Description
Book SynopsisDescribes how, by tacking relentlessly to the centre, Bill Clinton revived the Democrats' presidential fortunes - but also, paradoxically, effectively erased the centre, in the process introducing the new political reality of extreme partisan divisiveness and dysfunctional government.
Trade ReviewThe author of nearly two dozen books analyzing recent American political history, Michael Nelson of Rhodes College is one of the nation's most distinguished American political scientists. His latest work,
Clinton's Elections: 1992, 1996, and the Birth of a New Era of Governance, will only add to this reputation. In a careful analysis of congressional and presidential elections going back to the election of 1968, Nelson argues that until 1992, Congress was partially or completely controlled by the Democrats while the Republicans mostly controlled the White House. This led to an increase in political partisanship. In 1992, Clinton was elected president, but in the 1994 midterm elections the Republicans took control of Congress for the first time since 1952 and held it throughout the remaining six years of his administration. Although Clinton was reelected in 1996, the result of divided government has been 'de facto divided government' and partisan polarization ever since. An absorbing and well-written analysis of a crucial development in American political history, this book should be of great significance to anyone interested in the modern age of US politics." - Burton I. Kaufman, author of
The Post-Presidency from Washington to Clinton"Renowned presidency scholar and award-winning author Michael Nelson has penned a captivating analysis of Bill Clinton's two presidential election victories, situating them in the arc from the turbulent 1960s to the divisive age of Trump. Nelson masterfully argues that Clinton's centrism - the very core of his electoral successes - ironically resulted in the polarized extremism of twenty-first-century American politics." - Barbara A. Perry, author of
Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier and
The Michigan Affirmative Action Cases"Michael Nelson brings his distinctive blend of narrative verve and political science acumen to the story of Bill Clinton's two electoral victories. Just as in his prize-winning volume on the presidential election of 1968, Nelson's tale of how the Clinton years ushered in our current era of divided government and bitter partisanship makes for a fascinating read." - Bruce Miroff, author of
Presidents on Political Ground: Leaders in Action and What They Face
