(2) The polarisation of American politics

(2) The polarisation of American politics

1. 50-50 nation

   • 2000 president election, both sides gained 49% of popualr vote, EC divied 271-267, House of Representatives divided 221-212; senate split 50-50
   • 2004 presidential election, 51%-48%, electoral college divided 286-252, House divided 232-202, Senate split 55-45
   • Problems
     • Overly simplistic, e.g. 2008, 9 states which previously voted for Bush voted for Obama
     • Congressional and state elections sometimes differ from Presi result, e;g west virgina voted McCain, but it s Senator and Repr and Dem
     • Bew York voted Dem in Pres but had Republican governemer recently
     • Decline in party voting

2. Solid South

   • Describes ideas that whether black, white, liberal or conservtives you voted Democrat if you lived in the south
   • "Yellow dog Democrats" - even

3. Red - Blue Divide

   • NEw right - Reagan more ideological approach moved politics awasy from centre ground, you were either "with us or aginst us"
   • Collapse of the Cold War consenus politices
   • Clinton opended divisive issues of 1960s - sex, feminism, authority and morality
   • Bush - foreign policy, esp. Iraq, divided country
   • Media - polarised opinion, esp. growth of media syndicates, e.g. News International

4. The Big Tent coalitions

   • Both parties remain "big tent" coaltions
   • Wide spectrum of political idelogies
   • Republican and Democrat over- simplifies
   • Need for prefixes, e.g. "conservative", "liberal" or "moderate"
     • Moderate is some one of both camps
   • Also "hawks" and "doves", "isolationists" and "internationalists"
     • Isolationists - no involment out side america in foreign policy
     • Internationalists - increased and contract with world on foreign policy
     • Hawks - lots of military intervention
     • Doves - no/ limited military intervention

5. role of the parties

   • Provide coherent packages of policies
   • People to put policies into effect