Bipartisanship in a Polarized Age

Bipartisanship in a Polarized Age
Author: Jordan Tama
Publisher:
Total Pages: 24
Release: 2014
Genre:
ISBN:

Rising partisanship and ideological polarization are defining features of contemporary American politics, but relatively little attention has been given to how this growing polarization and partisanship are affecting U.S. foreign policy making. I argue that foreign policy bipartisanship still occurs with some frequency because many foreign policy issues do not break down along partisan ideological lines, and lawmakers of both parties tend to see the world differently than the president. I apply my argument to the issue of foreign policy sanctions - an issue on which Congressional Republicans and Democrats often favor highly punitive measures that are resisted by the president. My analysis of three recent major U.S. sanctions debates shows that bipartisan majorities in Congress have driven the enactment of strict human rights and nonproliferation sanctions concerning Russia and Iran, and have nearly succeeded in sanctioning China for its currency policies - even though the president has resisted these laws and bills in whole or in significant part. The analysis demonstrates that foreign policy bipartisanship remains alive; that Congress remains capable of challenging the president successfully on important foreign policy issues; and that congressional activism on sanctions issues is motivated not only by interest group pressure, but also by ideational differences in the foreign policy approaches of lawmakers and the president.

Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy

Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy
Author: Jordan Tama
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2023-09-08
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0197745660

In an era of ever-increasing polarization in the US Congress, American foreign policy remains marked by frequent bipartisanship. In Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy, Jordan Tama shows that, even as polarization in American politics reaches new heights, Democrats and Republicans in Washington continue to cooperate on important international issues. Looking closely at congressional voting patterns and recent debates over military action, economic sanctions, international trade, and foreign policy spending, Tama reveals that bipartisanship remains surprisingly common when US elected officials turn their attention overseas. Yet bipartisanship today rarely involves complete unity. Instead, bipartisan coalitions spanning members of both parties often coexist with intra-party divisions or disagreement between Congress and the president, making it difficult for the United States to speak with one voice on the global stage. Drawing on new data and interviews of more than 100 foreign policy practitioners, this book documents the persistence of bipartisanship on international issues and highlights key factors that facilitate or impede cooperation on foreign policy challenges.

A Divided Union

A Divided Union
Author: Dario Moreno
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2020-10-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000216535

A Divided Union delves deep into ten pressing political challenges that former US Representatives Patrick Murphy (D) and David Jolly (R) have identified over their multiple terms in Congress and that continue to plague the American electorate today. In an introduction describing their unique paths to Congress, Murphy and Jolly focus in detail on key institutional barriers they faced in Washington in attempting to do the job voters elected them to do. They introduce us to geographic challenges, demographic change, a polarized media, gerrymandering, the role of money in politics, the structure of primary elections, and several other aspects of political life on Capitol Hill. The core of the book is original analysis by experts who tackle these topics in a manner relevant to both the seasoned political science student as well as the general reader. From the commercials we see on TV to the city council districts in which we live, these concerns shape every facet of our public lives and are distilled here in a careful synthesis of years of experience and research. Contributors include former federal elected officials, political science professors, members of the press, and scholars immersed in their fields of study. While other textbooks may examine similar issues, few have been edited by former members of the U.S. House who have walked the halls of Congress and directly experienced political dysfunction at so many levels – and are willing to address it. A Divided Union is appropriate for all political science students as well as the general public frustrated and alarmed by political gridlock.

The Limits of Party

The Limits of Party
Author: James M. Curry
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2020-10-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 022671649X

To many observers, Congress has become a deeply partisan institution where ideologically-distinct political parties do little more than engage in legislative trench warfare. A zero-sum, winner-take-all approach to congressional politics has replaced the bipartisan comity of past eras. If the parties cannot get everything they want in national policymaking, then they prefer gridlock and stalemate to compromise. Or, at least, that is the conventional wisdom. In The Limits of Party, James M. Curry and Frances E. Lee challenge this conventional wisdom. By constructing legislative histories of congressional majority parties’ attempts to enact their policy agendas in every congress since the 1980s and by drawing on interviews with Washington insiders, the authors analyze the successes and failures of congressional parties to enact their legislative agendas. ? Their conclusions will surprise many congressional observers: Even in our time of intense party polarization, bipartisanship remains the key to legislative success on Capitol Hill. Congressional majority parties today are neither more nor less successful at enacting their partisan agendas. They are not more likely to ram though partisan laws or become mired in stalemate. Rather, the parties continue to build bipartisan coalitions for their legislative priorities and typically compromise on their original visions for legislation in order to achieve legislative success.

Opting Out of Congress

Opting Out of Congress
Author: Danielle M. Thomsen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 219
Release: 2017-05-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1316878449

This book provides a candidate entry explanation for partisan polarization in Congress. Danielle M. Thomsen draws on quantitative data to show that ideological moderates are less likely to run for and remain in Congress than those at the extremes. The book introduces a party fit argument for why moderates have opted out of congressional politics. It suggests that the personal and professional benefits of congressional service have diminished for liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats as the parties have drifted apart. Although the political center has long been deemed a coveted position in the legislature, it is now a lonely and lowly place to be. Opting Out of Congress argues that partisan polarization is unlikely to diminish if ideological moderates do not run for office, and reformers who seek to restore bipartisanship in Congress must consider how to encourage moderates to launch congressional candidacies.

Solutions to Political Polarization in America

Solutions to Political Polarization in America
Author: Nathaniel Persily
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2015-04-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107087112

This volume assembles several top analysts of American politics to focus on solutions to polarization.

Is Bipartisanship Dead?

Is Bipartisanship Dead?
Author: Laurel Harbridge
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2015-03-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1107079950

Examines the extent to which bipartisan agreement in the House of Representatives has declined since the 1970s.

Red and Blue Nation?

Red and Blue Nation?
Author: Pietro S. Nivola
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2008-04-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0815760787

A Brookings Institution Press and the Hoover Institution publication America's polarized politics are largely disconnected from mainstream public preferences. This disconnect poses fundamental dangers for the representativeness and accountability of government, as well as the already withering public trust in it. As the 2008 presidential race kicks into gear, the political climate certainly will not become less polarized. With important issues to address—including immigration policy, health care, and the funding of the Iraq war—it is critical that essential policies not be hostage to partisan political battles. Building upon the findings of the first volume of Red and Blue Nation? (Brookings, 2006), which explored the extent of political polarization and its potential causes, this new volume delves into the consequences of the gulf between "red states" and "blue states." The authors examine the impact of these political divisions on voter behavior, Congressional law-making, judicial selection, and foreign policy formation. They shed light on hotly debated institutional reform proposals—including changes to the electoral system and the congressional rules of engagement—and ultimately present research-supported policies and reforms for alleviating the underlying causes of political polarization. While most discussion of polarization takes place in separate spheres of journalism and academia, Red and Blue Nation? brings together a unique set of voices with a wide variety of perspectives to enrich our understanding of the issue. Written in a broad, accessible style, it is a resource for anyone interested in the future of electoral politics in America. Contributors include Marc Hetherington and John G. Geer (Vanderbilt University), Deborah Jordan Brooks (Dartmouth College), Martin P. Wattenberg (University of California, Irvine), Barbara Sinclair and Joel D. Aberbach (UCLA), Christopher H. Foreman (University of Maryland), Keith Krehbiel (Stanford University), Sarah A. Binder, Benjamin Wittes, Jonathan Rauch, and William A. Ga

Congress and U. S. Foreign Policy

Congress and U. S. Foreign Policy
Author: Ralph G. Carter
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2021
Genre: United States
ISBN: 9781538151235

Leading scholars in the study of congress and US foreign policy address congress's vital role in determining how and why the US chooses it's international policy agendas. They address key aspects of congressional activism, assertiveness, and acquiescence in an era of divided government and polarized politics.