Government by Committee: Intense Competition: Campaign for the White House
The intense competition that surrounds the campaign for the White House intensifies as the general election nears. Robert Reich calls it "warfare without blood." It is difficult to predict what will make a presidential campaign successful. Despite t...
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: Elections Won in the Center
Elections are won in the center and that is where both parties compete. Over the last decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century the Republican right wing has been a more potent force than the liberal left wing of the Democ...
Pressure Politics: Benefits of Organizing for a Cause
Coming together with people of like minds has benefits of its own, benefits that go beyond the issue or cause in question. It allows people to feel connected. The greatest challenge is whether or not a group, whatever the cause, can come together wi...
Pressure Politics: Interest-group Society, An
The history of the nation is full of examples of people with shared beliefs coming together to influence the rules by which we are governed. America is an interest-group society. From the time of the Boston tea party to the civil rights movement and...
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...
Voices of the People: Citizen Involvement in the United States
The number of U. S. citizens who work for the betterment of their communities is comparable to or higher than most other democracies. This volunteer tradition in many ways is unique to American politics. Many feel that their community is a place whe...
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: Mass-Marketing of Politics
In the past, party rallies and door-to-door canvassing could be handled by volunteers. Today's media-based campaigns need paid specialists, another reason today's campaigns are so expensive. Karen Paget talks about her work on the Dukakis campaign i...
Balancing Act: In Economic Terms...
In 1998 revenues from taxes equaled expenditures and the United States had a balanced budget for the first time since 1969. Only a small portion of the federal budget is really discretionary. When the country is in a deficit rather than a surplus si...