American Poltical Culture, Conflictual or Consensual?

Political Culture is defined as a community of shared beliefs, values, and norms that define the relationship between cities and government. In America, having such a diverse way of thinking, living, and set of beliefs, in terms of how to direct a country, its inevitable that beliefs, values, and norms will collide. To have a consensual political culture means that cities tend to agree on the appropriate means of making political decisions , and to agree on the major problems facing the society; and how to solve them. However, we don't have that. We don't have a political culture that ends to agree on how to solve a problem.

In the article One Nation, Slightly Divisible by David Brooks, he does a good job at highlighting and making it clear, that Red America and Blue America are drastically different. It's important to take these differences into account, because ultimately, they could explain as to why to two groups of people think so differently.

David Brooks makes a point that were so trapped in our ways of living that we forget what surrounds us. Theres a complete different world outside of the borders that surround us. For example, in Red and Blue America, two different institutions dominate, "In Red America churches are everywhere. In Blue America Thai restaurants are everywhere" (Brooks). But it goes further than that. In Blue America, reading books and attending plays is more normal than it is in Red America, where the preferred source of entertainment could be NASCAR or radio programs people in Blue America would have never heard of. These differences play a role in our political culture, because it could ultimately shape the way people think based on their surroundings; on what their seeing, hearing, and what is being promoted to them. If one were to read the article, it could be assumed that it's made clear these Blue and Red America are different; so it could also be assumed that the way people are brought up, and how they think are different. That's when the political culture turns to being conflictual.

Now, because there are so many political ideologies in America, there are a number of ways people characterize themselves, politically; two being the most discussed, broad terms of "Liberal" and "Conservative".  Yes, both can agree that the American Culture consists of personal liberty, equality, democracy, civil society, individualism, and religious faith and freedom. However, both do have a different idea of what these terms mean, and how they apply themselves in our political culture.

In the Cross Fire debates between Governor Rick Perry of Texas and Governor Patt Quinn of Illinois, its well displayed that these two forms of thinking; liberal and conservative, are clashing and not willing to work and listen to each other. Governor Quinn continuously pushes his message of raising minimum wage meanwhile, Governor Perry keeps pushing his idea that it kills jobs. None of the two men were willingly to sit and listen to each other, even if they were making good points in the debate. The balance isn't there. It's inconvenient for the constituents; the American people to have two drastic ways of handling an issue such as minimum wage. However, they did vote for this.

But these aren't the only problems in American politics that seem to have two different ways of attempting to be handled with no middle solution. A huge one that still lingers around our political diversion today; health care. This issue provides a prime example of our political culture being conflictual. Governor Rick Perry and Governor Patt Quinn had also touched upon this briefly in their Cross Fire debate. Governor Quinn, being for Obama Care, ultimately holding the idea that implementing it will have more people have a source of health care, which is better for the well being of his state; and Governor Perry disagreeing  and thinking that Texas is better off without Obama Care, and thinking competition is good especially when it concerns health care. With the new administration in, and one of the big campaign promises Donald Trump ran on, was to repeal and replace Obama Care. It's been well over his first 100 days in office and his republican members have already tried to repeal Obama Care, but with no replacement; at least one that's proven to work well for the country. But it seems as to most of the country that, the Republicans in power are almost irrationally doing this, without thinking of the consequences it could hold on the well being of the 20 million Americans on the plan; why? Because each party is pushing their way of "governing" instead of sitting with each other, and finding middle ground in how our country should direct itself in terms of not only health care, but other issues as well.

The diversion in our political culture doesn't only show itself in our government, but also in our demographics. The way the people vote within our country reveals how gender and race play a role in the political culture. According to Debt.org, "Democrats have a tremendous amount of diversity in their ranks, especially when compared with the 87 percent white Republican Party. The most loyal bloc of Democratic supporters are African-Americans, with women supporting Democrats a staggering 90 percent of the time and men slightly less."


The American Culture remains the same. Our beliefs in what American Culture stands the same whether you ask a liberal, conservative or an independent. But, what differs is how we define the terms under the umbrella which is American Culture. As for our political culture; its conflictual. We have many factions within our country fighting for their voices to be heard. Admist all the fighting, the only thing which cannot be heard or turned to, is a middle ground. Both parties struggle to find a path in which they can sit and discuss ideas that could benefit both view points on tackeling an issue. As of now, its conflictual. But there's many factors that played in making it this way; being the Blue America vs, Red America. Both sides of the country are brought up differently, inevitably causing different clashing viewpoints.



Questions:
 1) How could America turn into a consensual political culture considering the vast difference in upbringings and ideas?
2) Do you agree with my stance on the political culture of America as it stands now?
3) Do you find Electoral Map if ___ were to vote shocking?