952-2004Excluding Leaners
Source National Election Studies, various years.
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A Rise in Independents?

• Not all respondents classified as Independents
  label themselves that way.
• Most independents are, in fact, hidden
  partisans.

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Scholars typically measure partisan
identification using a series of questions, the
first being Generally speaking, do you usually
think of yourself as a Democrat, a Republican, an
Independent, or what? Its a close ended
question. But despite that structure,
respondents still give answers that are all over
the placeanswers that are difficult to code.
Here are some examples from the interview
protocols

• Nothing in that respect. I dont consider
  myself anything politically.
• I aint none of them.
• None.
• Not anything.
• Laughs You should call me nothing.
• No preference.
• I dont think of myself as anything.
• It depends.
• Im an American.
• May the best man win. Its the best
  candidate.
• Im someone who believes in what I believe is a
  good man who will do the most for the country.
• Im not a Republican, not a Democrat, not an
  Independent, and not a Communist.
• Im nothing. I dont holler about it.
• Interviewer asks if the respondent would call
  himself an Independent. You dont mean one of
  those minority groups?
• Oh hell, I dont know.

Each of these respondents was ultimately
classified as an Independent.
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Party Identifiers Voting for Their Partys
Presidential Candidate
Independents who lean are often as loyal to
their preferred party as self-described partisans
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Trends in Partisan Identification,
1952-2004Including Leaners
Source National Election Studies, various years.