1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910787946503321

Autore

Jackson John S. <1940->

Titolo

The transformation of the American political party system [[electronic resource] ] : continuity and change over ten presidential elections / / John S. Jackson

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Washington, District of Columbia : , : Brookings Institution Press, , 2015

©2015

ISBN

0-8157-2638-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (257 p.)

Disciplina

324.273

Soggetti

Political parties - United States - History

Two-party systems

Political conventions - United States - History

Presidents - Nomination

Presidents - United States - Election - History

Political culture - United States - History

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

Introduction and plan of the book -- Recent history of change and reform : the micro trends -- The era of party reform -- On representation -- On political values -- Comparison of political elites to the mass base of the parties -- Party and political history of the party elites -- The candidate and party factions -- Summary and conclusions.

Sommario/riassunto

From party polarization, elections, and internal party politics, to the evolution of the U.S. presidency, John S. Jackson's new book has something for everyone interested in American politics. Beginning with a discussion of the creation of the U.S. government to the formation of today's political powerhouses, Jackson provides a narrative sweep of American party history like none other. Unique to this book is a detailed breakdown of the evolution of political parties from 1832 to the current era. Jackson explains how the reform era came to be, as well as how it produced the polarized party era we have today. In doing



so, he guides the reader to an appreciation of where U.S. party politics originated and the aspirations of those who helped create the current system. Jackson also examines the internal mechanisms and personalities of the Democratic and Republican parties. He compares multiple presidential elections, thus telling a broader story of the unfolding of today's party polarization and gridlock. He also explores the theoretical meaning of the changes observed in the parties from the responsible party model perspective .The themes of continuity and change are set in the context of group-think versus rational decision making. Specific focus is given to political elites who are sophisticated about politics and who make strategic decisions, but are also bound by their humanity and occasionally fail to see the right decision due to their own personal biases. This book will be particularly useful for those who want to explore polarization, the responsible parties model, the rational actor model, and anyone who wants to better understand elections, party politics, and the evolution of the presidency.