Political parties and party platforms Books

Book SynopsisThis book provides a critical overview of the changing Labour Party in postwar Britain. Adopting a thematic approach within a structured, chronological framework, the book revolves around one central question: what has the Party been about and what specific objectives has it striven to realize? The author examines the so-called transformation from Old Labour to New Labour, and not only identifies the key stages in its evolution, bur highlights, too, the major determinants of the change.Trade Review"This is an unpretentious, straightforward book intended as a student text and it fits the bill very well. Eric Shaw writes clearly and in this book he distils his detailed knowledge of the Labour Party and the issues and questions that arise in its post-war history into a readable and clearly organised account. It should certainly be on all relevant reading lists." David Denver, EPOP NewsletterTable of ContentsPreface. 1. The Early Years 1900-1945. 2. The Triumph of Labour 1945-51. 3. The Rise of Keynesian Social Democracy. 4. Keynesian Social Democracy in Power 1964-1970. 5. Keynesian Social Democracy in Retreat 1970-74. 6. The Unravelling of Keynesian Social Democracy 1974-1979. 7. Time of Troubles 1979-1987. 8. The Abandonment of Keynesian Social Democracy 1987-95. Conclusion: Labour Old and New. Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisIn this fully revised and updated edition of British General Elections since 1945 David Butler chronicles the demeanour and result of each post-war election. He also draws on the most recent research to examine how much the way in which elections have been stages and fought has altered, with press conferences, advertising, opinion polls and media events transforming the electoral process. In considering these issues alongside other aspects - the law, the constituencies, the electoral system itself, voter behaviour - Dr Butler provides an invaluable guide to the continuities and change which have characterized British general elections for two generations.Table of Contents1. Continuity and Change. 2. Thirteen General Elections. 3. The Legal Framework. 4. Constituencies, Seats and Votes. 5. Franchise, Turnout and Voting Behaviour. 6. The Timing of Elections and the Party Battle. 7. Changing MPs. 8. The Cost of Elections. 9. The National Campaign. 10. The Media. 11. Advertising and Polls. 12. Local Electioneering. 13. Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThe march to the Trump presidency began in 1988, when Rush Limbaugh went national. Brian Rosenwald charts the transformation of AM radio entertainers into political kingmakers. By giving voice to the conservative base, they reshaped the Republican Party and fostered demand for a president who sounded as combative and hyperbolic as a talk show host.Trade ReviewAt long last, Brian Rosenwald has filled a scholarly vacuum by offering a cogent, well-researched, and entertaining explanation of how Donald Trump was elected president. The conventional wisdom that Trump won by swinging 80,000 voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan might be factually accurate, but is too simplistic. Instead, Rosenwald proves that the outcome of the 2016 election was three decades in the making, made possible by the emergence of a candidate perfectly suited to capitalize on an environment created by the titans of talk radio. This is the book that provides proper context for the greatest election upset in modern American history. -- Michael Smerconish, Sirius XM and CNN hostRejecting claims that the medium acted as a Republican puppet, [Rosenwald] describes a curious relationship between the Grand Old Party and talk radio hosts, one that has had seriously deleterious consequences for American political life. * Financial Times *[Rosenwald] argues that the profit motive radicalized talk radio and with it the Republican Party…Because conflict and scaremongering drove ratings and ratings drove profits, the more extreme the hosts became, the more listeners they gained, and the more money they made. As they amassed power and influence, the hosts could demand fealty from the politicians they were discussing every day. -- Eric Alterman * The Nation *Moving the discussion of contemporary conservative media out of the realm of shadowy conspiracy theory and into the sunlight of deeply researched historical investigation, Brian Rosenwald shows how right-wing talk radio moved from the margins to the mainstream and warped American politics in the process. This book will be of vital interest to anyone concerned about restoring the quality of American democratic debate. -- Joseph Crespino, author of Atticus Finch: The Biography—Harper Lee, Her Father, and the Making of an American IconBefore there were social media echo chambers, before there was Fox News, there was Rush Limbaugh and his kin. Brian Rosenwald has told the definitive story of how a squad of outrageous, rule-breaking right-wing radio hosts set the Republican Party agenda and then overtook the party itself. Scholarly and yet eminently readable, this book is indispensable for understanding the world conservative media wrought. -- David Greenberg, Rutgers UniversityUpending conventional wisdom, Brian Rosenwald’s deeply researched book offers an incisive account of how conservative talk radio transformed American politics, altering the relationships between Congressional leaders and rank-and-file members, between activists and the party establishment, and between the demands of entertainment and the process of policymaking. -- Bruce J. Schulman, Boston UniversityThe rise of conservative talk radio has changed American politics and American life, and Brian Rosenwald tells a careful and comprehensive story of its rise and its mushrooming influence. From Rush Limbaugh’s humble beginnings to the election of Donald Trump, Talk Radio’s America shows through careful research and subtle argument how talk radio moved well beyond entertainment and grievance to change the role and makeup of mainstream media, the kinds of stories Americans consume, and the pliable nature of truth. A superb guide to one of the most potent forces in modern political history. -- John Dickerson, 60 Minutes correspondentA brisk, well-researched history of the rise and transformation of talk radio…A vigorous analysis of contemporary politics. * Kirkus Reviews *Demonstrate[s] that broadcasters like…Rush Limbaugh were just as important to building the Republican Party as deified political figures like George Wallace, William Buckley, or Pat Buchanan. Indeed, far from being a mere tool of the Republican Party, talk radio is revealed…as the dominant explanation for that party’s continued existence, an essential precondition of the far right’s cultural dominance today. * New Republic *Important and groundbreaking…Expertly shows how disparate strands in the American political landscape converged in the late 1980s to help make talk radio the potent political force it would become…A must-read for anybody hoping to understand how Trump captured the Republican presidential nomination. * Washington Examiner *Rosenwald takes a look at the rise of conservative radio from a variety of perspectives and offers a clear study of how policies, market forces, personalities, and timing played a role in creating a movement…The book is interesting from beginning to end. -- John M. Bublic * European Legacy *An informative account of talk radio and its impact on politics and policymaking. -- Glenn C. Altshuler * Pittsburgh Post-Gazette *In his 2016 presidential run, Donald Trump utilized styles of rhetoric similar to those of talk radio hosts in order to garner a strong base of loyal followers and rile up political activism amongst his supporters…This book could prove useful for those interested how media—both the form factor and the communicative aspects—affect political standing. -- Tyler M. Wilson * Communications Booknotes Quarterly *Documents Limbaugh’s formative role in turning an old technology into an instrument of power that transformed the Republican Party and political discourse in the United States…An important book…Goes a long way to documenting how an old medium helped create a new politics in the United States and paved the way for Donald Trump’s presidency. -- Vincent Mosco * IEEE Technology and Society Magazine *

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Book SynopsisJennifer Allen details a German utopian movement that arose against capitalist triumphalism at the end of the Cold War. Describing public art and history projects, alongside novel community-centered political institutions, Allen shows how activists invited ordinary people to build a radically new society free from alienation and disenfranchisement.Trade ReviewJennifer Allen’s splendid book on the survival and transformation of utopia in late–twentieth-century Germany announces a brilliant career. Far from dying, hope was rehabilitated in surprising places and projects across the divide of 1989, sheltered in fascinating new forms she intrepidly reconstructs in luminous prose. Those forms matter for their own sakes, and because the future does not just threaten catastrophe and desperation. It might also bring us within reach of stupendous and unexpected opportunity. -- Samuel Moyn, author of The Last Utopia: Human Rights in HistorySustainable Utopias provides innovative insights into creative social movements that brought up a new artistic and democratic ‘history from below.’ Allen brilliantly analyzes different ways of coping with the German past that have shaped both the present and visions of the future. If you want to know how a new memory culture was created in the streets of Berlin, read this book. -- Frank Bösch, University of PotsdamAllen takes us deep into the intellectual world of West Germany’s left-liberal activist milieu. Against the backdrop of Helmut Kohl’s 1980s, she compellingly uncovers the utopian projects pursued by ‘spatial interventionist’ artists, the West Berlin History Workshop, and the Green Party. Sustainable Utopias is essential reading for anyone trying to understand contemporary Germany. -- Astrid M. Eckert, author of West Germany and the Iron CurtainIn this excitingly multifaceted study of Germany in the 1980s and 1990s, Allen combines art and aesthetics with the social history of intellectuals and the emergent political forms of the time. She sees history’s epistemologies as intricately grounded not just in the period’s cultural and political climate, but in the working contexts and working practices historians and artists tried to develop. -- Geoff Eley, University of MichiganA fascinating, original study of ‘sustainable’ utopias in German society from the 1970s into the twenty-first century. Allen examines three utopian networks never before brought together under the same narrative umbrella. Instead of trying to create ‘heaven on earth,’ they had more adaptive and limited aims achievable not through the wholesale transformation of society but through repeatable micro-actions in small-scale venues. Based on impressive research, this book is an important contribution to the scholarship on German utopian thought and contemporary cultural and political history. -- Rudy J. Koshar, University of Wisconsin, Emeritus

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Book SynopsisThis book is an inquiry into the possibilities of politics in exile. The Mensheviks, driven out of Soviet Russia, functioned abroad in the West for a generation. For several years they also continued to operate underground in Soviet Russia, and succeeded in impressing their views on social democratic parties and Western thinking about the U.S.S.R.Trade Review[An] important new book...From the Other Shore raises the question of what would have happened if the Mensheviks had prevailed in 1917. Would they have gone the route of the Bolsheviks, laying the groundwork for the repressive totalitarianism to follow? Or would they have found another path committing themselves to a radical transformation of Russian society while at the same time...respecting the political liberties of their opponents?...Although Liebich identifies closely with Martov's group, he avoids the temptation of reading back into its history an early and absolute division from the Bolsheviks...Liebich asks us to see the Mensheviks as something more than political losers. They stand, he writes, 'at the very heart of the crisis of Marxism.' Our judgment of them as political actors and thinkers--as a possible alternative leadership for a revolutionary Russia--can help determine whether Marxism has any legitimate claim as a serious and honorable political tradition or deserves nothing better than its current consignment to the dustbin of history. -- Maurice Isserman * New York Times Book Review *This book is a tremendous piece of scholarship, charting the evolution of the Russian Menshevik leaders during 40 years of exile and their influence within the wider social-democratic parties, especially in Germany and Austria…for uncovering the extent of their influence and the significance of their analyses, Professor Liebich deserves our gratitude. -- Paul Hampton * Workers' Liberty *While the Bolsheviks have long had books--even libraries--devoted to them, the Mensheviks have had to wait until now for a first-rate account of their work and fate. André Liebich...has finally done justice to a group which history had dealt with unjustly. -- Theodore Draper * New York Review of Books *Table of ContentsPart 1 The Menshevik Family: a group portrait; a portrait gallery. Part 2 1903-1921: Mensheviks and Bolsheviks - a phenomenology of factions, the second congress and its aftermath, revolutionary rehearsal, after the revolution (1905), into the Great War; from exile to exile - war, revolution, facing Bolshevik power, within the party, personal itineraries. Part 3 1921-1933: inside and outside - settling into exile, the political economy of NEP, the nature of NEP Russia, the party underground, watching the Kremlin; Mensheviks and the wider world - into the international arena, Menshevik foreign relations, fraternal parties; Stalin's revolution - the great turn, socialist debates, the Menshevik trial. Part 4 1933-1965: hard times - life in France, contacts, the totalitarian nexus, purges and politics, search for unity, division and defeat; sea change - new roads and old, the last of the Martov line, the end of the foreign delegation, waging the Cold War, the American file, the final campaign; conclusion.

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Book SynopsisAnalyzing left-leaning parties in the U.S., Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Stephanie Mudge shows that the left lost voters’ loyalty in part because of the changing worldview of party experts. Keynesian economists in the 1960s who spoke for managing the economy gave way in the 1980s to economists advocating the advancement of markets.Trade ReviewHow were the parties of the center-left converted from Keynesian technocracy to third-way neoliberalism? Stephanie Mudge presents a highly original account featuring changes in the economics profession leading to the displacement of economic experts in government policy and party politics by political consultants and spin doctors. Covering the United States and four European countries, the book adds importantly to our understanding of recent political history, the transformation of left-wing political parties, and today’s crisis of democratic politics. -- Wolfgang Streeck, Max Planck Institute for the Study of SocietiesWhy is the Left failing everywhere? Because back in the 1990s, left-wing parties gave up on growing their core constituencies, turning instead to a cadre of technicians. Mudge argues that success of center-left parties rested upon their ability to ‘win, represent, and shape how people think.’ This latter goal used to be the province of ‘economist theoreticians’ who embraced a ‘Keynesian ethic.’ But as economics changed, so did the visions of the economists who guided left parties. Why the Left is dying owes much to their interventions. -- Mark Blyth, Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs, Brown UniversityStephanie L. Mudge has written a magisterial account explaining how neoliberalism came to be a dominant way of thinking among the European and American Left. Through a detailed and rich sociological account, she explains that leftist parties changed their way of seeing and wanting to shape the social world because of their shifting relationship to economic knowledge. Economic experts, far from the original organic intellectuals of labor movements, became the mediators of ideological transformation, shaping party positions and confirming neoliberalism as the current version of progressive politics. This is a necessary book for everyone with an interest in progressive politics. -- Jenny Andersson, Co-Director, Max Planck Sciences Po Center on Coping with Instability in Market Societies (MaxPo)Leftism Reinvented provides a wealth of information, and very few scholars exhibit Mudge’s mastery of the economic policies across so many parties over such a stretch of time…It is necessary reading for anyone seeking to understand our current political predicament. -- Edwin Amenta * American Journal of Sociology *

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Book SynopsisConventional wisdom holds that the American military is overwhelmingly conservative and Republican, and extremely political. This title reveals that the rank-and-file army is not nearly as homogeneous as we think - or as politically active - and that political attitudes across the ranks are undergoing a substantial shift.Trade Review"There is a general perception that US military institutions are heavily dominated by the Republican Party and, consequently, an unacceptable number of army officers have combined their political and professional identities, which has created a sense of discomfort among the American public. Dempsey presents a comprehensive, well-researched assessment of the political and social attitudes of members of the US Army on social and political issues. This in-depth analysis explains the similarities and differences in opinions and attitudes on social and political issues among the military and the civilian population."--Choice "Jason K. Dempsey's Our Army adds to the work of military sociology in important ways and is useful fodder for thought for soldiers and civilians... Dempsey has written a powerful book that deserves a place on the same shelf as the works of Janowitz and Huntington."--COL Gregory Fontenot, Army Magazine "Through its careful assessment of results from a unique, original survey instrument, Our Army offers an important corrective to the conventional view of an increasingly conservative, politically active army that threatens to upend established norms of civil-military relations. It offers a wealth of new data for scholars to explore, and it suggests avenues for future research that will further bolster our understanding of the army and its intricate relations with the political branches of government."--Douglas L. Kriner, Public Opinion QuarterlyTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xi List of Tables xiii Preface xv Acknowledgments xvii Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Citizenship and Service: A 2004 Survey of Army Personnel 5 The 2004 West Point Preelection Survey 7 Chapter 2. Soldiers and Politics 10 Historical Overview 10 From the Revolution to Civil War 10 Post-Civil War 13 Post-World War II 15 Post-Vietnam 20 After the Cold War 23 Implications for Civil-Military Relations 27 Chapter 3. An Overview of Army Demographics 34 The Army's Rank Structure 34 Gender, Race, and Ethnicity 35 Education and Income 38 Family and Region 40 The Virtual Army and Virtual Officer Corps 42 Chapter 4. Social and Political Attitudes 45 Reasons for Joining 45 Views of the Army 47 Use of Military Force 48 Defense and Foreign Policy Spending 52 The Economy and Domestic Spending 54 Social Issues 60 Attitudes toward Issues of Gender and Race 63 Trust and Efficacy in Government 65 Conclusion 68 Chapter 5. Conservatism 70 Self-Identification 70 Opting In and Opting Out? 82 Social and Economic Dimensions of Conservatism 85 Conclusion 92 Chapter 6. Party Affiliation in the Army 95 Deriving Party Affiliation 95 Generic Party Identification 98 Identification with the Republican and Democratic Parties 101 Determinants of Republican Identification 105 The Meaning of Party Affiliation in the Army 109 Soldier and Officer Differences 111 Military and Civilian Differences 111 Republican-Democratic Differences 115 Party Affiliation and Foreign Policy 119 Conclusion 124 Chapter 7. Political Participation 127 Voting 129 Displaying Support 131 Donating Money 131 Determinants of Political Activity 132 Mobility and Ease of Voting 137 Efficacy and Political Participation 139 Partisanship and Political Participation 140 Army Culture 144 Self-Selection Effect 146 Conclusion 149 Chapter 8. The Army's Next Generation 152 Existing Research on Cadets and Socialization 153 Self-Selection 154 The Limits of Socialization 155 Shaping Political Attitudes? 157 The 2004 Cadet Preelection Survey 160 Cadet Demographics 161 The Composition and Role of West Point Instructors 164 Ideology and Party Affiliation 165 Indoctrination or Self-Selection? 166 Demographics 167 Institutional Pressure? 169 Perceptions and Expectations 172 Conclusion 174 Chapter 9. Army Attitudes in 2004 and Beyond 177 Conventional Wisdom and the Reality of Army Attitudes 178 A Generational Shift 184 Chapter 10. The Way Forward 187 The Future of American Civil-Military Relations 187 Leveraging the Institution for Political Gain 191 Fulfilling Professional Obligations 191 Translating Service into Privilege 192 Lessons from the Army's Birthday 194 Update: The 2008 Election 197 Afterword 201 Thoughts on Sparta ... 201 ... and Babylon 203 Appendix A: Citizenship and Service: A 2004 Survey of Army Personnel 207 Survey Method 207 Survey Response 210 Survey Weighting 214 Survey Instrument: C&S Survey 215 Appendix B: The 2004 Cadet Preelection Survey 223 Survey Instrument: The 2004 Cadet Preelection Survey 224 Appendix C: Comparison Surveys 240 Appendix D: The Virtual Army and Virtual Officer Corps 243 Appendix E: Rules Governing Political Participation of Members of the Army 245 Appendix F: Adjutant General's Absentee Voting Message 247 Bibiliography 249 Index 259

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Book SynopsisOn the night of the 2000 presidential election, Americans watched on television as polling results divided the nation's map into red and blue states. This title debunks these and other political myths. It includes easy-to-read graphics explaining the 2008 election. It is suitable for those seeking to make sense of fractured political landscape.Trade Review"Gelman and a group of fellow political scientists crunch numbers and draw graphs, arriving at a picture that refutes the [idea] ... of poor red-staters voting Republican against their economic interests. Instead, Gelman persuasively argues, the poor in both red states and blue still mostly vote Democratic, and the rich, nationally speaking, overwhelmingly vote Republican."--Leo Carey, New Yorker "Commentators on both the left and the right have theorized about why working-class Kansas farmers and latte-sipping Maryland suburbanites vote against their economic interests... The real paradox, [Gelman] says, is that while rich states lean Democratic, rich people generally vote Republican; while poor states lean Republican, poor people generally vote Democratic."--Alan Cooperman, Washington Post Book World "This is the Freakonomics-style analysis that every candidate and campaign consultant should read."--Robert Sommer, New York Observer "Gelman works his way, state by state, to help us better understand the relationship of class, culture, and voting. The book is a terrific read and offers much insight into the changing electoral landscape."--Sudhir Venkatesh, Freakonomics blog "[T]his book already analyzes far more data than do most. On that note, it is worth lauding another of this book's strengths: its rich graphical presentation of evidence. Its numerous figures often allow the reader to see the data and to draw one's own inferences, and they render the book accessible to those with little statistical training."--Gabriel S. Lenz, Public Opinion Quarterly "Although the book is stronger on description than interpretation, it raises important questions and presents its findings in a clear and readable fashion that encourages replication, critique, and elaboration... Red State, Blue State shows that much can be learned from applying serious quantitative analysis to popular ideas. It debunks popular misconceptions, but also reveals the limitations of most academic analyses."--David L. Weakliem, International Review of Modern SociologyTable of ContentsPART I: THE PARADOX 1 Chapter 1: Introduction 3 Chapter 2: Rich State, Poor State 8 Chapter 3: How the Talking Heads Can Be So Confused 24 PART II: WHAT'S GOING ON 41 Chapter 4: Income and Voting over Time 43 Chapter 5: Inequality and Voting 58 Chapter 6: Religious Reds and Secular Blues 76 Chapter 7: The United States in Comparative Perspective 94 PART III: WHAT IT MEANS 109 Chapter 8: Polarized Parties 111 Chapter 9: Competing to Build a Majority Coalition 137 Chapter 10: Putting It All Together 165 Afterword The 2008 Election 179 Notes and Sources 197 Index 241

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Book SynopsisProvides a comprehensive history of how Speakers have been elected in the US House since 1789, arguing that the organizational politics of these elections were critical to the construction of mass political parties in America and laid the groundwork for the role they play in setting the agenda of Congress today.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Editors' Picks for 2013 "An excellent look at the history of majority party leadership in the House."--Choice "[T]his is, overall, a sound and illuminating analysis."--R. Scott Burnet, HistorianTable of ContentsList of Illustrations vii List of Tables ix List of Abbreviations xi Preface xiii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 The Evolving Roles and Responsibilities of House Officers in the Antebellum Era 25 Chapter 3 Organizational Politics under the Secret Ballot 56 Chapter 4 Bringing the Selection of House Officers into the Open 76 Chapter 5 Shoring Up Partisan Control: The Speakership Elections of 1839 and 1847 109 Chapter 6 Partisan Tumult on the Floor: The Speakership Elections of 1849 and 1855-1856 151 Chapter 7 The Speakership and the Rise of the Republican Party 193 Chapter 8 Caucus Governance and the Emergence of the Organizational Cartel, 1861-1891 241 Chapter 9 The Organizational Cartel Persists, 1891-2011 274 Chapter 10 Conclusion 303 Appendixes House Officer Elections and Caucus Nominations 323 Appendix 1 Summary of House Organization, First-112th Congresses (1789-2011) 324 Appendix 2 Election of House Speaker, First-112th Congresses 332 Appendix 3 Election of House Clerk, First-112th Congresses 370 Appendix 4 Election of House Printer, 15th-36th Congresses 391 Appendix 5 Summary of Democratic and Republican Caucus Nominations for Speaker, 38th-112th Congresses 398 Appendix 6 Democratic and Republican Caucus Nominations for Speaker, 38th-112th Congresses 403 References 421 Index 439

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Book SynopsisDon't Blame Us traces the reorientation of modern liberalism and the Democratic Party away from their roots in labor union halls of northern cities to white-collar professionals in postindustrial high-tech suburbs, and casts new light on the importance of suburban liberalism in modern American political culture. Focusing on the suburbs along the hiTrade Review"Don't Blame Us is a very readable and informative book."--Choice "This brilliantly argued and beautifully written book was ... eye-opening for me both as a scholar and a product of the world Geismer reveals in all of its complexity."--Elise Lemire, New England Quarterly "[An] exhaustively researched, compelling book... Geismer presents a fresh and much-needed portrait of a middle-class white suburbia n the most Democratic of states--Massachusetts--that forces us to reconsider easy teleological narratives of liberal 'decline' and conservative ascendancy."--Jonathan Bell, American Historical Review "[A] provocative and well-researched book... Broad scope and impressive relevance... Particularly impressive about Don't Blame Us is the way Geismer so thoroughly considers the many factors that went into the making of what might be termed the American urban crisis."--Kenneth T. Jackson, Journal of American HistoryTable of ContentsIllustrations ix Acknowledgments xi Abbreviations xv Introduction 1 Part I Suburban Activism 1 No Ordinary Suburbs 19 2 Good Neighbors 43 3 A Multiracial World 71 4 Grappling with Growth 97 5 Political Action for Peace 123 Part II Massachusetts Liberals 6 A New Center 149 7 Open Suburbs vs. Open Space 173 8 Tightening the Belt 199 9 No One Home to Answer the Phone 227 10 From Taxachusetts to the Massachusetts Miracle 251 Epilogue 281 Notes 289 Index 357

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Book SynopsisWith three independent branches, a legislature divided into two houses, and many diverse constituencies, it is remarkable that the federal government does not collapse in permanent deadlock. Yet, this system of government has functioned for well over two centuries, even through such heated partisan conflicts as the national health-care showdown andTrade ReviewWinner of the 2011 Leon D. Epstein Outstanding Book Award, Political Organizations and Parties Section of the American Political Science Association "Any time you read something David Mayhew has written, you end up learning something. His latest book, Partisan Balance, is no exception to that rule."--Matthew Yglesias, Matthew Yglesias blog "Armed with impressive datasets and thoughtful analysis, Mayhew makes the case that our constitutional system usually works the way that we want it to work... Mayhew is well respected by his peers, and Partisan Balance reminds the reader why he is such a trusted voice in political science... Readers wanting explanation and evidence for why the U.S. Constitution and the political system it established remain robust and vibrant will find many rewards in Mayhew's latest book."--Books & Culture "In this work, Mayhew pursues the question of whether presidential requests are affected by persistent partisan biases of the Senate and the House... This is an analysis of particular interest to those concerned about the dynamics of presidential-congressional interactions over legislation since WWII."--Choice "Typical of a David Mayhew contribution, this book is detailed and meticulous in its analysis, impeccably written and argued, and provides a range of thoughtful, provocative, and counter-intuitive claims. It is a worthy addition to Mayhew's esteemed cannon."--Paul Frymer, Political Science Quarterly "[Mayhew's] data set is quite rich, providing insights and posing issues that should keep political historians busy for some time."--Roger H. Davidson, Congress & the Presidency "What makes the book an enjoyable read is the care with which Mayhew outlines the fare of each proposal, his almost stream-of-consciousness discussion of how to handle methodological conundrums and ambiguous results, and his crisp conclusions once all avenues have been exhausted... This author's work usually leads me to more questions than answers, but this is of course a sign of a stimulating book."--Robin Kolodny, Perspectives on PoliticsTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii CHAPTER 1: The Electoral Bases 1 CHAPTER 2: President and Congress 34 CHAPTER 3: House and Senate I 80 CHAPTER 4: House and Senate II 121 CHAPTER 5: Reform 165 APPENDIX: Sources for Presidential Proposals 191 Index 215

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Book SynopsisAre Tea Party supporters merely a group of conservative citizens concerned about government spending? Or are they racists who refuse to accept Barack Obama as their president because he's not white? Change They Can't Believe In offers an alternative argument--that the Tea Party is driven by the reemergence of a reactionary movement in American poliTrade ReviewWinner of the 2014 Best Book Award, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association "A scathing analysis of the Tea Party movement, linking it in spirit to the Ku Klux Klan and the John Birch Society. Taking today's conservative populists to be dangerous and their ideas self-incriminating, the authors speculate that Tea Party supporters may perceive of social change as subversion. Based on research and interviews, they suggest racism, desire for social dominance ... drives the Tea Party."--Publishers Weekly "Change They Can't Believe In offers valuable empirical data on the Tea Party, and its focus on supporters' antagonism toward Obama is critical to understanding the movement."--Michael O'Donnell, New Republic "[A] rigorous scholarly investigation of the tea party... Parker and Barreto make the case that tea party supporters are driven above all by 'anxiety incited by Obama as President.' Intuitively, this may already make sense to many readers, but the authors muster the evidence in support, dividing and subdividing different categories of political activity and belief to arrive at a firm basis for their conclusion... [S]upported by reasoned facts in place of political passions."--Kirkus Reviews "[Parker and Barreto's] statistically informed analysis helps us understand the Tea Party's priorities, its fervor, and its contempt for compromise."--Glenn C. Altschuler, Huffington Post "In Change They Can't Believe In, Parker and Barreto examine the emergence of the Tea Party in the wake of the Obama presidency... In addition to marshaling a great deal of original data, the authors capably place the Tea Party movement in a historical context."--ChoiceTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables vii Preface and Acknowledgments xiii INTRODUCTION Who Is the Tea Party and What Do They Want? 1 1 Toward a Theory of the Tea Party 20 2 Who Likes Tea? Sources of Support for the Tea Party 66 3 Exploring the Tea Party's Commitment to Freedom and Patriotism 102 4 Does the Tea Party Really Want Their Country Back? 153 5 The Tea Party and Obamaphobia - Is the Hostility Real or Imagined? 190 6 Can You Hear Us Now? Why Republicans Are Listening to the Tea Party 218 CONCLUSION 241 Afterword to the Paperback Edition 261 Appendix 273 Notes 319 Index 365

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Leon Epstein Outstanding Book Award, Political Organizations and Parties section of the American Political Science Association""Shortlisted for the Gregory Luebbert Best Book Prize, Comparative Politics section of the American Political Science Association""Violent Victors is a rich, rigorous and comprehensive book that delves into the complex and nuanced relationship between wartime violence and postwar electoral politics, transitional justice and governance."---Laia Balcells, International Affairs"Articulates a fascinating and novel puzzle. . . . [and provides] a thorough consideration of alternative explanations."---Michael K. Miller, Perspectives on Politics"A must-read."---Mauricio Rivera, Journal of Peace Research"[A] penetrating study of founding elections in postwar societies. . . . [Violent Victors] is required reading for anyone interested in peacebuilding, justice, democracy, and governance after civil war."---Manuel Meléndez-Sánchez, Peace & Change

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Book SynopsisTo try to get a clearer picture of what the real Ronald Reagan legacy is, in this book Marcus Witcher details conservatives' frequently tense relationship with Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and explores how they created the latter-day Reagan myth.Trade ReviewThe legend is that Ronald Reagan unified the GOP and led it to a long string of successes. This outstanding book tells the true story, which is far more complex and fascinating. With depth, balance, and subtlety, Witcher explains how Reagan went from being the leader of a fractious party to a symbol of its aspirations. Getting Right with Reagan makes a major contribution to the study of American political history, offering rich insights into the history and political uses of the Reagan myth." - John J. Pitney, Jr., Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics, Claremont McKenna College"Marcus Witcher has written a bold and provocative book. Not everyone will be persuaded by his revisionist portrayal of President Reagan as a ‘pragmatist,’ or by Witcher’s contention that conservative ‘purists’ since the 1980s have constructed an idealized and mythical Reagan who owed his success to an unbending devotion to conservative principles. But readers of this volume will gain a deeper appreciation of Reagan’s immense and continuing impact on the mental landscape of the American Right." - George H. Nash, author of The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America since 1945"The American conservative movement’s adoration for Ronald Reagan is seemingly limitless and only seems to grow with each passing decade. Yet Reagan was not the unwavering standard-bearer of conservative purity that his contemporary admirers imagine-though his pragmatism and flexibility were reasons for his success. In this valuable study, Marcus Witcher provides a more nuanced picture of Reagan’s presidency, explains how conservative views of the fortieth president evolved in the years that followed, and shows the consequences of the mythical Reagan." - George Hawley, author of Right-Wing Critics of American Conservatism"Marcus M. Witcher’s Getting Right with Reagan is a brilliant analysis of the US conservative revolution of the 1980s and beyond. It’s essential reading for anybody interested in the Cold War and the American political system. Highly recommended!" - Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University and author of American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space RaceTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Evolution of Conservatives' Perception of ReaganPart I: Conservative Frustration with Reagan, 1945-19881. The Origins and Evolution of Reagan's Economic Policies2. The Battle for Fiscal Conservatism: Supply-Siders vs. Budget Hawks3. The Origins of the New Right and the Seeds of Future Frustrations4. The Battle for America's Soul: Conservative Disillusion with Reagan on Social Issues5. AIDS, the New Right and Reagan's Response6. Neoconservatives, the New Right, and Reagan's First Two Years of Foreign Policy7. The Year of Fear: Ronald Reagan and the Transformation of America's Foreign Policy8. The Battle for the Cold War: Conservative Frustration with the INF TreatyPart II: The Legacy of Evolving Mythology of President Reagan: 1988-20169. Recasting Reagan: How the Fortieth President Framed His Legacy, 1989-199410. Remembering Reagan: The Reagan Legacy in Conservative Politics, 1994-199611. Memorializing Reagan: Enshrining the Reagan Legacy, 1996-200012. Reinventing Reagan: George W. Bush and the Emergence of the Reagan Myth, 2000-200413. Reconstructing Reagan: How the Conservatives Created a Mythical Reagan, 2004-200814. Resurrecting Reagan: The Tea Party Movement and the Manifestation of the Reagan Myth, 2008-20169Conclusion: Beyond Reagan?NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisPresents a memoir from one of Nixon's senior domestic policy advisors. A member of the moderate wing of the Republican Party, John Roy Price’s memoir makes a valuable contribution to our evolving scholarship and understanding of the Nixon presidency.Trade ReviewAre you ready for some revisionism? Price's Nixon was trying to bring the country together. He understood that politics was 'poetry' - you needed more than good policy positions. But good ones he had. His domestic policies would have ended the financial incentives to break up low-income families and would have kept catastrophic health issue from bankrupting middle-class families. We see Nixon doing the right thing because it is the right thing. This book is thought-provoking from beginning to end." - Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, author of Fan in Chief: Richard Nixon and American Sports, 1969-1974"John Roy Price's The Last Liberal Republican is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the Nixon presidency as well as the presidential/congressional relationship as it relates to domestic policymaking. Price's memoir not only explains the domestic policy agenda during a seminal point in American history but also shows how a Republican president worked with a Democratic Congress to revise and expand parts of the New Deal and Great Society agendas. Price's ability to illustrate the policy battles as they played out on the political frontlines makes this book essential reading." - Lori Cox Han, author of Advising Nixon: The White House Memos of Patrick J. Buchanan"For all those who thought there was nothing more-nothing new-to say about Richard Nixon, John Roy Price has a surprise, and an important one. Here is a Nixon seldom seen, a Nixon leaning left even as he moved the Republicans right, a Nixon worried about his place in history even as he was soiling his place in history. No biography of the thirty-seventh president written in the remainder of this century can be unaffected by this vital and indispensable book." - David Shribman, Pulitzer Prize-winning nationally syndicated columnist and former executive editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Book SynopsisNo segment of the American electorate is more reliably Democratic than African Americans. The GOP, meanwhile, remains nearly an all-white party. Timothy Thurber illuminates the deep roots of this gulf by exploring the relationship between African Americans and the Republican Party from the end of World War II to Richard Nixon’s presidency.Trade Review"A monumental work. For decades to come, this will be the definitive study of the Republican Party and race in the years following World War II. It is exhaustively researched, meticulously written, and slays a bucketful of myths on the subject."—David Nichols, author of A Matter of Justice: Eisenhower and the Beginning of the Civil Rights Revolution"A fresh examination, full of new insights and great nuance. Readers will learn that many of the stereotypes about the Republican Party and race just are not accurate."—Donald T. Critchlow, author of The Conservative Ascendancy"Rich in detail, incident, and insight, Thurber’s splendid work explains the misperceptions and missed opportunities that led to the widening gulf between the Party of Lincoln and the nation’s minorities. A judicious and essential history, full of contemporary resonance."—Geoffrey Kabaservice, author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party from Eisenhower to the Tea Party"The most deeply researched and nuanced history to date of how the GOP’s national leadership dealt with, or failed to deal with, the African American freedom struggle in the three decades following World War II. Thurber moves far beyond the impressionistic histories of the Republican southern strategy to show how liberal, moderate, and conservative Republicans were arguing over what was to become of Lincoln’s legacy. Essential reading for anyone trying to understand the history behind the common perception today of the GOP as a superannuated party of white folks."—Joseph Crespino, author of Strom Thurmond’s AmericaTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Fair Employment Practices Commission, Voting Rights, and Racial Violence 2. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Reform of the Federal Government 3. “At Sea on This”: Eisenhower and Black Protest 4. Republicans and Civil Rights Legislation, 1952-1960s 5. Five: The GOP, Direct Action, and Racial Policy, 1960-1963 6. The 1964 Civil Rights Act 7. Race and Republican Politics, 1961-1964 8. Civil Rights Policy, 1965-1968 9. The Nixon Synthesis 10. Schools, Voting Rights, and the Supreme Court, 1969-1970s 11. Integration Revisited 12. Economic Policy: Nixon’s First Term 13. A New Republican Majority? 14. Denouement: The GOP and Race, 1973-1974 Epilogue Notes Index A photo section appears following page 204

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Book SynopsisIn this book, top congressional scholars, historians, and political scientists provide a compelling picture of Bob Michel and the congressional politics of his day. Marshaling a wealth of biographical, historical, and political detail, they describe Michel’s House of Representatives and how the institution became what it is now.Trade Review"This book provides a valuable “inside baseball” view of how the process works; the book’s grasp of the complexities of congressional prodecures provide a valuable window into how legislation is made."—Congress & the Presidency"An excellent primer on effective congressional leadership. The various authors successfully place the life of Michel and his congressional career within a theoretical analysis of congressional politics and consequently offer a valuable resource."—Choice "Robert H. Michel: Leading the House Minority is a fascinating, richly documented, and authoritative look at Bob Michel’s congressional career. Editors Frank H. Mackaman and Sean Q Kelly have done an excellent job in both selecting contributors and developing a compelling narrative to frame these expertly written chapters. Robert H. Michel: Leading the House Minority should be the first book consulted by readers who are curious about Bob Michel’s legislative legacy."—Jeffrey Crouch, author of The Presidential Pardon Power"Robert H. Michel: Leading the House Minority is a thoughtful collection about an extremely important congressional Republican leader. The authors explore how Michel attempted to balance the needs of good governance with a desire among Republicans to end their permanent minority status in the House."—Julian E. Zelizer, Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs, Princeton University"This excellent book explains why Bob Michel was the most effective minority leader in the history of the House of Representatives. Its richly detailed and perceptive essays show that he was a legislator in full: a servant for his district, a watchdog of the public treasury, and a masterful tactician who won historic victories without partisan majorities. Anyone who wants to understand congressional leadership should read Robert H. Michel: Leading the House Minority."—John J. Pitney Jr., Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics, Claremont McKenna CollegeTable of Contents List of Abbreviations Series Foreword, Burdett A. Loomis Preface and Acknowledgments, Frank H. Mackaman and Sean Q. Kelly 1. Robert H. Michel: A Life Preparing for Public Service, Frank H. Mackaman 2. Bob Michel and the Politics of Appropriations, Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q. Kelly 3. Bob Michel in the Land of Giants: Relationship Politics in the 1980s, Burdett A. Loomis 4. Rising to Leadership in an Era of Political Change: Bob Michel and the 1970s House Minority Party, Scott R. Meinke 5. Michel as Minority Leader: Minority Party Strategies and Tactics in the Postreform House, Douglas B. Harris and matthew N. Green 6. Leading the Minority: Guiding Policy Change through Legislative Waters, Andrew J. Taylor 7. Leading Gently on Taxes, Matthew S. Mendez 8. From “Exhilarating Days” to Pragmatic Politics: Bob Michel’s Leadership in the Budget Process, 1981-1994, Daniel J. Palazzolo 9. Anticipating the Revolution: Michel and Republican Congressional Reform Efforts, Douglas B. Harris 10. Bob Michel and the Legacy of Committee Reform, Colton C. Campbell 11. Bob Michel, Newt Gingrich, and the Republican Leadership Dilemma, C. Lawrence Evans 12. A “Less Pleasant” Election: Bob Michel and the 1982 Congressional Midterms, Robert David Johnson 13. From Expansionism to Protectionism and Back Again: Conditional Incumbency, Disruption, and the Reimagination of Bob Michel’s Representational Style, David C. W. Parker 14. Bob Michel Calls It Quits, Frank H. Mackaman Appendix: Reflections, Mike Johnson, Ray LaHood, and William “Billy” Pitts About Robert H. Michel Bibliography Contributors Index A photo gallery follows page 185

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Book SynopsisA memoir from one of Richard Nixon’s senior domestic policy advisors. John Roy Price provides firsthand insight into key moments regarding Nixon’s political and policy challenges in the domestic social policy arena.Trade Review"Price's story is more than just a helpful explainer for the more recent thorny and contentious debates over child tax credits. It’s also a portrait of a Republican party that once knew how to broker its own coalition, governing through the power of two wings, a conservative ‘base,’ and an ‘establishment’ leadership."—Law & Liberty"Price’s compelling and persuasive book will be of great interest to those who study domestic policy as well as party politics."—Political Science Quarterly"Contains abundant, telling historical detail and analysis."—Choice "Are you ready for some revisionism? Price’s Nixon was trying to bring the country together. He understood that politics was ‘poetry’—you needed more than good policy positions. But good ones he had. His domestic policies would have ended the financial incentives to break up low-income families and would have kept catastrophic health issues from bankrupting middle-class families. We see Nixon doing the right thing because it is the right thing. This book is thought-provoking from beginning to end."—Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, author of Fan in Chief: Richard Nixon and American Sports, 1969–1974"John Roy Price’s The Last Liberal Republican is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the Nixon presidency as well as the presidential/congressional relationship as it relates to domestic policymaking. Price’s memoir not only explains the domestic policy agenda during a seminal point in American history but also shows how a Republican president worked with a Democratic Congress to revise and expand parts of the New Deal and Great Society agendas. Price’s ability to illustrate the policy battles as they played out on the political frontlines makes this book essential reading."—Lori Cox Han, author of Advising Nixon: The White House Memos of Patrick J. Buchanan"For all those who thought there was nothing more—nothing new—to say about Richard Nixon, John Roy Price has a surprise, and an important one. Here is a Nixon seldom seen, a Nixon leaning left even as he moved the Republicans right, a Nixon worried about his place in history even as he was soiling his place in history. No biography of the thirty-seventh president written in the remainder of this century can be unaffected by this vital and indispensable book."—David Shribman, Pulitzer Prize–winning nationally syndicated columnist and former executive editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"John Roy Price’s The Last Liberal Republican is an indispensable memoir about working the domestic policy beat for President Richard Nixon. Price writes well, has commanding knowledge of the era, and is determined to set the historical record straight. I consider it a gift to Cold War–era scholarship. Highly recommended!"—Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history, Rice University, and coeditor of The Nixon Tapes"Not so very long ago the Republican Party was the home of serious policy thinkers and doers who believed in the power of the federal government to improve American lives and then exercised that power with skill and finesse. John Roy Price throve in that world, and in these pages he brings it captivatingly to life with fresh, nuanced portraits of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Robert Finch, George Shultz, and many others, including, most remarkably, Richard Nixon. The Last Liberal Republican is just the book we need in our own illiberal time."—Sam Tanenhaus, author of The Death of Conservatism: A Movement and Its Consequences and Whittaker Chambers: A BiographyTable of Contents Preface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Path to Eisenhower and Nixon: The Struggle for the Soul of the Republican Party 2. The Disruptive Decade: The 1960s and the Formation of the Ripon Society 3. Partisan Strife, San Francisco’s 1964 Convention, and Electoral Calamity 4. 1965-1968: Back to the Center? 5. The Oval Office Has a new Occupant 6. Organizing for Domestic Policymaking: Enter Daniel P. Moynihan 7. the Council for Urban Affairs: The Launch 8. A President in a Hurry 9. “Our Monument”: Laying the Foundation 10. The Battle for Nixon's Decision 11. The Fencing Moves Épées to Sabers 12. The Hunger Issue and the Food Stamp Revolution 13. “A Gamble on Human Nature”: Nixon in a Minority in His Cabinet 14. Briefing Ronald Reagan: The Beginnings of the Conservative Rebellion 15. The Center Does Not Hold—Nixon Folds His Hand on FAP 16. Richard Nixon and a Health Strategy Conclusion Notes Index

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Book SynopsisWith exclusive access to the Haughey archives, Gary Murphy presents a reassessment of Charles Haughey's life and legacy.Saint or sinner? He was the most talented and influential politician of his generation, and his presence still looms over the Irish body politic, yet the very roots of his success his charisma, his intelligence, his ruthlessness, his secrecy have rendered almost impossible any objective evaluation of his life and work. He is, depending on whom you ask, either the great villain of Irish political life or the benevolent and forward-thinking saviour of a benighted nation.That is, until now. Based on unfettered access to Haughey's personal archives, as well as extensive interviews with over 80 of his peers, rivals, confidantes and relatives, Haughey is a rich and nuanced portrait of a man of prodigious gifts, who, for all his flaws and many contradictions, came to define modern Ireland.A superbly balanced exploration of the life and politics of one of the most fascinating figures in 20th century Ireland.' Professor John HorganAn indispensable read for anyone with an interest in modern Irish history.' David McCullaghOffers much new detail - and not a few surprises - about the personality and career of a political titan who is still, in equal measure, revered and reviled in 21st century Ireland.' Conor Brady

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