Parties, Polarization, and Democracy in the United States

As evidenced in the 2008 elections and the transition to a new era of Democratic governance, one of the most important developments in American politics in recent years has been the resurgence of political parties. Democrats and Republicans represent different world views and policies, citizens recognize these differences, and many of them use party labels to make sense of the political world. In short, party resurgence rooted in party differences has become one of the central themes in contemporary American politics. Parties, Polarization and Democracy in the United States describes and analyzes the place of political parties in American politics today both among elites and citizens at large. It also examines the effects of party polarization. Many scholars and pundits denounce political polarization; they view it as a symptom of a broken political system that provides unappealing choices for voters and that is frequently mired in deadlock. Baumer and Gold make a different argument that party polarization offers the kind of choice and accountability to voters that was not always present in earlier periods of American political history. The book concludes with a discussion of the 2008 elections and a look toward the 2010 midterms, potentially a partisan watershed for Congress similar to 1994 and 2006. And in an analysis rarely found in works on American politics, Baumer and Gold examine partisan resurgence and polarization in the United States alongside the experiences of other Anglo-American countries. The book concludes with a discussion of the 2008 elections and a look toward the 2010 midterms, potentially another sea change steeped in the partisan divide.