Party Politics: Ideological Differences Between Republicans and Democrats
There are distinct ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats. In recent years the Republicans have become more coherent in their conservatism, whereas Democrats debate about whether or not the party should be more moderate. Democrats...
Party Politics: Consistent Partisanship
In addition to researchers, party officials track the voting behavior of groups election to election, year after year. Changes in the party affiliation and vote of Asian Americans between 1992 and 2000, as well as trends among blacks, Hispanics wome...
Right Turn: Trials of Jimmy Carter, The
President Carter's inexperience in Washington causes some tension in Congress. With high annual inflation rates and high unemployment, Carter appoints Alfred Kahn as "inflation czar." In that role Kahn is asked by Congressional committees to explain...
American Heritage: Conflict and Political Discourse
Politics is more than the pursuit of shared ideals. It is the way that a society makes its governing decisions. Two major sources of disagreement dominate the political stage: conflict over distribution of scarce resources and differences in values....
Candidates and Campaigns: Costs of Campaigning, The
Campaigning is expensive, and the costs keep rising. Only people who have their own money or can put together an alliance of interests can finance a campaign. The constant need to raise campaign funds corrodes the process, says Tom Patterson. "You c...
Candidates and Campaigns: Paths to Political Office
There are two paths to public office, coming up through the party ranks or becoming an entrepreneur and raising campaign funds yourself. One of the most important assets in electoral politics is positive name recognition. This may come from a family...
Candidates and Campaigns: Effect of Contributions on a Politician's Vote, The
Serious academic studies of the effects of campaign contributions on an elected official's behavior in Congress find very little relationship. What contributions do buy is access to politicians, a valuable commodity considering how busy members of C...
Candidates and Campaigns: Contrast Between Early Congressmen and Today's Legislators
We need politicians; it is the way our democracy works. At the beginning of the republic people went to Congress with the idea of serving one term and then going home. This self-imposed term limit may seem admirable, but it did not allow people the ...
The First Branch: Incumbency Advantage, The
Incumbency not only gives a candidate name recognition and the perks that come with the office, but the support provided by their political party. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez talks about her uphill battle against a well-entrenched incumbent candid...
World of Uncertainty: Republican Revival, The
Newt Gingrich, a brilliant partisan strategist, orchestrates mid-term victories for Republicans. Major reductions in the federal government are proposed including cabinet departments, federal agencies, and entitlement programs to help finance cuts i...