1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910462406503321

Autore

Stonecash Jeffrey M.

Titolo

Understanding American political parties : democratic ideals, political uncertainty and strategic positioning / / Jeffrey M. Stonecash

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York : , : Routledge, , 2013

ISBN

1-283-60692-5

9786613919373

1-136-33921-3

0-203-12344-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource

Disciplina

324.273

Soggetti

Political parties - United States

Democracy - United States

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

1. Democracy and the ideal role of political parties -- 2. Enduring doubts about political parties -- 3. Notions of party and conflict -- 4. Shifting electoral bases -- 5. Conflicting interpretations of change -- 6. The lack of a majority -- 7. Continuing social change and events -- 8. Voters, partisanship and the media -- 9. Enduring uncertainty and troubling behaviors -- 10. Pursuing coalitions and an identity : long-term strategies -- 11. Disparaging the other party : short-term strategies -- 12. Democracy and the continuous campaign.

Sommario/riassunto

How do parties respond to the electorate and craft winning strategies? In the abstract parties are the vehicles to make democracy work, but it is often difficult to see the process working as well as we think it might. Indeed, voters often struggle to see parties as the valuable vehicles of representation that so many academics describe. There is a clear discrepancy between the ideal expressed in many textbooks and the reality that we see playing out in politics. Noted scholar Jeffrey Stonecash gives us a big picture analysis that helps us understand what is happening in contemporary