Beyond Red and Blue
Author: Wenz, Peter S.
ISBN: 9780262517560
Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE US
Year first published: 10 Feb 2012
Pages: 386
Format: Paperback / softback
b>Why Americans do not divide neatly into red and blue or right and left but form coalitions across party lines on hot-button issues ranging from immigration to same-sex marriage./b>p>On any given night cable TV news will tell us how polarized American politics is- Republicans are from Mars, Democrats are from Canada. But in fact, writes Peter Wenz in i>Beyond Red and Blue/i>, Americans do not divide neatly into two ideological camps of red/blue, Republican/Democrat, right/left. In real life, as Wenz shows, different ideologies can converge on certain issues; people from the right and left can support the same policy for different reasons. Thus, for example, libertarian-leaning Republicans can oppose the Patriot Act's encroachment on personal freedom and social conservatives can support gay marriage on the grounds that it strengthens the institution of marriage./p>p>Wenz maps out twelve political philosophies-ranging from theocracy and free-market conservatism to feminism and cosmopolitanism-on which Americans draw when taking political positions. He then turns his focus to some of America's most controversial issues and shows how ideologically diverse coalitions can emerge on such hot-button topics as extending life by artificial means, the war on drugs, the war on terrorism, affirmative action, abortion, same-sex marriage, health care, immigration, and globalization./p>p>Awareness of these twelve political philosophies, Wenz argues, can help activists enlist allies, citizens better understand politics and elections, and all of us define our own political identities./p>BR>BR>b>Why Americans do not divide neatly into red and blue or right and left but form coalitions across party lines on hot-button issues ranging from immigration to same-sex marriage./b>p>On any given night cable TV news will tell us how polarized American politics is- Republicans are from Mars, Democrats are from Canada. But in fact, writes Peter Wenz in i>Beyond Red and Blue/i>, Americans do not divide neatly into two ideological camps of red/blue, Republican/Democrat, right/left. In real life, as Wenz shows, different ideologies can converge on certain issues; people from the right and left can support the same policy for different reasons. Thus, for example, libertarian-leaning Republicans can oppose the Patriot Act's encroachment on personal freedom and social conservatives can support gay marriage on the grounds that it strengthens the institution of marriage./p>p>Wenz maps out twelve political philosophies-ranging from theocracy and free-market conservatism to feminism and cosmopolitanism-on which Americans draw when taking political positions. He then turns his focus to some of America's most controversial issues and shows how ideologically diverse coalitions can emerge on such hot-button topics as extending life by artificial means, the war on drugs, the war on terrorism, affirmative action, abortion, same-sex marriage, health care, immigration, and globalization./p>p>Awareness of these twelve political philosophies, Wenz argues, can help activists enlist allies, citizens better understand politics and elections, and all of us define our own political identities./p>
ISBN: 9780262517560
Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE US
Year first published: 10 Feb 2012
Pages: 386
Format: Paperback / softback
b>Why Americans do not divide neatly into red and blue or right and left but form coalitions across party lines on hot-button issues ranging from immigration to same-sex marriage./b>p>On any given night cable TV news will tell us how polarized American politics is- Republicans are from Mars, Democrats are from Canada. But in fact, writes Peter Wenz in i>Beyond Red and Blue/i>, Americans do not divide neatly into two ideological camps of red/blue, Republican/Democrat, right/left. In real life, as Wenz shows, different ideologies can converge on certain issues; people from the right and left can support the same policy for different reasons. Thus, for example, libertarian-leaning Republicans can oppose the Patriot Act's encroachment on personal freedom and social conservatives can support gay marriage on the grounds that it strengthens the institution of marriage./p>p>Wenz maps out twelve political philosophies-ranging from theocracy and free-market conservatism to feminism and cosmopolitanism-on which Americans draw when taking political positions. He then turns his focus to some of America's most controversial issues and shows how ideologically diverse coalitions can emerge on such hot-button topics as extending life by artificial means, the war on drugs, the war on terrorism, affirmative action, abortion, same-sex marriage, health care, immigration, and globalization./p>p>Awareness of these twelve political philosophies, Wenz argues, can help activists enlist allies, citizens better understand politics and elections, and all of us define our own political identities./p>BR>BR>b>Why Americans do not divide neatly into red and blue or right and left but form coalitions across party lines on hot-button issues ranging from immigration to same-sex marriage./b>p>On any given night cable TV news will tell us how polarized American politics is- Republicans are from Mars, Democrats are from Canada. But in fact, writes Peter Wenz in i>Beyond Red and Blue/i>, Americans do not divide neatly into two ideological camps of red/blue, Republican/Democrat, right/left. In real life, as Wenz shows, different ideologies can converge on certain issues; people from the right and left can support the same policy for different reasons. Thus, for example, libertarian-leaning Republicans can oppose the Patriot Act's encroachment on personal freedom and social conservatives can support gay marriage on the grounds that it strengthens the institution of marriage./p>p>Wenz maps out twelve political philosophies-ranging from theocracy and free-market conservatism to feminism and cosmopolitanism-on which Americans draw when taking political positions. He then turns his focus to some of America's most controversial issues and shows how ideologically diverse coalitions can emerge on such hot-button topics as extending life by artificial means, the war on drugs, the war on terrorism, affirmative action, abortion, same-sex marriage, health care, immigration, and globalization./p>p>Awareness of these twelve political philosophies, Wenz argues, can help activists enlist allies, citizens better understand politics and elections, and all of us define our own political identities./p>
