The Politics of Cultural Differences: Social Change and Voter Mobilization Strategies in the Post-new Deal Period

by Leege, David C.; Wald, Kenneth D.; Krueger, Brian S.; Mueller, Paul D.

• ISBN13: 9781400825400
• ISBN10: 1400825407
• Copyright: 2008-09-02
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

How did Republicans manage to hold the White House through much of the past half century even as the Democratic Party held the hearts of most American voters? The authors of this groundbreaking study argue that they did so by doing what Democrats have also excelled at: triggering psychological mechanisms that deepen cultural divisions in the other party's coalition, thereby leading many of its voters either to choose the opposing ticket or to stay home. The Politics of Cultural Differencesis the first book to develop and carefully test a general theory of cultural politics in the United States, one that offers a compelling new perspective on America's changing political order and political conflict in the post-New Deal period (1960-1996). David Leege, Kenneth Wald, Brian Krueger, and Paul Mueller move beyond existing scholarship by formulating a theory of campaign strategies that emphasizes cultural conflict regarding patriotism, race, gender, and religion. Drawing on National Election Studies data, they find that Republican politicians deployed powerful symbols (e.g., "tax and spend liberals") to channel targeted voters toward the minority party. And as partisanship approached parity in the 1990s, Democratic leaders proved as adept at deploying their own symbols, such as "a woman's right to choose," to disassemble the Republican coalition. A blend of sophisticated theory and advanced empirical tools, this book lays bare the cultural dimensions of American political life.

Table of Contents

Figures and Tables	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Cultural Theory and Recent American Politics
Anomalies of Post-New Deal Politics	p. 3
The Political Mobilization of Cultural Differences	p. 13
General Components of Cultural Theory in Political Conflict	p. 39
Election Rituals, Ideological Movements, and Group Politics	p. 56
Psychological Mechanisms and Campaign Strategies	p. 83
Case Studies of the Political Mobilization of Cultural Differences
Cultural Strains in the New Deal Coalition	p. 101
A Methodology for Assessing Cultural Politics	p. 130
Keeping America Purposeful, Powerful, and Pure	p. 158
Race and the Transformation of the Contemporary Party System	p. 179
Gender, Religion, and the Second Party Transformation	p. 203
Cultural Politics: Some Conclusions and Practical Implications	p. 252
References	p. 271
Index	p. 283
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