Elizabeth Harvey

Shari Sowards
POLS 2300
January 29, 2018
Conservatism: The United States’ Dominant Ideology
The United States of America is home to a diverse range of political ideologies. The

multitude of political belief systems and their variations existing in the U.S. comprise an

extensive collection. But among the countless ideologies in the States today, Conservatism

stands supreme. Research has shown that most who affiliate with The Republican Party, which

has led Congress and the presidency for the majority of the past twenty years (United States

Senate, "Party Division" 2017), hold primarily conservative views (Pew Research Center,

"Voters Rate the Parties' Ideologies" 2010). Additionally, the recent rise of such political

movements as the Tea Party have strengthened Conservatism’s position as the dominant

ideology in the United States. Conservatism’s right-wing philosophy emphasizes limited

government, free markets, and traditional American values (Ball, “Ideals and Ideologies” 2009).

The Republican Party has controlled both Congress and the presidency for the past few

decades. Of the latest eleven Congresses, the Grand Old Party (GOP) has held the majority in the

House of Representatives for nine, and in the Senate for six. In other words, Republicans have

dominated the House for 81.82% of the past twenty-two years, and the Senate for 54.55%

(Congressional Research Service, “Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile.” 2018). But

their preeminence does not stop there. Two-thirds of the United States’ Presidents in the last fifty

years were Republican, and this statistic is very nearly maintained as far back as one hundred

fifty years (The White House, “Presidents.” 2018). Even the judicial branch currently leans

right, as five of the nine Supreme Court Justices were appointed by Republican presidents

(Supreme Court of the United States, “Justices 1789 to Present.” 2017). With historical
majorities in all three government branches, it can be argued that the GOP has dominated the

United States’ political system.

Given the Republican Party’s obvious preeminence, one can safely assume that its

attached ideology would be the most prevalent. This is where Conservatism comes in. The Pew

Research Center (PRC) found in 2010 that 56% of Americans find the Republican Party to be

conservative. And within the GOP, more than a third of members identify themselves as being

“ideologically to the right of their own party,” with 65% describing their views as conservative.

PRC found that regardless of party affiliation, a full 40% of all voters describe their own political

ideology as “either conservative or very conservative,” This percentage is by far the highest,

surpassing moderates at 36% and almost doubling liberals’ 22%. Even 24% of Democrats see

themselves on the conservative side of the ideological spectrum (Pew Research Center, "Voters

Rate the Parties' Ideologies" 2010). Conservatism is statistically America’s top-ranking ideology,

and the Republican Party is its vehicle to election and influence.

Evidence of Conservatism’s prominence can be found in the rise of the Tea Party. An

American political organization named for the Boston Tea Party of 1773, this movement

acquired a substantial following starting in 2008. The Tea Party focuses on reduction of the

federal government and the national debt by lowering taxes and government spending—all

beliefs that ring true for most Conservatives (Berman, “Gallup: Tea Party's top concerns are

debt, size of government.” 2010). Thanks to its conservative appeal, the Tea Party gained

impressive momentum, with one in every four Americans and six in ten Republicans expressing

their support for the movement. And once again in 2014, even Democrat voters kicked in a 20%

approval rating (Fuller, “What shutdown? New poll shows tea party support remains steady.”

2014). To top it all off, President Donald Trump’s 2016 win was attributed by Sarah Palin and
Jenny Beth Martin to Tea Party supporters. Martin boldly stated that with “the victory of Donald

Trump, the values and principles that gave rise to the tea party movement in 2009 are finally

gaining the top seat of power in the White House” (Martin, “The Tea Party Movement Is Alive

and Well-And We Saw Trump Coming.” 2016). The Tea Party’s founding, widespread

popularity, and rise to power are all clear indications of Conservatism’s preeminent position in

the American psyche.

Conservatism is the dominant political ideology in the United States today. Its prevailing

presence in and through the Republican Party shows both prior and continued growth. Statistical

research demonstrates Conservatism’s prevalence beyond any doubt, and the Tea Party’s

undeniable impact is nothing if not telling. Conservative ideals have endured in U.S. politics for

generations, and have become the predominant ideology of modern Americans. Conservatism,

true to its unchanging values, is here to stay.

Works Cited

“Ideals and ideologies: A Reader.” 9th ed. Ball, T., Dagger, R., and O'Neill, D. 2009.

Pearson, pp.175-180.
 “Gallup: Tea Party's top concerns are debt, size of government.” Berman, Russell. The

Hill, Capitol Hill Publishing, 5 July 2010, thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/107193-

gallup-tea-partys-top-concerns-are-debt-size-of-government. [Accessed 29 Jan. 2018].

“What shutdown? New poll shows tea party support remains steady.” Fuller, Jaime. The

Washington Post, WP Company, 28 Jan. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-

fix/wp/2014/01/28/what-shutdown-new-poll-shows-tea-party-support-remains-

steady/?utm_term=.2fed8c652d7d. [Accessed 29 Jan. 2018].

“Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile.” Jennifer E. Manning, Congressional

Research Service, 17 Jan. 2018, https://www.senate.gov/CRSpubs/b8f6293e-c235-40fd-b895-

6474d0f8e809.pdf [Accessed 29 Jan. 2018].

“The Tea Party Movement Is Alive and Well-And We Saw Trump Coming.” Martin,

Jenny Beth. POLITICO Magazine, 19 Nov. 2016,

www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/11/the-tea-party-movement-is-alive-and-well-and-we-

saw-trump-coming-214469. [Accessed 29 Jan. 2018].

“Voters Rate the Parties' Ideologies.” Pew Research Center: U.S. Politics & Policy, Pew

Research Center for the People and the Press, 16 July 2010, www.people-

press.org/2010/07/16/voters-rate-the-parties-ideologies/ [Accessed 29 Jan. 2018].

“Justices 1789 to Present.” Supreme Court of the United States, 2017,

www.supremecourt.gov/about/members_text.aspx. [Accessed 29 Jan. 2018].

“Party Division.” U.S. Senate: Party Division, United States Senate, 19 Jan. 2017,

www.senate.gov/history/partydiv.htm [Accessed 29 Jan. 2018].

“Presidents.” The White House, The United States Government, 2018,

www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/. [Accessed 29 Jan 2018].

______________________________________________

NOTES

-a lot of people in the U.S. are conservative (largest affiliation, in fact)

-most of the republican party sees themselves as more conservative than the party itself
-even 20% of democrats hold conservative beliefs
-40% of people view themselves as being conservative, more even than moderate (36%)
-More than half (65%) of the republican party describe their views as conservative, and
-More than a third (35%) say their own party (the GOP) is more liberal than they are themselves.
classify
Given the obvious preeminence of the Republican Party,
The obvious preeminence of the Republican Party begs the question: what exactly is
The republican party is conservatism’s vehicle to election and influence.
Republican may be the party, but conservatism is the ideology behind it.

(Second) #1
-40% of people view themselves as being conservative, more even than moderate (36%)
-More than half (65%) of the republican party describe their views as conservative, and
-More than a third (35%) say their own party (the GOP) is more liberal than they are themselves.
(First) #2 & #3
-Republicans controlled Congress last session & this session
(First) #4
-Republicans have controlled congress for the majority of the past 23 years (since 1995)
(First) #5
6/9 and 4/6 of the past presidents have been republican: 1968-2018(50 yrs) & 1980-2018 (38 yrs)
18/28 (64.28% almost ⅔) of the last presidents have been republican: 1868-2018 (150 yrs)
(Any/Intro/Second) #6
Conservative beliefs
(Third) #7
Tea Party rise, popularity, and involvement in the 2016 presidential election
(First) #8
Supreme court Justices

——————————————————————————
#1
56% say the GOP is either very conservative or conservative.

In assessing their own political views, 40% of voters describe their own political views as conservative (either conservative or very
conservative), 36% as moderate, and 22% as liberal (including very liberal). There are substantial differences in the way that Republican and
Democratic voters describe their political views.
Fully 65% of Republican voters describe their views as conservative (18% very conservative, 47% conservative), compared with 29%
who say their views as moderate and just 5% who say they are liberal. Democratic and independent voters are more diverse ideologically: 42% of
Democrats say they are liberal (including 10% very liberal), 32% are moderate and 24% are conservative. Among independents, 48% describe
their views as moderate while 33% say they are conservative and 17% are liberal.

An overwhelming proportion of Republican voters (83%) see the Democratic Party’s views as more liberal than their own political
views. By contrast, far fewer Democratic voters (60%) say the GOP is more conservative than they are. Among independent voters, 56% say the
Democratic Party is more liberal than they are; just 39% find the GOP to be more conservative than they are.

Many Republican voters place themselves ideologically to the right of their own party. More than a third (35%) says the GOP is more
liberal than they are; that is about the same percentage (38%) that says the Republican Party’s ideology is the same as theirs. Fewer Republican
voters (23%) say the party is more conservative than they are.

(http://www.people-press.org/2010/07/16/voters-rate-the-parties-ideologies/)

——————————————————————————

#2

(115th congress) In the House of Representatives, there are 240 Republicans (including 1 Delegate and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto
Rico), 197 Democrats (including 4 Delegates), and 4 vacant seats. The Senate has 51 Republicans, 47 Democrats, and 2 Independents, who both
caucus with the Democrats.

https://www.senate.gov/CRSpubs/b8f6293e-c235-40fd-b895-6474d0f8e809.pdf

——————————————————————————

#3

As of December 5, 2016, in the House of Representatives, there are 248 Republicans (including 1 Delegate), 192 Democrats (including 4
Delegates and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto
Rico), and one vacancy. The Senate has 54 Republicans, 44 Democrats, and 2 Independents, who
both caucus with the Democrats.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43869.pdf

________________________________________

#4

-Republicans have controlled the House of Representatives for 9/11 of the past sessions (since 1995. 18/22 of the past years).
-Republicans have controlled the Senate for 6/11 of the past sessions (since 1995. 12/22 years).

https://www.senate.gov/history/partydiv.htm

____________________________________

#5

Presidents & their political affiliations

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/

———————————————————-
#8
Supreme court justices
http://supreme-court-justices.insidegov.com/
https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/members_text.aspx

_________________________________________

“National Tea Party movement co-founder and leader Michael Johns endorsed Trump immediately following Trump's June 2015 announcement
of his candidacy and defended Trump throughout the contentious Republican primary. However, Tea Party Patriots, a national Tea Party
organization, endorsed Cruz in the presidential primary.
Several commentators, including Jonathan Chait, Jenny Beth Martin, and Sarah Palin, argued that the Tea Party played a key role in the election
of Donald Trump as the Republican Party presidential nominee, and eventually as U.S. president, and that Trump's election was even the
culmination of the Tea Party and anti-establishment dissatisfaction associated with it. Martin stated after the election that "with the victory of
Donald Trump, the values and principles that gave rise to the tea party movement in 2009 are finally gaining the top seat of power in the White
House." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement#Role_in_the_2016_presidential_election)

Rose to relevance
Gained a following
-conservative tea party movement began
-tea party growth
-was even credited with winning Trump the election
-is proof of the presence of conservative ideals in the American people’s psyche(s).

___________________________
#7
“between 10% and 30% of Americans identify as a member of the Tea Party movement. Most Republicans and 20% of Democrats support the
movement” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement#Composition)
“National Tea Party movement co-founder and leader Michael Johns endorsed Trump immediately following Trump's June 2015 announcement
of his candidacy and defended Trump throughout the contentious Republican primary. However, Tea Party Patriots, a national Tea Party
organization, endorsed Cruz in the presidential primary.
Several commentators, including Jonathan Chait, Jenny Beth Martin, and Sarah Palin, argued that the Tea Party played a key role in the election
of Donald Trump as the Republican Party presidential nominee, and eventually as U.S. president, and that Trump's election was even the
culmination of the Tea Party and anti-establishment dissatisfaction associated with it. Martin stated after the election that "with the victory of
Donald Trump, the values and principles that gave rise to the tea party movement in 2009 are finally gaining the top seat of power in the White
House." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement#Role_in_the_2016_presidential_election)

clearly demonstrates U.S. voters’ inclination to vote for conservative values and candidates. And

Paragraphs
1.- republicans have controlled the House and presidency for yearrrrrssss
2.-but (at least these days), those in the republican party subscribe largely to conservative ideology,
3.-the recent surfacing of conservative groups such as the tea party has solidified/is evidence of the strength of conservatism in the minds of U.S.
citizens/voters.
As the highest-ranking

___________________________________________________
#6
“It has been said by liberals that the conservative believes all social questions, at heart, to be questions of private morality” (textbook page 175)
“Conservatives are champions of custom, convention, and continuity because they prefer the devil they know to the devil they don’t know”
(textbook 176)
“Conservatives are persuaded that freedom and property are closely linked… Upon the foundation of private property, great civilizations are
built. The more widespread is the possession of private property, the more stable and productive is a commonwealth” (textbook, 177).
“CONSERVATIVES – Generally believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American
values and a strong national defense. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems. Conservatives
are often referred to as being on the right when put into a political spectrum. Republicans are often viewed as more conservative.”
(http://wp.lps.org/tnettle/files/2013/12/Liberal-vs-Conservative.pdf)