Kansas Politics and Government: The Clash of Political Cultures

1. Political Cultures

chapter one Political Cultures an array of forces shape state politics. Reflecting the diversity of these political influences, observers of Kansas politics draw from various theories to explain the state’s political history or its current politics. Unfortunately, the explanatory powers of these theories fade as new political occurrences or movements arise. For example, explanations of the populist movement in Kansas have scant bearing on the recent rise of evangelical politics in the state. an examination of urban-rural divisions may be helpful in explaining the politics of school finance but sheds little light on conflicts over issues such as abortion or gambling. interest group theory gives insight into policy disputes between business and organized labor but falls short in explaining election outcomes. This chapter makes the case that the politics of Kansas may best be understood, both historically and presently, as the clash of the political cultures, that is, as the ebb and flow of the underlying cultures of individualism, order, and equality. the prism of political cultures The historic contradictions in Kansas politics do bewilder. Within the state’s first fifty years, for example, Kansas gave the nation crusading abolitionists, fervent prohibitionists, insurgent populists, and progressive reformers. The state led the nation in railroad building while at the same time prohibiting state government from building roads. State lawmakers granted business and town boosters free rein while prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors and even cigarettes. State officials prided themselves on being debt free while allowing local jurisdictions to borrow into bankruptcy. Current state politics also mystify. Kansas was recently recognized as number one among the fifty states in economic freedom but also led the 2 Political Cultures nation in the growth of state debt. State lawmakers mandated uniform statewide property tax levies for schools and later freed a few thousand other local governments to levy property taxes at will. Kansas gained national attention for an unprecedented civil disturbance in which antiabortion protesters blocked clinics, and in which local police made twenty-six hundred arrests; meanwhile, voters in jurisdictions across the state embraced casino gambling. Political cultures may be the best way to understand the conflicts, the contrasts, and the motives and methods of Kansas politics. Deep-seated cultural preferences energize the body politic of Kansas and have sparked extraordinary moments in Kansas political history. at these times political cultures give rise to movements that dominate state politics, frame state issues, and leave long-standing imprints on state government. But political cultures have vulnerabilities as well as strengths. Contending cultures temper these political shifts. The moments pass, but underlying political cultures remain largely intact to reengage new issues and again to reshape the state’s future. Current political behavior in Kansas may in large measure be traced to political cultures of long standing. Three cultural strains find fertile soil in Kansas politics. in their most elemental form these cultures evolve from the core political values of liberty , equality, and order. Cultural theorists deduce political cultures from a two-dimensional group-grid typology, as shown in figure 2.1 The group dimension measures the degree to which an “individual’s life is absorbed in and sustained by group membership.” The grid dimension characterizes external regulation that prescribes the “scope for personal choice.” Weak group-weak grid defines an individualistic political culture that prefers liberty ; strong group-strong grid defines a political culture of hierarchy that prefers order; and strong group-weak grid infers an egalitarian political culture that prefers equality.2 This framework may be applied to a wide range of political phenomena and in this volume is used to aid in understanding Kansas politics. Cultural theorists assert that cultural preferences underpin distinct patterns of political behavior and that core values justified and sustained by political relations comprise political cultures. These cultures conflict and indeed compete for partisans. alliances across cultural divides are occasionally constructed to address emerging issues, but such alignments do not fundamentally change political cultures. a political culture of individualism represents a dominant cultural strain in Kansas and evolves from a preference for liberty. individualists believe that social relations characterized by free markets—bidding, bargaining, Political Cultures 3 and bartering—provide the best assurance of individual liberty. Competitive individualists view nature as wonderfully forgiving and natural resources as unlimited and therefore embrace a laissez-faire approach to this natural world. When things go wrong, poor judgment, personal incompetence, or just bad luck are to blame...