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Partisan balance : why political parties don't kill the U.S. Constitutional system

Title: Partisan balance : why political parties don't kill the U.S. Constitutional system / David R. Mayhew.
Author: Mayhew, David R.
Publication: Princeton : Princeton University Press, ©2011.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	JFE 15-6973	Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description

xx, 220 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

From the publisher. With 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 and Supreme Court nominations. Mayhew examines the unique electoral foundations of the presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives in order to provide a fresh understanding for the government's success and longstanding vitality. Focusing on the period after World War II, and the fate of legislative proposals offered by presidents from Harry Truman to George W. Bush, Mayhew reveals that the presidency, Senate, and House rest on surprisingly similar electoral bases, with little difference in their partisan textures as indexed by the presidential popular vote cast in the various constituencies. Both congressional chambers have tilted a bit Republican, and while White House legislative initiatives have fared accordingly, Mayhew shows that presidents have done relatively well in getting their major proposals enacted. Over the long haul, the Senate has not proven much more of a stumbling block than the House. Arguing that the system has developed a self-correcting impulse that leads each branch to pull back when it deviates too much from other branches, Mayhew contends that majoritarianism largely characterizes the American system. The wishes of the majority tend to nudge institutions back toward the median voter, as in the instances of legislative districting, House procedural reforms, and term limits for presidents and legislators.

Series Statement

Princeton lectures in politics and public affairs

Uniform Title

Princeton lectures in politics and public affairs.

Subjects

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-214) and index.

Contents

The electoral bases -- President and Congress -- House and Senate I -- House and Senate II -- Reform -- Appendix : sources for Presidential proposals.

Call Number

JFE 15-6973

ISBN

9780691144658 (acid-free paper)
0691144656 (acid-free paper)
9781400838417 (e-book)
140083841X (e-book)

LCCN

2010044113

OCLC

670248563

Author

Mayhew, David R.

Title

Partisan balance : why political parties don't kill the U.S. Constitutional system / David R. Mayhew.

Imprint

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Princeton lectures in politics and public affairs

Princeton lectures in politics and public affairs.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-214) and index.

Research Call Number

JFE 15-6973

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