Awards

• Winner of Outstanding Academic Title, 2017 2018
• Winner of Outstanding Academic Title, 2017 2018 (United States)

Overview

What historical factors transformed American politics into the institution we know today? This in-depth look at America's party system traces its efficacy, sustainability, and popularity through six influential presidencies spanning 1790 to the present day. Did President Obama's election serve as the impetus to the development of a seventh political party system? This compelling text sheds light on the American political process as seen through the lens of six pivotal presidencies that shaped America's culture, politics, and society and considers how our current president may be the latest transformative leader in this lineage. Covering two centuries of politics, the work offers insight into the American political machine and reveals how and why the two-party system became so dominant in American politics. Topics include the media's focus on the horse-race aspect of elections, the declining importance of party identification, and the impact of the geographical split that results in swing-states and gerrymandered districts. The work begins by dividing 200 years of politics into 6 periods influenced by a transformative president and discussing the profile of the party system in each era. The next section presents essays contributed by activists across a myriad of political parties and profiles leading political actors and organizations. The final section includes tables, primary source documents, reference lists, a detailed glossary, and a timeline of the development of American political parties that help elucidate the text and show the role political parties have played throughout history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michael C. LeMay (California State University-San Bernardino, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   ABC-CLIO
Weight:   0.794kg
ISBN:  

9781440854118

ISBN 10:   1440854114
Pages:   392
Publication Date:   22 June 2017
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"Preface, 1 Background and History, Introduction, The Rise of National Parties, Party Principles, One-Party Rule, The Jacksonian Transformative Election and Period, 1828–1860, Extension of the States, The Rise of the Mass Party, The Party Spoils System, Democratic Superiority, The Know Nothings, The Transformative Election of Lincoln and the Parties, 1854–1896, Developing Political Parties and the Modern Two-Party System, The Transformative Election of McKinley and the Progressive Era, 1896–1932, Major-Party Developments: The Republicans, Major-Party Developments: The Democrats, The Transformative Election of FDR, 1932–1980, FDR and the New Deal Democrats, Democratic Party Developments Post–World War II, Conservatives Ascendant, Parity and Polarization, Conclusion, References, 2 Problems, Controversies, and Solutions, Introduction, The Voters, Who Should Be Allowed to Vote?, The Declining Importance of Party Identification, Coalitions of Voting Blocs and Shifts in Voter Allegiance, Ideological Purity of the Two Major Parties—The Dichotomy of Conservative Republicans versus Liberal Democrats, Ideology versus Pragmatism in Primary and General Elections, The Need to Play to a Party's Base versus Outreach and Diversity of Coalitions, The Candidates, The Candidate Selection Process, The Establishment versus Outsider Candidates, The Campaigns, The Length of Presidential Campaigns, The Complexity of National, State, and Local Elections, The Cost of Campaigns, Citizens United and Campaign Finance Reform, Overturning Citizens United, National Laws That May Affect the Length and Cost of Elections, The States, The 50 State Party Systems, States' Rules on Ballot Access, Caucuses and Conventions, The Primary Election System: Open or Closed? Binding or Preferential?, Replacing Winner-Take-All Primaries or the Electoral College, Options for Reform, Regional Primaries, The Geographical Split of the Two Major Parties and Competitive Swing States, Effects of Gerrymandered Districts, The Parties, The Parties versus PACs and Super-PACs, Strengthening the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee, Structural Barriers to Minority (Third) Parties, Changing the American Political Culture, The Media, The Media Focus on the Horse Race versus the Issues and Aspects of Electoral Campaigns, Congressional Law to Regulate Media and Poll Use in Elections, Changing How the Media Covers Elections, References, 3 Perspectives, Introduction, Why I Am a Democratic Activist by Ryan Macoubrie, Why I Became a Republican Party Activist by Charles ""Chuck"" Larson, Donald Trump's Proposed Immigration Policies by John Vile, Structural Barriers or Impediments to Third-Party Candidates by Christina Villegas, Libertarians: Philosophical Activism by Lance Haverkamp, Political Activism: The Nonpartisan Way by Julie Ott, Party Identification and Core Political Principles by Paul Goren, Perspectives on Homeland Security by Adilene Sandoval, The Republican Party: 2016 Going Forward by Scot Zentner, The Trump Factor in American Politics: Teaching Trump through the Lens of Practical Politics by Robert W. Smith, 4 Profiles, Introduction, Organizations, AFL-CIO Workers' Voices PAC, America Leads PAC, American Bridge 21st Century, American Crossroads PAC, Americans for Prosperity, The Center for Public Integrity, Center for Responsive Politics, Club for Growth, Commission on Presidential Debates, Conservative Solutions PAC, Crossroads GPS, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Democratic Governors Association, Democratic National Committee (DNC), Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), Democratic Underground (DU), Democrats Moving America Forward, , Emily's List, Endorse Liberty, Federal Election Commission (FEC), Fox News Network, Freedom Works for America, Gallup Poll, Green Party of the United States (GPUS), Harris Poll/Harris Interactive, Inc., Heritage Foundation, House Majority PAC, Keep the Promise, League of Women Voters, The Libertarian Party, Make America Great Again PAC, MapLight, , MSNBC, NAACP, National Institute on Money in State Politics, National Opinion Research Center, National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee (RCCC), National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (NRSCC), National Rifle Association (NRA), Organizing for Action, Our Principles PAC, PEW Research Center, Planned Parenthood, Priorities USA, Public Policy Polling, Rasmussen Reports, Ready for Hillary, Real Clear Politics, Republican Governors Association, Republican National Committee, Research 2000, Restore Our Future, Inc., Right to Rise USA, Senate Majority PAC, The Sierra Club, Stand for Truth PAC, Susan B. Anthony List, The Tea Party Movement, VOX, You Gov, Zogby International, People, Sheldon Adelson (1933–), Roger Ailes (1940–2017), Richard ""Dick"" Keith Armey (1940–), David Axelrod (1955–), Paul Begala (1961–), George H. W. Bush (1924–), George W. Bush (1946–), John Ellis ""Jeb"" Bush (1953–), Jimmy Carter (1924–), James Carville, Jr. (1944–), Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947–), William Jefferson Clinton (1946–), Ted Cruz (1970–), Jim DeMint (1951–), Maureen Dowd (1952–), Matt Drudge (1966–), Jennifer Granholm (1969–), Phil Griffin (1956–), Louis Harris (1921–2016), Ryan Hecker, Harold Ickes (1939–), Tom Jensen, Gary Johnson (1953–), Tim Kaine (1958–), Gene Karpinski (1952–), John Kerry (1943–), Matt Kibbe, Charles Koch (1935–), David Koch (1940–), Alixandria Lapp (1975–), Steven Law (1961–), Corey Ryan Lewandowski (1973–), Charles Lewis (1953–), Rush Limbaugh (1951–), Tom Lopach (1973–), Ben Ray Lujan (1972–), Elisabeth MacNamara, Rachel Maddow (1973–), Dan Malloy (1955–), Susan Martinez (1959–), John McCain (1936–), Jim Messina (1969–), Rodell Mollineau (1977–), Rupert Murdoch (1931–), Barack Obama (1961–), Bill O'Reilly (1949–), Rand Paul (1963–), Ron Paul (1935–), Mike Pence (1959–), David Plouffe (1967–), John Podesta (1949–), Reince Priebus (1972–), Harry Reid (1939–), Cecile Richards (1957–), Mitt Romney (1947–), Karl Rove (1950–), Marco Rubio (1971–), Paul Ryan (1970–), Bernie Sanders (1941–), Stephanie Schriock (1973–), Chuck Schumer (1950–), George Soros (1930–), Jill Stein (1950–), Jon Tester (1956–), Richard Trumka (1949–), Donald Trump (1946–), Katrina vanden Heuvel (1959–), Scott Walker (1967–), Jeff Weaver (1956–), Roger Wicker (1958–), 5 Data and Documents, Introduction, Data, Table 5.1: Top Swing States, 2016 Cycle, and Their Delegate Selection Method, Table 5.2: The Top 10 Most Expensive Congressional Races, 2016, Table 5.3: Presidential Election Results, 1980–2016, Table 5.4: Major Parties on Majority of States' Ballots, 2016, Table 5.5: The Many Roles Played by the U.S. President, Table 5.6: The Presidents of the United States and Years in Office, Table 5.7: The 50 States and Their Use of Caucus versus Primary Type, Table 5.8: Top-Ranked Democratic Nations in the World and the Number of Political Parties in Each and Type of National Government System, Table 5.9: Worldwide Democracies in Relation to Countries by Region, Table 5.10: Top 10 Super-PACs, 2016 Election Cycle, by Independent Expenditures, Table 5.11: Election Exit Poll Results, 2012 Presidential Vote, by Select Social Categories, Table 5.12: Election Results, 2016 Presidential Vote, by Select Group Categories, Figure 5.1: Voter Identification by Party Preference, July 2016, Figure 5.2: Presidential Election Results, Percentage Total Vote, 1996–2016, Documents, Excerpt of Federalist No. 10, on Factions, by Publius (James Madison), November 22, 1787, Relevant Sections of the Constitution of the United States, Act of March 26, 1790: An Act to Establish a Uniform Rule of Naturalization, Act of June 25, 1798, ""Alien Act of 1798,"" Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Article VIII, 1848, Abraham Lincoln's Letter to Joshua Speed, 1855, Millard Fillmore's Speech, June 26, 1856, on the American Party Principles, Act of May 20, 1862: To Secure Homesteads, Act of July 17, 1862: Honorably Discharged Soldiers (Re: Naturalization), Act of May 6, 1882: To Execute Certain Treaty Stipulations Relating to Chinese (Chinese Exclusion Act), President Grover Cleveland's Veto Message of the Immigrant Literacy Test Bill (March 2, 1897), In Re Rodriguez, District Court, W.D. Texas (May 3, 1897), United States v. Wong Kim Ark (March 28, 1898), The Federal Election Campaign Laws: A Short History, 6 Resources, Introduction, Books, Leading Scholarly Journals, Films, Videos, 7 Chronology, Glossary, Index, About the Author,"

Reviews

This work belongs at every reference desk; it is a veritable treasure trove of resources. Summing Up: Essential. All readership levels. - Choice The well-organized historical, contemporary, and comparative data and resources provide background and insight for understanding past and recent presidential elections, including all aspects of 2016. - Booklist

"""The well-organized historical, contemporary, and comparative data and resources provide background and insight for understanding past and recent presidential elections, including all aspects of 2016."" - Booklist ""This work belongs at every reference desk; it is a veritable treasure trove of resources. Summing Up: Essential. All readership levels."" - Choice ""Overall the book is quite thorough and comprehensive . . . it is a strong reference source."" - School Library Connection ""For lower division students or those needing a primer on the foundations of our electoral process, this volume will be of great use. The significant reference lists will allow novices to seek out further resources to expand their understanding of this key aspect of our democracy."" - ARBAonline ""Belongs on the shelves of public, high school, and two-year and four-year academic libraries, and it is an excellent value at its price."" - Reference & User Services Quarterly"

The well-organized historical, contemporary, and comparative data and resources provide background and insight for understanding past and recent presidential elections, including all aspects of 2016. - Booklist

Author Information

Michael LeMay, PhD, is professor emeritus at California State University, San Bernardino, where he chaired the department of political science.

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