Advertisement
The Logic of American Politics: Unraveling the Complexities
American politics. The phrase alone evokes strong reactions, from passionate engagement to weary cynicism. It’s a system often perceived as chaotic, contradictory, and even illogical. But beneath the surface of heated debates and partisan gridlock lies a complex, if sometimes opaque, logic. This post delves into the key components that shape American political behavior, exploring the historical context, institutional structures, and ideological forces that drive the system. We'll unpack the seemingly illogical aspects, revealing the underlying rationale, and offering a clearer understanding of how American politics actually works.
H2: The Historical Roots of American Political Logic
The foundation of American political logic is deeply rooted in its history. The nation's founding fathers, wrestling with the legacy of monarchy and the desire for self-governance, crafted a system deliberately designed to prevent tyranny. This system, enshrined in the Constitution, emphasizes checks and balances, federalism (the division of power between federal and state governments), and separation of powers (among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches). Understanding this historical context is crucial because it explains many seemingly paradoxical aspects of contemporary American politics. The inherent tension between individual liberty and collective good, for example, is a direct reflection of this foundational struggle. The constant negotiation between competing interests and the inherent difficulty of achieving consensus are direct consequences of a system designed to avoid centralized power.
H2: Institutional Structures and Political Behavior
The institutional framework significantly shapes political outcomes. The two-party system, while not explicitly mandated in the Constitution, has become a dominant feature, influencing everything from campaign finance to legislative strategy. The Electoral College, a system for electing the President, often produces a disconnect between the popular vote and the electoral outcome, leading to considerable debate and dissatisfaction. The filibuster in the Senate, allowing a minority to block legislation, further complicates the legislative process, demonstrating the powerful influence of institutional design on political dynamics. Understanding these structures – their strengths and weaknesses – is key to understanding the logic (or illogic) of political outcomes.
H3: The Role of the Electoral College
The Electoral College deserves special attention. While intended to balance the interests of smaller states with larger ones, it frequently results in a president elected without winning the popular vote. This inherent tension between the popular will and the electoral system creates a dynamic where strategic campaigning and appeals to specific demographics become paramount, impacting the overall tone and direction of political discourse. This system, undeniably a product of historical compromise, continues to shape the strategic decisions made by candidates and parties.
H3: The Influence of Campaign Finance
Campaign finance significantly impacts the functioning of American politics. The vast sums of money involved in elections inevitably influence policy decisions, raising concerns about undue influence from wealthy donors and special interest groups. This creates a system where access to resources can often be a deciding factor in political success, leading to an environment where the voices of ordinary citizens might be drowned out. The complexities of campaign finance laws and their enforcement further contribute to the perception of an opaque and uneven playing field.
H2: Ideological Forces and Political Polarization
American politics is characterized by a complex interplay of ideological forces. The dominant ideological divide often frames debates as conflicts between liberalism and conservatism, although the meaning and scope of these terms are constantly shifting. This polarization, exacerbated by the media landscape and partisan rhetoric, shapes political discourse and makes compromise increasingly difficult. The influence of ideological narratives on public opinion and voting patterns is profound, leading to a system where deeply held beliefs often overshadow pragmatic considerations.
H3: The Role of the Media in Shaping Perceptions
The media plays a critical role in framing political issues and shaping public perception. The 24-hour news cycle, the rise of social media, and the proliferation of partisan news sources have contributed to increased polarization and the spread of misinformation. This media environment complicates the process of rational discourse, making it harder for citizens to access unbiased information and form informed opinions. The media's power to set the agenda, highlight specific narratives, and influence public sentiment is a significant factor in understanding the current political landscape.
H2: Navigating the Complexities: Towards a More Informed Understanding
Understanding the logic of American politics requires a nuanced appreciation of its historical context, institutional structures, and ideological forces. While the system may appear illogical or dysfunctional at times, a deeper understanding reveals a complex interplay of factors shaping political behavior and outcomes. This awareness allows for a more critical engagement with political issues and a greater capacity to participate meaningfully in the democratic process.
Conclusion:
The logic of American politics is multifaceted and often counterintuitive. It is a system born of historical compromises, shaped by institutional design, and influenced by powerful ideological forces. By exploring these elements, we can gain a deeper understanding of its complexities and better navigate the challenges of democratic participation. Critical engagement and informed analysis are essential for a healthy democracy, and understanding the underlying logic of the system is the first step towards that goal.
FAQs:
1. Why is the American political system so polarized? Polarization is fueled by several factors including gerrymandering, the influence of social media echo chambers, and the 24-hour news cycle's focus on conflict.
2. How does money influence American politics? Large campaign donations can buy access and influence policy decisions, raising concerns about corruption and unequal access to political power.
3. What is the impact of the Electoral College on presidential elections? The Electoral College can lead to a president being elected without winning the popular vote, undermining the principle of majority rule.
4. How does the two-party system affect American politics? The two-party system limits voter choice and often leads to more extreme political positions to appeal to partisan bases.
5. What role does the media play in shaping political perceptions? The media’s framing of issues, selection of news stories, and partisan biases significantly influence public opinion and political debate.
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of American Politics Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, Lynn Vavreck, 2019-02-20 Why does the American political system work the way it does? Find the answers in The Logic of American Politics. This best-selling text arms you with a toolkit of institutional design concepts—command, veto, agenda control, voting rules, and delegation—that help you recognize how the American political system was designed and why it works the way it does. The authors build your critical thinking through a simple yet powerful idea: politics is about solving collective action problems. Thoroughly updated to account for the most recent events and data, the Ninth Edition explores the increase in political polarization, the growing emotional involvement people have to politics, Americans’ reactions to changing demographics, the partisan politics of judicial selection, and the changing nature of presidential leadership. Revised to include the 2018 election results and analysis, this edition provides you with the tools you need to make sense of today’s government. |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of American Politics Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, Lynn Vavreck, 2017-02-27 This new edition of the bestselling The Logic of American Politics is thoroughly updated and covers the dramatic 2016 election results with a thorough analysis of those results. It arms students with a revised introduction to institutional design that makes concepts such as command, veto, agenda control, voting rules, and delegation easier for students to master and apply, so they clearly see how the American political system was devised and why it works the way it does. Authors Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck build students' critical thinking through a simple yet powerful idea: politics is about solving collective action problems. This new edition continues to delve into partisan differences among voters and in government and highlight the increasingly partisan nature of campaigns. By exploring issues such as the Affordable Care Act’s troubled implementation, the increasing legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage in the states, and the debate over immigration, the book illustrates how the institutional structures of government, federalism, and even campaigns can help voters make sense of their choices. The concluding chapter on policymaking examines the noticeable logic that guides American policy, as shown through issues like health care reform, global climate change, and the federal budget. Students glean insights into the sources of policy problems, identify possible solutions, and realize why agreement on those solutions is often so hard to achieve. |
| the logic of american politics: Golden Rule Thomas Ferguson, 2011-08-15 To discover who rules, follow the gold. This is the argument of Golden Rule, a provocative, pungent history of modern American politics. Although the role big money plays in defining political outcomes has long been obvious to ordinary Americans, most pundits and scholars have virtually dismissed this assumption. Even in light of skyrocketing campaign costs, the belief that major financial interests primarily determine who parties nominate and where they stand on the issues—that, in effect, Democrats and Republicans are merely the left and right wings of the Property Party—has been ignored by most political scientists. Offering evidence ranging from the nineteenth century to the 1994 mid-term elections, Golden Rule shows that voters are right on the money. Thomas Ferguson breaks completely with traditional voter centered accounts of party politics. In its place he outlines an investment approach, in which powerful investors, not unorganized voters, dominate campaigns and elections. Because businesses invest in political parties and their candidates, changes in industrial structures—between large firms and sectors—can alter the agenda of party politics and the shape of public policy. Golden Rule presents revised versions of widely read essays in which Ferguson advanced and tested his theory, including his seminal study of the role played by capital intensive multinationals and international financiers in the New Deal. The chapter Studies in Money Driven Politics brings this aspect of American politics into better focus, along with other studies of Federal Reserve policy making and campaign finance in the 1936 election. Ferguson analyzes how a changing world economy and other social developments broke up the New Deal system in our own time, through careful studies of the 1988 and 1992 elections. The essay on 1992 contains an extended analysis of the emergence of the Clinton coalition and Ross Perot's dramatic independent insurgency. A postscript on the 1994 elections demonstrates the controlling impact of money on several key campaigns. This controversial work by a theorist of money and politics in the U.S. relates to issues in campaign finance reform, PACs, policymaking, public financing, and how today's elections work. |
| the logic of american politics: Logic of American Politics Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, 2000 |
| the logic of american politics: Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 5th Edition Samuel Kernell, Steven S. Smith, 2013 This collection examines the strategic behavior of key players in American politics from the Founding Fathers to the Super PACs, by showing that political actors, though motivated by their own interests, are governed by the Constitution, the law, and institutional rules, as well as influenced by the strategies of others. |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of Lawmaking Gerald Steven Strom, 1990 |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy Matthew Kroenig, 2018 For decades, the reigning scholarly wisdom about nuclear weapons policy has been that the United States only needs the ability to absorb an enemy nuclear attack and still be able to respond with a devastating counterattack. So long as the US, or any other nation, retains such an assured retaliation capability, no sane leader would intentionally launch a nuclear attack against it, and nuclear deterrence will hold. According to this theory, possessing more weapons than necessary for a second-strike capability is illogical. This argument is reasonable, but, when compared to the empirical record, it raises an important puzzle. Empirically, we see that the United States has always maintained a nuclear posture that is much more robust than a mere second-strike capability. In The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy, Matthew Kroenig challenges the conventional wisdom and explains why a robust nuclear posture, above and beyond a mere second-strike capability, contributes to a state's national security goals. In fact, when a state has a robust nuclear weapons force, such a capability reduces its expected costs in a war, provides it with bargaining leverage, and ultimately enhances nuclear deterrence. This book provides a novel theoretical explanation for why military nuclear advantages translate into geopolitical advantages. In so doing, it helps resolve one of the most-intractable puzzles in international security studies. Buoyed by an innovative thesis and a vast array of historical and quantitative evidence, The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy will force scholars to reconsider their basic assumptions about the logic of nuclear deterrence. |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of Political Survival Bruce Bueno De Mesquita, Alastair Smith, Randolph M. Siverson, James D. Morrow, 2005-01-14 The authors of this ambitious book address a fundamental political question: why are leaders who produce peace and prosperity turned out of office while those who preside over corruption, war, and misery endure? Considering this political puzzle, they also answer the related economic question of why some countries experience successful economic development and others do not. The authors construct a provocative theory on the selection of leaders and present specific formal models from which their central claims can be deduced. They show how political leaders allocate resources and how institutions for selecting leaders create incentives for leaders to pursue good and bad public policy. They also extend the model to explain the consequences of war on political survival. Throughout the book, they provide illustrations from history, ranging from ancient Sparta to Vichy France, and test the model against statistics gathered from cross-national data. The authors explain the political intuition underlying their theory in nontechnical language, reserving formal proofs for chapter appendixes. They conclude by presenting policy prescriptions based on what has been demonstrated theoretically and empirically. |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of Compromise in Mexico Gladys I. McCormick, 2016-02-10 In this political history of twentieth-century Mexico, Gladys McCormick argues that the key to understanding the immense power of the long-ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) is to be found in the countryside. Using newly available sources, including declassified secret police files and oral histories, McCormick looks at large-scale sugar cooperatives in Morelos and Puebla, two major agricultural regions that serve as microcosms of events across the nation. She argues that Mexico's rural peoples, despite shouldering much of the financial burden of modernization policies, formed the PRI regime's most fervent base of support. McCormick demonstrates how the PRI exploited this support, using key parts of the countryside to test and refine instruments of control--including the regulation of protest, manipulation of collective memories of rural communities, and selective application of violence against critics--that it later employed in other areas, both rural and urban. With three peasant leaders, brothers named Ruben, Porfirio, and Antonio Jaramillo, at the heart of her story, McCormick draws a capacious picture of peasant activism, disillusion, and compromise in state formation, revealing the basis for an enduring political culture dominated by the PRI. On a broader level, McCormick demonstrates the connections among modern state building in Latin America, the consolidation of new forms of authoritarian rule, and the deployment of violence on all sides. |
| the logic of american politics: The Politics of Logic Paul Livingston, 2012-03-22 In this book, Livingston develops the political implications of formal results obtained over the course of the twentieth century in set theory, metalogic, and computational theory. He argues that the results achieved by thinkers such as Cantor, Russell, Godel, Turing, and Cohen, even when they suggest inherent paradoxes and limitations to the structuring capacities of language or symbolic thought, have far-reaching implications for understanding the nature of political communities and their development and transformation. Alain Badiou's analysis of logical-mathematical structures forms the backbone of his comprehensive and provocative theory of ontology, politics, and the possibilities of radical change. Through interpretive readings of Badiou's work as well as the texts of Giorgio Agamben, Jacques Lacan, Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, Livingston develops a formally based taxonomy of critical positions on the nature and structure of political communities. These readings, along with readings of Parmenides and Plato, show how the formal results can transfigure two interrelated and ancient problems of the One and the Many: the problem of the relationship of a Form or Idea to the many of its participants, and the problem of the relationship of a social whole to its many constituents. |
| the logic of american politics: The Purpose Of American Polities Hans J Morgenthau, 2022-10-27 This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of Japanese Politics Gerald L. Curtis, 1999-08-27 Widely recognized both in America and Japan for his insider knowledge and penetrating analyses of Japanese politics, Gerald Curtis is the political analyst best positioned to explore the complexities of the Japanese political scene today. Curtis has personally known most of the key players in Japanese politics for more than thirty years, and he draws on their candid comments to provide invaluable and graphic insights into the world of Japanese politics. By relating the behavior of Japanese political leaders to the institutions within which they must operate, Curtis makes sense out of what others have regarded as enigmatic or illogical. He utilizes his skills as a scholar and his knowledge of the inner workings of the Japanese political system to highlight the commonalities of Japanese and Western political practices while at the same time explaining what sets Japan apart. Curtis rejects the notion that cultural distinctiveness and consensus are the defining elements of Japan's political decision making, emphasizing instead the competition among and the profound influence of individuals operating within particular institutional contexts on the development of Japan's politics. The discussions featured here—as they survey both the detailed events and the broad structures shaping the mercurial Japanese political scene of the 1990s—draw on extensive conversations with virtually all of the decade's political leaders and focus on the interactions among specific politicians as they struggle for political power. The Logic of Japanese Politics covers such important political developments as the Liberal Democratic Party's egress from power in 1993, after reigning for nearly four decades, and their crushing defeat in the voters' revolt of the 1998 upper-house election; the formation of the 1993 seven party coalition government led by prime minister Morihiro Hosokawa and its collapse eight months later; the historic electoral reform of 1994 which replaced the electoral system operative since the adoption of universal manhood suffrage in 1925; and the decline of machine politics and the rise of the mutohaso—the floating, nonparty voter. Scrutinizing and interpreting a complex and changing political system, this multi-layered chronicle reveals the dynamics of democracy at work—Japanese-style. In the process, The Logic of Japanese Politics not only offers a fascinating picture of Japanese politics and politicians but also provides a framework for understanding Japan's attempts to surmount its present problems, and helps readers gain insight into Japan's future. |
| the logic of american politics: Insecure Majorities Frances E. Lee, 2016-08-23 “[A] tour de force. Building upon her argument in Beyond Ideology, she adds an important wrinkle into the current divide between the parties in Congress.” —Perspectives on Politics As Democrats and Republicans continue to vie for political advantage, Congress remains paralyzed by partisan conflict. That the last two decades have seen some of the least productive Congresses in recent history is usually explained by the growing ideological gulf between the parties, but this explanation misses another fundamental factor influencing the dynamic. In contrast to politics through most of the twentieth century, the contemporary Democratic and Republican parties compete for control of Congress at relative parity, and this has dramatically changed the parties’ incentives and strategies in ways that have driven the contentious partisanship characteristic of contemporary American politics. With Insecure Majorities, Frances E. Lee offers a controversial new perspective on the rise of congressional party conflict, showing how the shift in competitive circumstances has had a profound impact on how Democrats and Republicans interact. Beginning in the 1980s, most elections since have offered the prospect of a change of party control. Lee shows, through an impressive range of interviews and analysis, how competition for control of the government drives members of both parties to participate in actions that promote their own party’s image and undercut that of the opposition, including the perpetual hunt for issues that can score political points by putting the opposing party on the wrong side of public opinion. More often than not, this strategy stands in the way of productive bipartisan cooperation—and it is also unlikely to change as long as control of the government remains within reach for both parties. |
| the logic of american politics: Power and its Logic Dominik Meier, Christian Blum, 2019-08-31 Power is the essence of politics. Whoever seeks to understand and master it must understand its logic. Drawing on two decades of international experience in political consulting, Dominik Meier and Christian Blum give profound and honest insights into the inner workings of power. Introducing their Power Leadership Approach, the authors provide a conceptual analysis of power and present the tools to successfully exercise it in the political domain. Power and its Logic is a guidebook for politicians, business leaders, civil society pioneers, public affairs consultants and for every citizen who wants to understand the unwritten rules of politics. |
| the logic of american politics: The Oxford Handbook of American Elections and Political Behavior Jan E. Leighley, 2012-02-16 The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are the essential guide to the study of American political life in the 21st Century. With engaging contributions from the major figures in the field The Oxford Handbook of American Elections and Political Behavior provides the key point of reference for anyone working in American Politics today |
| the logic of american politics: Legacies of Losing in American Politics Jeffrey K. Tulis, Nicole Mellow, 2018-01-05 This is a study of the losers in three major episodes in American political history and shows how their ideas ended up, at least partially, winning, in the long run. The authors consider the campaign of the anti-Federalists against the adoption of the Constitution; the failed presidency of Andrew Johnson; and the defeat of Barry Goldwater in 1964, as political losses that later heavily influenced American politics later. Sometimes the losers, because they articulate a vision of American government that resonates with some part of America, later contribute to a new political order. This is not an effort to explain winning or losing in American politics. Rather, it is intended to offer a new understanding of American political development as the product of a kind of dialectic between different political visions that have opposing ideas, particularly about the size and role of the federal government and about whether America is exclusively a liberal regime or one in which illiberal ideas on topics such as race, play an important role. |
| the logic of american politics: The Political Logic of Poverty Relief Alberto Diaz-Cayeros, Federico Estévez, Beatriz Magaloni, 2016-02-26 The Political Logic of Poverty Relief places electoral politics and institutional design at the core of poverty alleviation. The authors develop a theory with applications to Mexico about how elections shape social programs aimed at aiding the poor. They also assess whether voters reward politicians for targeted poverty alleviation programs. |
| the logic of american politics: A Logic of Expressive Choice Alexander A. Schuessler, 2000-10-29 Alexander Schuessler has done what many deemed impossible: he has wedded rational choice theory and the concerns of social theory and anthropology to explain why people vote. The paradox of participation--why individuals cast ballots when they have virtually no effect on electoral outcomes--has long puzzled social scientists. And it has particularly troubled rational choice theorists, who like to describe political activity in terms of incentives. Schuessler's ingenious solution is a logic of expressive choice. He argues in incentive-based (or economic) terms that individuals vote not because of how they believe their vote matters in the final tally but rather to express their preferences, allegiances, and thus themselves. Through a comparative history of marketing and campaigning, Schuessler generates a jukebox model of participation and shows that expressive choice has become a target for those eliciting mass participation and public support. Political advisers, for example, have learned to target voters' desire to express--to themselves and to others--who they are. Candidates, using tactics such as claiming popularity, invoking lifestyle, using ambiguous campaign themes, and shielding supporters from one another can get out their vote even when it is clear that an election is already lost or won. This important work, the first of its kind, will appeal to anyone seeking to decipher voter choice and turnout, social movements, political identification, collective action, and consumer behavior, including scholars, graduate students, and upper-level undergraduates in political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, and marketing. It will contribute greatly to our understanding and prediction of democratic participation patterns and their consequences. |
| the logic of american politics: The Paranoid Style in American Politics Richard Hofstadter, 2008-06-10 This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.In The Paranoid Style in American Politics, acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence — and derail — the larger agendas of a political party. He investigates the politics of the irrational, shedding light on how the behavior of individuals can seem out of proportion with actual political issues, and how such behavior impacts larger groups. With such other classic essays as “Free Silver and the Mind of 'Coin' Harvey” and “What Happened to the Antitrust Movement?, ” The Paranoid Style in American Politics remains both a seminal text of political history and a vital analysis of the ways in which political groups function in the United States. |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of Delegation D. Roderick Kiewiet, Mathew D. McCubbins, 1991-06-18 Why do majority congressional parties seem unable to act as an effective policy-making force? They routinely delegate their power to others—internally to standing committees and subcommittees within each chamber, externally to the president and to the bureaucracy. Conventional wisdom in political science insists that such delegation leads inevitably to abdication—usually by degrees, sometimes precipitously, but always completely. In The Logic of Delegation, however, D. Roderick Kiewiet and Mathew D. McCubbins persuasively argue that political scientists have paid far too much attention to what congressional parties can't do. The authors draw on economic and management theory to demonstrate that the effectiveness of delegation is determined not by how much authority is delegated but rather by how well it is delegated. In the context of the appropriations process, the authors show how congressional parties employ committees, subcommittees, and executive agencies to accomplish policy goals. This innovative study will force a complete rethinking of classic issues in American politics: the autonomy of congressional committees; the reality of runaway federal bureaucracy; and the supposed dominance of the presidency in legislative-executive relations. |
| the logic of american politics: Abortion Politics Ziad Munson, 2018-05-21 Abortion has remained one of the most volatile and polarizing issues in the United States for over four decades. Americans are more divided today than ever over abortion, and this debate colors the political, economic, and social dynamics of the country. This book provides a balanced, clear-eyed overview of the abortion debate, including the perspectives of both the pro-life and pro-choice movements. It covers the history of the debate from colonial times to the present, the mobilization of mass movements around the issue, the ways it is understood by ordinary Americans, the impact it has had on US political development, and the differences between the abortion conflict in the US and the rest of the world. Throughout these discussions, Ziad Munson demonstrates how the meaning of abortion has shifted to reflect the changing anxieties and cultural divides which it has come to represent. Abortion Politics is an invaluable companion for exploring the abortion issue and what it has to say about American society, as well as the dramatic changes in public understanding of women’s rights, medicine, religion, and partisanship. |
| the logic of american politics: Policy Problems and Policy Design B. Guy Peters, 2018-07-27 Public policy can be considered a design science. It involves identifying relevant problems, selecting instruments to address the problem, developing institutions for managing the intervention, and creating means of assessing the design. Policy design has become an increasingly challenging task, given the emergence of numerous ‘wicked’ and complex problems. Much of policy design has adopted a technocratic and engineering approach, but there is an emerging literature that builds on a more collaborative and prospective approach to design. This book will discuss these issues in policy design and present alternative approaches to design. |
| the logic of american politics: Why America Needs a Left Eli Zaretsky, 2013-04-26 The United States today cries out for a robust, self-respecting, intellectually sophisticated left, yet the very idea of a left appears to have been discredited. In this brilliant new book, Eli Zaretsky rethinks the idea by examining three key moments in American history: the Civil War, the New Deal and the range of New Left movements in the 1960s and after including the civil rights movement, the women's movement and gay liberation.In each period, he argues, the active involvement of the left - especially its critical interaction with mainstream liberalism - proved indispensable. American liberalism, as represented by the Democratic Party, is necessarily spineless and ineffective without a left. Correspondingly, without a strong liberal center, the left becomes sectarian, authoritarian, and worse. Written in an accessible way for the general reader and the undergraduate student, this book provides a fresh perspective on American politics and political history. It has often been said that the idea of a left originated in the French Revolution and is distinctively European; Zaretsky argues, by contrast, that America has always had a vibrant and powerful left. And he shows that in those critical moments when the country returns to itself, it is on its left/liberal bases that it comes to feel most at home. |
| the logic of american politics: The Oxford Handbook of American Political Parties and Interest Groups L. Sandy Maisel, Jeffrey M. Berry, 2010-01-28 The Oxford Handbook of American Political Parties and Interest Groups is a major new volume that will help scholars assess the current state of scholarship on parties and interest groups and the directions in which it needs to move. Never before has the academic literature on political parties received such an extended treatment. Twenty nine chapters critically assess both the major contributions to the literature and the ways in which it has developed. With contributions from most of the leading scholars in the field, the volume provides a definitive point of reference for all those working in and around the area. Equally important, the authors also identify areas of new and interesting research. These chapters offer a distinctive point of view, an argument about the successes and failures of past scholarship, and a set of recommendations about how future work ought to develop. This volume will help set the agenda for research on political parties and interest groups for the next decade. The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are a set of reference books offering authoritative and engaging critical overviews of the state of scholarship on American politics. Each volume focuses on a particular aspect of the field. The project is under the General Editorship of George C. Edwards III, and distinguished specialists in their respective fields edit each volume. The Handbooks aim not just to report on the discipline, but also to shape it as scholars critically assess the scholarship on a topic and propose directions in which it needs to move. The series is an indispensable reference for anyone working in American politics. General Editor for The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics: George C. Edwards III |
| the logic of american politics: The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics Corwin E. Smidt, Lyman A. Kellstedt, James L. Guth, 2017 Over the past three decades, the study of religion and politics has gone from being ignored by the scholarly 7ommunity to being a major focus of research. Yet, because this important research is not easily accessible to nonspecialists, much of the analysis of religion's role in the political arena that we read in the media is greatly oversimplified. This Handbook seeks to bridge that gap by examining the considerable research that has been conducted to this point and assessing what has been learned, what remains unsettled due to conflicting research findings, and what important questions remain largely unaddressed by current research endeavors. The Handbook is unique to the field of religion and American politics and should be of wide interest to scholars, students, journalists, and others interested in the American political scene. |
| the logic of american politics: Radical American Partisanship Nathan P. Kalmoe, Lilliana Mason, 2022-05-06 On January 6 we witnessed what many of us consider a failed insurrection at the US Capitol. But others think this was political violence in service of the preservation of our democracy. When did our political views become extreme? When did guns and violence become a feature of American politics? Nathan Kalmoe and Lily Mason have been researching the increase in radical partisanship in American politics and the associated increasing propensity to support or engage in violence through a series of surveys and survey experiments for several years. Kalmoe and Mason argue that many Americans have become increasingly radical in their identification with their political party and more inclined to view partisans of the other party negatively as people. Their reactions to opposing political views give little room for respect or compromise and make increasing numbers of Americans more likely to either participate in political violence or to view those who do so on behalf of their party favorably. They also find that radical partisans are more apt to be receptive to messages from radical political leaders and less receptive to conflicting information and views. Radical partisanship and political violence are not new to the United States. In most of the 20th century we experienced less radical partisanship, with measures of attitudes towards partisans of other parties that were not as extreme as we see now but this has not been the case throughout much of American history, as witness the fight over slavery that led to the Civil War as well as the violence associated with racism after the fall of reconstruction to the present day-- |
| the logic of american politics: The Oxford Handbook of American Public Opinion and the Media Robert Y. Shapiro, Lawrence R. Jacobs, 2013-05-23 With engaging new contributions from the major figures in the fields of the media and public opinion The Oxford Handbook of American Public Opinion and the Media is a key point of reference for anyone working in American politics today. |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of Connective Action W. Lance Bennett, Alexandra Segerberg, 2013-08-26 The Logic of Connective Action shows how political action is coordinated and power is organized in communication-based networks, and what political outcomes may result. |
| the logic of american politics: Technopopulism Christopher J. Bickerton, Carlo Invernizzi Accetti, 2021-02-25 This is a book about a contemporary transformation in democratic politics: the rise of a new political field, techno-populism. |
| the logic of american politics: Race to the Bottom LaFleur Stephens-Dougan, 2020-07-31 African American voters are a key demographic to the modern Democratic base, and conventional wisdom has it that there is political cost to racialized “dog whistles,” especially for Democratic candidates. However, politicians from both parties and from all racial backgrounds continually appeal to negative racial attitudes for political gain. Challenging what we think we know about race and politics, LaFleur Stephens-Dougan argues that candidates across the racial and political spectrum engage in “racial distancing,” or using negative racial appeals to communicate to racially moderate and conservative whites—the overwhelming majority of whites—that they will not disrupt the racial status quo. Race to the Bottom closely examines empirical data on racialized partisan stereotypes to show that engaging in racial distancing through political platforms that do not address the needs of nonwhite communities and charged rhetoric that targets African Americans, immigrants, and others can be politically advantageous. Racialized communication persists as a well-worn campaign strategy because it has real electoral value for both white and black politicians seeking to broaden their coalitions. Stephens-Dougan reveals that claims of racial progress have been overstated as our politicians are incentivized to employ racial prejudices at the expense of the most marginalized in our society. |
| the logic of american politics: The Oxford Handbook of Law and Politics Keith E. Whittington, R. Daniel Kelemen, Gregory A. Caldeira, 2010-06-11 The study of law and politics is one of the foundation stones of the discipline of political science, and it has been one of the most productive areas of cross-fertilization between the various subfields of political science and between political science and other cognate disciplines. This Handbook provides a comprehensive survey of the field of law and politics in all its diversity, ranging from such traditional subjects as theories of jurisprudence, constitutionalism, judicial politics and law-and-society to such re-emerging subjects as comparative judicial politics, international law, and democratization. The Oxford Handbook of Law and Politics gathers together leading scholars in the field to assess key literatures shaping the discipline today and to help set the direction of research in the decade ahead. |
| the logic of american politics: Digital, Political, Radical Natalie Fenton, 2016-09-26 Digital, Political, Radical is a siren call to the field of media and communications and the study of social and political movements. We must put the politics of transformation at the very heart of our analyses to meet the global challenges of gross inequality and ever-more impoverished democracies. Fenton makes an impassioned plea for re-invigorating critical research on digital media such that it can be explanatory, practical and normative. She dares us to be politically emboldened. She urges us to seek out an emancipatory politics that aims to deepen our democratic horizons. To ask: how can we do democracy better? What are the conditions required to live together well? Then, what is the role of the media and how can we reclaim media, power and politics for progressive ends? Journeying through a range of protest and political movements, Fenton debunks myths of digital media along the way and points us in the direction of newly emergent politics of the Left. Digital, Political, Radical contributes to political debate on contemporary (re)configurations of radical progressive politics through a consideration of how we experience (counter) politics in the digital age and how this may influence our being political. |
| the logic of american politics: Down Girl Kate Manne, 2019-03-01 'An important and compelling analysis of a phenomenon that's everywhere' Cordelia Fine, Big Issue 'Offers a sharply cut prism through which to view our everyday experience' Afua Hirsch, The TLS A powerful, lucid analysis of the logic of misogyny from a remarkable feminist thinker, Down Girl is essential reading for the #MeToo era. Misogyny is a hot topic, yet it's often misunderstood. What is misogyny, exactly? Who deserves to be called a misogynist? How does misogyny contrast with sexism, and why is it prone to persist - or increase - even when sexist gender roles are waning? In Down Girl moral philosopher Kate Manne argues that misogyny should not be understood primarily in terms of the hatred or hostility some men feel toward all or most women. Rather, it is primarily about controlling, policing, punishing and exiling the bad women who challenge male dominance. And it is compatible with rewarding the good ones and singling out other women to serve as warnings to those who are out of order. |
| the logic of american politics: Policy Dynamics Frank R. Baumgartner, Bryan D. Jones, 2002-06-15 While governmental policies and institutions may remain more or less the same for years, they can also change suddenly and unpredictably in response to new political agendas and crises. What causes stability or change in the political system? What role do political institutions play in this process? To investigate these questions, Policy Dynamics draws on the most extensive data set yet compiled for public policy issues in the United States. Spanning the past half-century, these data make it possible to trace policies and legislation, public and media attention to them, and governmental decisions over time and across institutions. Some chapters analyze particular policy areas, such as health care, national security, and immigration, while others focus on institutional questions such as congressional procedures and agendas and the differing responses by Congress and the Supreme Court to new issues. Policy Dynamics presents a radical vision of how the federal government evolves in response to new challenges-and the research tools that others may use to critique or extend that vision. |
| the logic of american politics: The Logic of World Power Franz Schurmann, 1974 Om USA, engagementet i Vietnamkrigen og stormagternes politik. |
| the logic of american politics: How America Lost Its Mind Thomas E. Patterson, 2019-10-03 Americans are losing touch with reality. On virtually every issue, from climate change to immigration, tens of millions of Americans have opinions and beliefs wildly at odds with fact, rendering them unable to think sensibly about politics. In How America Lost Its Mind, Thomas E. Patterson explains the rise of a world of “alternative facts” and the slow-motion cultural and political calamity unfolding around us. We don’t have to search far for the forces that are misleading us and tearing us apart: politicians for whom division is a strategy; talk show hosts who have made an industry of outrage; news outlets that wield conflict as a marketing tool; and partisan organizations and foreign agents who spew disinformation to advance a cause, make a buck, or simply amuse themselves. The consequences are severe. How America Lost Its Mind maps a political landscape convulsed with distrust, gridlock, brinksmanship, petty feuding, and deceptive messaging. As dire as this picture is, and as unlikely as immediate relief might be, Patterson sees a way forward and underscores its urgency. A call to action, his book encourages us to wrest institutional power from ideologues and disruptors and entrust it to sensible citizens and leaders, to restore our commitment to mutual tolerance and restraint, to cleanse the Internet of fake news and disinformation, and to demand a steady supply of trustworthy and relevant information from our news sources. As philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote decades ago, the rise of demagogues is abetted by “people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.” In How America Lost Its Mind, Thomas E. Patterson makes a passionate case for fully and fiercely engaging on the side of truth and mutual respect in our present arms race between fact and fake, unity and division, civility and incivility. |
| the logic of american politics: Campaign Finance & American Democracy David M. Primo, Jeffrey D. Milyo, 2020-11-13 In recent decades, and particularly since the US Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United decision, lawmakers and other elites have told Americans that stricter campaign finance laws are needed to improve faith in the elections process, increase trust in the government, and counter cynicism toward politics. But as David M. Primo and Jeffrey D. Milyo argue, politicians and the public alike should reconsider the conventional wisdom in light of surprising and comprehensive empirical evidence to the contrary. Primo and Milyo probe original survey data to determine Americans’ sentiments on the role of money in politics, what drives these sentiments, and why they matter. What Primo and Milyo find is that while many individuals support the idea of reform, they are also skeptical that reform would successfully limit corruption, which Americans believe stains almost every fiber of the political system. Moreover, support for campaign finance restrictions is deeply divided along party lines, reflecting the polarization of our times. Ultimately, Primo and Milyo contend, American attitudes toward money in politics reflect larger fears about the health of American democracy, fears that will not be allayed by campaign finance reform. |
| the logic of american politics: Constitutionalizing World Politics Karolina Milewicz, 2020-07-23 Constitutionalization of world politics is emerging as an unintended consequence of international treaty making driven by the logic of democratic power. The analysis will appeal to scholars of International Relations and International Law interested in international cooperation, as well as institutional and constitutional theory and practice. |
| the logic of american politics: War's Logic Antulio J. Echevarria II, 2021-02-18 Surveys how American strategic theorists have understood the nature and character of war in the twentieth century. |
| the logic of american politics: Gridlock Thomas Hale, David Held, Kevin Young, 2013-07-11 The issues that increasingly dominate the 21st century cannot be solved by any single country acting alone, no matter how powerful. To manage the global economy, prevent runaway environmental destruction, reign in nuclear proliferation, or confront other global challenges, we must cooperate. But at the same time, our tools for global policymaking - chiefly state-to-state negotiations over treaties and international institutions - have broken down. The result is gridlock, which manifests across areas via a number of common mechanisms. The rise of new powers representing a more diverse array of interests makes agreement more difficult. The problems themselves have also grown harder as global policy issues penetrate ever more deeply into core domestic concerns. Existing institutions, created for a different world, also lock-in pathological decision-making procedures and render the field ever more complex. All of these processes - in part a function of previous, successful efforts at cooperation - have led global cooperation to fail us even as we need it most. Ranging over the main areas of global concern, from security to the global economy and the environment, this book examines these mechanisms of gridlock and pathways beyond them. It is written in a highly accessible way, making it relevant not only to students of politics and international relations but also to a wider general readership. |
The Logic of American Politics - GBV
Brief Contents. Preface A Note to Students. Chapter 1: The Logic of American Politics. Part I. The Nationalization of Politics. Chapter 2: The Constitution Chapter 3: Federalism. Chapter 4: Civil …
1 The Logic of American Politics - SAGE Publications Inc
The Logic of American Politics. President Barack Obama signs the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, after both houses of Congress worked together—for different . reasons—to …
THE LOGIC OF AMERICAN POLITICS - au.sagepub.com
This text concentrates on politics in the American national government, but it also draws freely on examples from other settings because the logic embedded in political processes is not …
The Logic Of American Politics - wiki.drf.com
The Logic of 1 American Politics “T CHAPTER OBJECTIVES 1. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES. 1.1 Summarize the importance of institutional design in governance. 1.2 Discuss the role of a …
The Logic Of American Politics - wiki.drf.com
Solution to Collective Action Problems. The Logic Of American Politics - wiki.drf.com Find the answers in The Logic of American Politics. This best-selling text arms students with a...
The Logic of 1 American Politics “T CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
1. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES. 1.1 Summarize the importance of institutional design in governance. 1.2 Discuss the role of a constitution in establishing the rules and procedures that government …
The Logic of American Politics, 7th edition Transition Guide
The Logic of American Politics, 7th edition Transition Guide. OVERALL. New learning objectives provide measurable takeaways for each chapter. Streamlined content delivers a tighter focus …
Logic Of American Politics 6th Editio (book)
The Logic of American Politics Sixth Edition by Samuel Kernell Gary C Jacobson Thad Kousser and Lynn Vavreck hooks students with great storytelling while arming them with a toolkit of …
The Logic of American Politics U.S. Constitution
Course Overview . Students will gain a more complete understanding of the basic organization and functions of the United States and Georgia governments through a series of assigned …
PLSC 113: Introduction to American Politics - Yale University
We will discuss the structure of government in the United States and its historical foundations, the major political institutions that link people to that government, and how people think about and …
The Logic of American Politics U.S. Constitution - University …
Required Text: The Logic of American Politics, 11th ed. (978-1-0718-6125-7) [KJKVR] (Available at UGA Bookstore or E-Book Version available at: https://us.sagepub.com or …
Logic Of American Politics (2024) - netsec.csuci.edu
The logic of American politics is multifaceted and complex, defying easy explanations. However, by understanding the interplay between the two-party system, the role of money, the power of …
The Logic of American Politics th U.S. Constitution
Course Overview . Students will gain a more complete understanding of the basic organization and functions of the United States and Georgia governments through a series of assigned …
The Logical Fallacies in Political Discourse - College of the …
democratic debate should proceed and what role demagoguery plays in politics nowadays. One of the most important things I learned from reading this book was the concepts of many fallacies …
The Logic of American Politics, 10 ed th U.S. Constitution
The Logic of American Politics, 10 ed th U.S. Constitution. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT POLS 1101. Summer Session I: 2021. Instructor: Professor Hood Office: Baldwin Hall 103D . E-Mail: …
Logic Of American Politics 10th Edition (PDF)
Additionally, PDF files can be easily annotated, bookmarked, and searched for specific terms, making them highly practical for studying or referencing. When it comes to accessing Logic Of …
Logic Of American Politics Kernell (book)
In a world driven by information and connectivity, the power of words has be more evident than ever. They have the ability to inspire, provoke, and ignite change. Such could be the essence …
Logic Of American Politics 10th Edition [PDF]
Logic Of American Politics 10th Edition Book Review: Unveiling the Power of Words. In some sort of driven by information and connectivity, the energy of words has be much more evident than …
The Logic of American Politics, 10 ed th U.S. Constitution
The Logic of American Politics, 10 ed th U.S. Constitution. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT POLS 1101. Summer Session I: 2022. Instructor: Professor Hood Office: Baldwin Hall 103D . E-Mail: …
The Logic of American Politics - SAGE Publications Inc
1. THE LOGIC OF AMERICAN POLITICS. 1. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES. 1.1 Summarize the importance of institutional design in governance. 1.2 Discuss the role of a constitution in …
The Logic of American Politics - GBV
Brief Contents. Preface A Note to Students. Chapter 1: The Logic of American Politics. Part I. The Nationalization of Politics. Chapter 2: The Constitution Chapter 3: Federalism. Chapter 4: Civil …
1 The Logic of American Politics - SAGE Publications Inc
The Logic of American Politics. President Barack Obama signs the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, after both houses of Congress worked together—for different . reasons—to …
THE LOGIC OF AMERICAN POLITICS - au.sagepub.com
This text concentrates on politics in the American national government, but it also draws freely on examples from other settings because the logic embedded in political processes is not …
The Logic Of American Politics - wiki.drf.com
The Logic of 1 American Politics “T CHAPTER OBJECTIVES 1. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES. 1.1 Summarize the importance of institutional design in governance. 1.2 Discuss the role of a …
The Logic Of American Politics - wiki.drf.com
Solution to Collective Action Problems. The Logic Of American Politics - wiki.drf.com Find the answers in The Logic of American Politics. This best-selling text arms students with a...
The Logic of 1 American Politics “T CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
1. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES. 1.1 Summarize the importance of institutional design in governance. 1.2 Discuss the role of a constitution in establishing the rules and procedures that government …
The Logic of American Politics, 7th edition Transition Guide
The Logic of American Politics, 7th edition Transition Guide. OVERALL. New learning objectives provide measurable takeaways for each chapter. Streamlined content delivers a tighter focus …
Logic Of American Politics 6th Editio (book)
The Logic of American Politics Sixth Edition by Samuel Kernell Gary C Jacobson Thad Kousser and Lynn Vavreck hooks students with great storytelling while arming them with a toolkit of …
The Logic of American Politics U.S. Constitution
Course Overview . Students will gain a more complete understanding of the basic organization and functions of the United States and Georgia governments through a series of assigned …
PLSC 113: Introduction to American Politics - Yale University
We will discuss the structure of government in the United States and its historical foundations, the major political institutions that link people to that government, and how people think about and …
The Logic of American Politics U.S. Constitution - University …
Required Text: The Logic of American Politics, 11th ed. (978-1-0718-6125-7) [KJKVR] (Available at UGA Bookstore or E-Book Version available at: https://us.sagepub.com or …
Logic Of American Politics (2024) - netsec.csuci.edu
The logic of American politics is multifaceted and complex, defying easy explanations. However, by understanding the interplay between the two-party system, the role of money, the power of …
The Logic of American Politics th U.S. Constitution
Course Overview . Students will gain a more complete understanding of the basic organization and functions of the United States and Georgia governments through a series of assigned …
The Logical Fallacies in Political Discourse - College of the …
democratic debate should proceed and what role demagoguery plays in politics nowadays. One of the most important things I learned from reading this book was the concepts of many fallacies …
The Logic of American Politics, 10 ed th U.S. Constitution
The Logic of American Politics, 10 ed th U.S. Constitution. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT POLS 1101. Summer Session I: 2021. Instructor: Professor Hood Office: Baldwin Hall 103D . E-Mail: …
Logic Of American Politics 10th Edition (PDF)
Additionally, PDF files can be easily annotated, bookmarked, and searched for specific terms, making them highly practical for studying or referencing. When it comes to accessing Logic Of …
Logic Of American Politics Kernell (book)
In a world driven by information and connectivity, the power of words has be more evident than ever. They have the ability to inspire, provoke, and ignite change. Such could be the essence …
Logic Of American Politics 10th Edition [PDF]
Logic Of American Politics 10th Edition Book Review: Unveiling the Power of Words. In some sort of driven by information and connectivity, the energy of words has be much more evident than …
The Logic of American Politics, 10 ed th U.S. Constitution
The Logic of American Politics, 10 ed th U.S. Constitution. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT POLS 1101. Summer Session I: 2022. Instructor: Professor Hood Office: Baldwin Hall 103D . E-Mail: …
