Despite the early prospects for bipartisan unity on terrorism initiatives, government gridlock continues on most major issues in the wake of the 2004 elections. In this fully revised edition, political scientists David W. Brady and Craig Volden demonstrate that gridlock is not a product of divided government, party politics, or any of the usual scapegoats. It is, instead, an instrumental part of American governmentbuilt into our institutions and sustained by leaders acting rationally not only to achieve set goals but to thwart foolish inadvertencies. Looking at key legislative issues from the...
Despite the early prospects for bipartisan unity on terrorism initiatives, government gridlock continues on most major issues in the wake of the 2004 ...
Since the time of Watergate and Vietnam, trust in government has fallen precipitously. This can easily be sensed in the apathy and divisiveness that now characterize American politics, but it is perhaps most clearly revealed in poll data. The great majority of Americans do not trust the government to do what's right all or most of the time . Nor do they believe that government is run for the benefit of all rather than for a few big interests . The nine essays in this volume detail the present character of distrust, analyze its causes, assess the dangers it poses for the future of...
Since the time of Watergate and Vietnam, trust in government has fallen precipitously. This can easily be sensed in the apathy and divisiveness that n...
Public opinion matters. It registers itself on the public consciousness, translates into politics and policy, and impels politicians to run for office and, once elected, to serve in particular ways.This is a book about opinionnot opinions. James Stimson takes the incremental, vacillating, time-trapped data points of public opinion surveys and transforms them into a conceptualization of public mood swings that can be measured and used to predict change, not just to describe it. To do so, he reaches far back in U.S. survey research and compiles the data in such a way as to allow the minutiae of...
Public opinion matters. It registers itself on the public consciousness, translates into politics and policy, and impels politicians to run for office...
Much of this nation's political life and public policy have been shaped by a handful of powerful peoplethe leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives. Masters of the House identifies enduring patterns of House leadership, explaining the effects of such factors as party strength, White HouseCongressional relations, leaders' formal prerogatives, members' expectations, public attitudes, shifts in the policy agenda, and leaders' personal attributes and style. Ten chapters cover such colorful and diverse personalities as Henry Clay, Joe Cannon, Hale Boggs, and Tip O'Neill. Coeditors Roger...
Much of this nation's political life and public policy have been shaped by a handful of powerful peoplethe leaders of the U.S. House of Representative...
This single volume work examines whether class political divisions have increased or decreased over time in America. Most studies have concluded that class differences have declined, and that Democrats have alienated their electoral base--the working class. However, counter to these scholarly and pundit mainstream, in Class and Party in American Politics Jeffrey M. Stonecash shows that the less affluent now give higher levels of support to the Democrats (and lower levels to the Republicans) than in the 1950s and 1960s.Class and Party in American Politics is clear, concise, and...
This single volume work examines whether class political divisions have increased or decreased over time in America. Most studies have concluded that ...
In Direct Democracy or Representative Government? John Haskell develops a devastating critique of direct democracy by exposing the central flaw in populist thinking. Contrary to the beliefs of populist advocates of direct democracy, the popular will cannot be interpreted from the results of the plebiscite. John Haskell presents a defense of representative institutions that brings to bear, in an understandable way, the findings of public choice scholars. Haskell covers the clash of ideas between populists and constitutionalists throughout American history. He follows the development of...
In Direct Democracy or Representative Government? John Haskell develops a devastating critique of direct democracy by exposing the central flaw...
American electoral politics since World War II stubbornly refuse to fit the theories of political scientists. The long collapse of the Democratic presidential majority does not look much like the classic realignments of the past: The Republicans made no corresponding gains in sub-presidential elections and never won the loyalty of a majority of the electorate in terms of party identification. And yet, the period shows a stability of Republican dominance quite at odds with the volatility and unpredictability central to the competing theory of dealignment.The Collapse of the Democratic...
American electoral politics since World War II stubbornly refuse to fit the theories of political scientists. The long collapse of the Democratic pres...
Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell examines the differences between how political science theory suggests campaigns should be run and how political consultants actually run campaigns. In the wake of consultants who effortlessly move from campaigners to policymakers, the dearth of knowledge about the attitudes, beliefs, and strategies of the consultants themselves is still a glaring absence in the analysis of American politics. How can we purport to know what is happening in American political campaigns if we don't know what is on the minds of the men and women...
Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell examines the differences between how political science theory suggests campaigns sh...
As a survey of the most current and significant issues affecting party politics in the United States, The Parties Respond has become a standard for reference and college course use. Mark Brewer and L. Sandy Maisel draw together leading scholars for thirteen original essays. The topics addressed include partisanship in the electorate, parties and the media revolution, the campaign and election process, and parties in government. The fifth edition is significantly revised with twelve new chapters, bringing each of these topics up to date for the modern political arena and...
As a survey of the most current and significant issues affecting party politics in the United States, The Parties Respond has become a s...
