“Asymmetric Politics”: A deep dive into the mysterious puzzle of America’s political divide

[applegrove]

“Asymmetric Politics”: A deep dive into the mysterious puzzle of America’s political divide

by Paul Rosenberg at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2016/08/30/asymmetric-politics-a-deep-dive-into-the-mysterious-puzzle-of-americas-political-divide/

SNIP............


The Democratic Party “fosters a relatively pragmatic, results-oriented style of politics in which officeholders are rewarded for delivering concrete benefits to targeted groups in order to address specific social problems,” the authors wrote. In contrast, the Republicans are more prone to “forge partisan ties based on common ideological beliefs, encouraging party officials to pursue broad rightward shifts in public policy.”

Thus, the authors concluded: “Republican voters and activ­ists are more likely than their Democratic counterparts to prize symbolic demonstrations of ideological purity and to pressure their party leaders to reject moderation and compromise.”

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“As Gingrich discovered in his showdown with Clinton, the public’s preference for limited federal power in the abstract often dissipates when voters are confronted with potential cuts to particular services,” the authors wrote. At the same time, they noted that the Democrats can be surprised by the same pattern in reverse: “Clinton’s once-popular goal of implementing universal health insurance failed after Republicans in Congress successfully characterized it as a left-wing scheme to impose government control over the health care system and reduce the freedom of private citizens.”

Both parties would be wise to learn from the authors about the potential for political paralysis that results from their performance in carrying out actions in keeping with their general tendencies. The Democrats finally managed to have Obamacare passed, only to see Republicans sweep to power in the House by running against it and then plunging the government into prolonged gridlock. Republicans found themselves incapable of proposing anything concrete to replace Obamacare with, despite scores of votes to repeal it, and the frustration that was generated as a result disenchanted many GOP voters, opening the way for Trump’s rise.


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[PSPS]

1. "Republicans sweep to power in the House by running against (Obamacare)"

The Democrats finally managed to have Obamacare passed, only to see Republicans sweep to power in the House by running against it and then plunging the government into prolonged gridlock.

Very poor journalism and memory. Republicans took the house solely due to racial gerrymandering. The "prolonged gridlock" was mostly racial in nature. Republicans were "punishing the country" for electing a democrat (and, even worse to them, a 'negro') as president.