LECTURE 4
POLITICAL CULTURE
Political Science 200
David Tabb
I. Politics drives the economy and the economy drives politics
II. American consensus emerged from growing economy after WWII
A. American economy is basically sound. Idea of economic
development good because it works
B. Technology is beneficent. Technological values lead
to lack of trust in theory and trust in practice
C. political system is the best when compared to weakened
democracies of Western Europe
D. Assumed that most Americans could pursue the American
dream. Horatio Alger myth
E. Problems of redistribution of wealth associated with
socialism and viewed as irrelevant in a growth economy
D. Only threat to economic prosperity was advance of
communism.
III. Blows Against the Consensus model in the 60's
A. civil rights, mass demonstrations, political protest
and the media coverage blew the consensus
B. an entire generation of students were weaned on the
"perverted priorities" of American politics. Read
candidate Clinton's letter to the Director of the
ROTC program at the U. of Arkansas in 1969.
C. Vietnam--light at the end of the tunnel and rising
distrust
IV. Reaction sets in from Nixon resulting in domestic economic
reform with Reagan.
A. Size of govt has not gone down--gone up. Shift
from butter to guns.
B. Inability and lack of will to respond to homelessness
crack and aids yet response to bail out is 500 bill.
Role of anti tax movement.
C. Role of racial attitudes as functional equivalent of
economic attitudes.
D. Role of Rights movement on economic attitudes
E. Is the current reaction to candidates and incumbent
presidents a long or short term reaction to economic
management of the govt?