What is the culture war

1
What is the culture war?

• How do we know it exists?
• Journalist
• Pundits
• Party Activist/Politicians

2
What does Fiorina argue?

• What do we know?
• Activists on both sides do hate each other
• Must put this hate into context
• Most Americans are like people in the 3rd World

3
Public is not more polarized

• Politicians are
• Activists are

4
What started the myth

• Confuse closely divided with deeply divided (1)
• Lose lots of information when looking at straight
  election results
• People either
• Dont care (80 mil did not even vote in 2004)
• Like both
• Disliked both
• Hate one and like the other

5
Why the myth

• Political activists are not normal people
• The political class vs. everyone else
• Media is quick to report on the polClass
• Note the proportion of the polClass (see table
  2.2, p20)

6
Why the myth (3)

• Media
• Journalists are detached from the regular public
• Choose to represent red/blue difference with
  archetypes instead of looking at different
  sources of data

7
Why the Myth (4)

• Mix up choice with position
• Dichotomization of a complex continuum
• Eg, Montana (30)
• What about POTUS approval?
• Bushs positions polarize