By Karen M. Kaufmann
Past due deciders opt for the challenger; turnout is helping the Democrats; the gender hole effects from a surge in Democratic choice between women--these and plenty of different myths are typical fare between usual voters, political pundits, or even a few teachers. yet are those traditional wisdoms--familiar to an individual who watches Sunday morning speak shows--really valid?Unconventional knowledge bargains a singular but hugely obtainable synthesis of what we all know approximately American electorate and elections. It not just offers an built-in evaluate of the relevant topics in American politics--parties, polarization, turnout, partisan bias, crusade results, swing citizens, the gender hole, and the adolescence vote--it upends a lot of our basic preconceptions. most significantly, it exhibits that the yank voters is far extra good than we've been ended in think, and that the balloting styles we see this day have deep roots in our heritage. all through, the publication offers finished info on balloting styles; illuminates (and corrects) renowned myths approximately citizens and elections; and info the empirical foundations of traditional wisdoms that many comprehend poorly or on no account. Written through 3 specialists on American politics, Unconventional knowledge serves as either a typical reference and a concise evaluation of the topic. either informative and witty, the e-book is probably going to turn into a typical paintings within the box, crucial analyzing for somebody drawn to American politics.
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Extra info for Unconventional Wisdom: Facts and Myths About American Voters
Example text
6, which provides a graphic representation of this process. The line labeled “competitive” is the average of the vote for John Kennedy and Jimmy Carter. The elections were expected to be competitive and were narrowly won—and not marked by any overwhelming set of issues or popular concerns. The “Good Democratic Year” reports the vote for Lyndon Johnson in 1964, when the popular perception of Barry Goldwater as too conservative led to a Democratic win across the board. The “Good GOP Year” reports the Democratic vote in 1972, when George McGovern was widely viewed as outside the Democratic mainstream.
The elections were expected to be competitive and were narrowly won—and not marked by any overwhelming set of issues or popular concerns. The “Good Democratic Year” reports the vote for Lyndon Johnson in 1964, when the popular perception of Barry Goldwater as too conservative led to a Democratic win across the board. The “Good GOP Year” reports the Democratic vote in 1972, when George McGovern was widely viewed as outside the Democratic mainstream. Americans Hate to Love Their Party, but They Do!
J. Dionne, Washington Post, March 14, 2006 W hile american voters express considerable disdain for the two-party political system, they are still fairly loyal members of their respective parties, as we show in Chapter 2. And while popular election commentary pays relatively little attention to the enduring importance of party identification, journalists and pundits are nonetheless (and somewhat paradoxically) fascinated by the notion that the American electorate has become polarized. Polarization is a hot topic in the media because, from their perspective, it often entails political conflict of the most visceral kind.
