Comparison Of Kansas Politics And Government: The Clash Of Political Cultures
When one thinks of Kansas, the thought of diversity hardly comes to mind; however, in their book Kansas Politics and Government: The Clash of Political Cultures Dr. H. Edward Flentje of Wichita State University and Dr. Joseph A. Aistrup of Kansas State University make the argument that cultural and political diversity have led to the numerous accounts of conflict throughout Kansas history and created the political factions that evident in the state today. Kansas Politics and Government: The Clash of Political Cultures is a great in depth summary of all things political in the state of Kansas. It not only covers the Constitution of Kansas as well as the structure and institutions of the government, but also takes a deep dive into the history …show more content…
Flentje and Aistrup utilize statistic data when they analyze voting statistics as well as demographical variables collected in the census. They also place emphasis on economic data when trying to explain the rural-urban divide in the state by classifying counties based on per capita income levels. For example, in the introduction the authors state “The per capita income of the five urban counties was $40,240 in 2006, and their population growth for the thirty-six-year period was 48.7 percent” (Flentje and Aistrup xxi). Additionally, there are several chapters and subsections of the book devoted entirely to historical analysis of Kansas politics and how certain institutions have developed over time. The authors also make use of the method of personal observation to support their claims in this book. For instance, Flentje and Aistrup form the idea of the Republican Party being split into two camps, the moderate Republicans who they deem as having some characteristics of egalitarianism, hierarchy, and individualism; and the Polar Alliance Republicans who an extreme preference for hierarchy and individualism but almost no sense of egalitarianism. This, of course is based almost entirely on personal observation as it would be difficult to use quantitative statistics to draw this …show more content…
Additionally, they add “This party dynamic has fostered two Republican factions, polar alliance Republicans on the one hand and moderate Republicans on the other.” (Flentje and Aistrup 25). Credit is given to the New Right movement of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and the pro-life movement for adding fuel to the dividing Republican party and ultimately creating the polar alliance Republicans in Kansas. Although, I do agree with the authors that there is definitely a split in the Republican party that I have seen during my time interning in the Kansas legislature, I disagree with several of the observations they have
Changes In Party Polarization In Congress
161 Words | 1 PagesSome changes in party polarization in Congress over the last several decades are the party division between Republicans and Democrats as having widened over the last several decades, leading to greater partisanship. What caused this change was increasing homogeneous districts and increasing alignment between ideology and partisanship among voters. I feel this can be good because the original congress was just one and if you did not agree with this opinion you could not do anything about it. Now at least you can fall under a category which is Republican or Democrat. In fact, I believe there should be more than just two parties because I know most people like some of the ideologies from Democrats (such as being more liberal) but they also like
Political Parties In The Late 1700s Vs Today
509 Words | 3 PagesDuring the establishment of the United States, the problems the founding fathers faced helped to form a constitution that is still followed to this day. Conditions of the country in the late 1700s and today are similar- debt, foreign threats, and unhappy people. But if the government today were to face a problem big enough to wreck the country, the United States would not be able to survive. It would not be possible to re-establish the government due to a divide among the people, the lack of dominant leaders, and the condition that the government is in.
Culture War The Myth Of A Polarized America Analysis
519 Words | 3 PagesIn the article Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America, Morris Fiorina addresses the issue of the illusion of political polarization. Political polarization is the separation of political beliefs into two separate extremes. The main illustration Fiorina uses is the use the electoral map. The electoral map is used to gauge which party won an election or polling.
Compare And Contrast Republicans Vs Federalists
331 Words | 2 PagesToday’s America has evolved differently from the intention of a certain group of the founder’s. This essay takes the stance that America in 2017 is moving closer to the viewpoint of the Federalists, compared to the Republicans. First, one must analyze the two parties, then draw the conclusion with supportive facts. Lastly, the comparisons will be summarized and the differences will be minimized.
Demographic Differences Between The Republicans And The Democrats
304 Words | 2 PagesThere are a number of differences in the demographics between the ones that are and are not politically involved. Older people tend to vote more than the younger people by their concern toward the government, as well as the number of white Americans voting more than the other minority races would. The educated will vote more than the uneducated by having more knowledge of the election, along with families with higher income of over $65,000 having time to vote than the low income ones of $35,000 or under. The ones who shows party identification would want to get involved in politics, whereas independent individual would not care as much. People who grew up with specific ideology would want to have a say in politics, in contrast to those who did not.
How Do Political Parties Influence Congressional Elections
758 Words | 4 PagesPolitical Parties serve a crucial role in congressional campaigns, especially for candidate recruitment. One significant role political parties serve is the state law of redistricting, “Because the composition of House districts can make the difference between winning and losing, the two major parties and individual politicians, particularly incumbents, often fight fierce battles in state legislatures over the alignment of districts.” (Smith, et al., 2007). Similar to my previous discussion, the congressional district map is crucial to the success of political parties and gerrymandering is just apart of the nature of political parties. In order for political parties to completely reap the benefits of their constituents, they must draw a map that serves their best interest.
Republican Party Strengths
381 Words | 2 PagesParty strength is a measure of the ability of a party to get people to vote for its candidates. The post-World War II shift in party strength was part of a massive shift in policy over time. Scholars saw Republican politicians increasingly excel at getting elected at the local level (Lublin 2006), to offices in the state (Hayes and McKee 2007), and federal governments (Black and Black 2002, 1992; Shafer and Johnston 2006). It is difficult to see how the Republican Party would have become the majority in Congress in 1994 without the increased voting strength in the South. This marked a dramatic shift in national policy.
Texas Political Culture Research Paper
799 Words | 4 PagesTexas Political Culture There are multiple classifications for political cultures Moralistic political culture- ones believe that the government should promote the public good and in order to ensure that good the citizens should participate in politics and civic activities Individualistic political culture- ones believe that the government must limit their role when providing to society in order to make the citizens able to pursue their economic interests Traditionalistic political culture- ones believe that the government should controlled by political elites and must be guided by tradition. Changes in Texas
El Paso Diversity Essay
595 Words | 3 PagesSuch descriptions as democrats or republicans divided into certain areas of El Paso compose the diversity over political beliefs, thus expanding a multicultural area by taking many other opinions into consideration. Education also divides people into certain groups, not segregating them, but rather classifying them into more groups that add up into more diverse and complex organizations. Education is a good factor when talking about diversity because it directly affects the citizens’ lives and relates to whom they are and what they do. Norms and values aggregate to the list of one of the many factors that cause cultural diversity in El Paso. Every known civilization has always relied on its norms and values to make progress because of a meticulous organization that keeps peace and union within the borders of each nation, state or city.
Essay On Texas Government
944 Words | 4 PagesThe history of political parties in Texas is marked by nearly a century of Democratic Party dominance followed by a realignment that shifted the balance of power in favor if the republicans. Political science professor Cal Jilson noted that the dominance of one party in Texas has been a result of the state’s dominant values. Both parties in Texas today reflect more conservative versions of their national counterparts. The other chapter talks about the Interest groups in Texas. Interest groups plays a critical role in all democratic systems of government.
Examples Of Political Polarization
1012 Words | 5 PagesPolitical Polarization in United States It has become out rightly clear that the American politics are bombarded by extreme political polarization bordering both on the political allegiance and ideologically. Political journalists, observers and scholars generally seem to agree on the American populations and politics being more politically and ideologically polarized than was experienced a decade ago. These circumstances have led to a scenario where ideological and political overlap has almost disappeared leading to constituents and politicians’ alike leading to the rise of different states that support either the democrat or republican parties. Essentially, these states are termed to as the safe states in regards to the social culture, ideological
Cultural Differences Between Republican And Republican Parties
257 Words | 2 PagesOn the other side of the spectrum Republican party wants much more limited reach for economic issues of the government, but they support its influence in social issues (Felkins, 1999). According to Haidt(2004) one of the main sources of moral diversity originates
Compare And Contrast The Republicans Of 1854
142 Words | 1 PagesThe Republicans as of today are very different, yet similar to the other,
Life Isn T Fair-Deal With It By Mike Myatt Summary
736 Words | 3 PagesIn the short story called, “The American Electoral Process,” Kubic explained to us about why he disagrees with how the Constitution and the Congress take all votes for every single state as well as being unalike in population and size in which he would tell of as
Advantages Of The Two Party System
2506 Words | 11 PagesFinally, it will be argued that the modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two parties have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the United States Congress since 1856. The Democratic Party generally positions itself as centre-left in American politics and supports a modern American liberal platform, while the Republican Party generally positions itself as centre-right and supports a modern American conservative platform. (Nichols, 1967)
More about Comparison Of Kansas Politics And Government: The Clash Of Political Cultures
Changes In Party Polarization In Congress
161 Words | 1 PagesPolitical Parties In The Late 1700s Vs Today
509 Words | 3 PagesCulture War The Myth Of A Polarized America Analysis
519 Words | 3 PagesCompare And Contrast Republicans Vs Federalists
331 Words | 2 PagesDemographic Differences Between The Republicans And The Democrats
304 Words | 2 PagesHow Do Political Parties Influence Congressional Elections
758 Words | 4 PagesRepublican Party Strengths
381 Words | 2 PagesTexas Political Culture Research Paper
799 Words | 4 PagesEl Paso Diversity Essay
595 Words | 3 PagesEssay On Texas Government
944 Words | 4 PagesExamples Of Political Polarization
1012 Words | 5 PagesCultural Differences Between Republican And Republican Parties
257 Words | 2 PagesCompare And Contrast The Republicans Of 1854
142 Words | 1 PagesLife Isn T Fair-Deal With It By Mike Myatt Summary
736 Words | 3 PagesAdvantages Of The Two Party System
2506 Words | 11 Pages