Beyond Red and Blue: How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates (The MIT Press)

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 Beyond Red and Blue , 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. 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. 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. 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. On any given night cable TV news will tell us how polarized American politics Republicans are from Mars, Democrats are from Canada. But in fact, writes Peter Wenz in Beyond Red and Blue , 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. 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. 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. 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.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 Beyond Red and Blue, 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.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.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. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 12 1 No Strange Bedfellows 24 2 Pulling the Plug: Theocrats and Libertarians 44 3 Physician-Assisted Suicide: Libertarians and Communitarians 66 4 The War on Drugs: Utilitarianism and Social Conservatism 86 5 The War on Terrorism: Utilitarianism, Contractarianism, and Cosmopolitanism 106 6 Affirmative Action: Libertarianism, Utilitarianism, and Social Conservatism 128 7 Pornography, Child Pornography, and the Internet: Feminism, Social Conservatism, Libertarianism, and Utilitarianism 150 8 Abortion: Libertarianism, Feminism, Communitarianism, Theocracy, and Social Conservatism 172 9 Homosexuality, Same-Sex Marriage, and Polygamy: Social Conservatism, Theocracy, Natural Law, Libertarianism, Contractarianism, and Multiculturalism 194 10 Genetic Engineering and Designer Children: Libertarianism, Utilitarianism, Contractarianism, Environmentalism, Natural Law, and Social Conservatism 216 11 Wages and Taxes: Libertarianism, Free-Market Conservatism, and Contractarianism 238 12 Health Care in America: Free-Market Conservatism, Contractarianism, and Communitarianism 260 13 Immigration: Cosmopolitanism, Communitarianism, Multiculturalism, Free-Market Conservatism, Contractarianism, and Environmentalism 282 14 Globalization: Libertarianism, Free-Market Conservatism, Cosmopolitanism, Contractarianism, Social Conservatism, and Environmentalism 304 Afterword 326 Notes 332 Index 364 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 __Beyond Red and Blue__, 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. 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. 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. 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 Beyond Red and Blue , 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. Wenz maps out 12 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. Awareness of these 12 political philosophies, Wenz argues, can help activists enlist allies, citizens better understand politics and elections and all of us define our own political identities. 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, Through In-depth Discussions Of Fourteen Of Them, Shows How Ideologically Diverse Coalitions Can Emerge. These Hot-button Issues Include Extending Life By Artificial Means (as In The Terri Schiavo Case), The War On Drugs, The War On Terrorism, Affirmative Action, Abortion, Same-sex Marriage, Health Care, Immigration, And Globalization.--jacket. No Strange Bedfellows -- Pulling The Plug -- Physician-assisted Suicide -- The War On Drugs -- The War On Terrorism -- Affirmative Action -- Pornography, Child Pornography, And The Internet -- Abortion -- Homosexuality, Same-sex Marriage, And Polygamy -- Genetic Engineering And Designer Children -- Wages And Taxes -- Health Care In America -- Immigration -- Globalization. Peter S. Wenz. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [321]-352) And Index.