William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

Sources of con ict in American politics 17

Although the precise makeup and impact of “values voters” is still debated, there

is no doubt that many Americans disagree on cultural and moral issues. These

include the broad category of “family values” (such as whether and how to regulate

pornography, gambling, and media obscenity and violence); whether to supplement

the teaching of evolution in public schools with intelligent design and creationism;

same-sex marriage; abortion; school prayer; legalization of drugs; gun control; school

vouchers; immigration policy, including allowing political refugees to enter the

country; the federal Common Core curriculum for K–12 schools; and religious displays

in public places. These are all hot-button issues that interest groups and activists on all

sides attempt to keep at the top of the policy agenda.

Identity Politics: Racial, Gender, and Ethnic Differences

Many political differences are correlated with racial, gender, and ethnic differences.

For example, over the last generation about 90 percent of African Americans have

been strong supporters of Democratic candidates. Other racial and ethnic groups

have been less cohesive in their voting, with their support for a particular party

ranging from 55 to 70 percent. Whites tend to vote Republican; Latinos tend to vote

Democratic, with the exception of Cuban Americans, who tend to vote Republican;

and Asian Americans tend to support Democrats with about 70 percent of the vote.

A gender gap in national politics has also been evident in recent elections, with women

being more likely to vote for Democrats and men for Republicans. Because these

tendencies are not fixed, however, the political implications of racial, gender, and

ethnic differences can change over time.

One of the enduring debates in American politics concerns whether ethnic and

racial differences should be tied to political interests. One perspective reflects the

melting pot image of America, which holds that as different racial and ethnic groups

The Supreme Court weighed in on a

divisive cultural issue for Americans

when it ruled that lower courts had

to rehear a case involving a Colorado

baker refusing to sell a wedding cake

to a same-sex couple.

Civil and voting rights contributed to

the realignment of the South in the

second half of the twentieth century,

as more whites began supporting the

Republican Party, and the Democratic

Party came to be seen as the champion

of minority rights. Here, blacks and

whites in Alabama wait in line together

to vote at a city hall after the enactment

of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

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