Responsible Partisanship?: The Evolution of American Political Parties Since 1950

by Green, John Clifford; Herrnson, Paul S.

• ISBN13: 9780700612178
• ISBN10: 0700612173
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas

Summary

More than fifty years have passed since the American Political Science Association published "Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System, " a controversial report that addressed the lack of national cohesion within the major parties. Although parties have changed a great deal since then, they remain a critical component of American democracy.

While the possibilities and limits of responsible party government have been central topics in the literature since 1950, this book is the first to reassess all aspects of the APSA report. Here a distinguished group of scholars -- among them Charles O. Jones, Barbara Sinclair, Frank J. Sorauf, John Bibby, and Gerald Pomper -- examines the effectiveness, accountability, and relevance of parties to the democratic process.

These articles cover all major relevant topics, focusing on recent changes in laws that govern parties, innovations in party organization, party finance, and the relationships among political consultants and parties. They examine the place of the party in government -- including chapters on the changing

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
The Search for Responsibility	1	(12)
John C. Green
Paul S. Herrnson
In the Spirit of Their Times: ``Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System'' and Party Politics	13	(24)
John Kenneth White
Jerome M. Mileur
Party Development in the Twentieth Century: Laying the Foundations for Responsible Party Government?	37	(24)
John C. Green
Paul S. Herrnson
Election Laws, Court Rulings, Party Rules and Practices: Steps Toward and Away from a Stronger Party Role	61	(22)
L. Sandy Maisel
John F. Bibby
Power, Money, and Responsibility in the Major American Parties	83	(18)
Frank J. Sorauf
Campaign Consultants and Responsible Party Government	101	(20)
David B. Magleby
Kelly D. Patterson
James A. Thurber
The Dream Fulfilled? Party Development in Congress, 1950--2000	121	(20)
Barbara Sinclair
Presidential Leadership in a Government of Parties: An Unrealized Perspective	141	(20)
Charles O. Jones
The Party in the Electorate as a Basis for More Responsible Parties	161	(20)
Herbert F. Weisberg
Toward a More Responsible Two-Party Voter: The Evolving Bases of Partisanship	181	(20)
Gerald M. Pomper
Marc D. Weiner
A Persistent Quest	201	(16)
Leon D. Epstein
About the Authors	217	(4)
References	221	(16)
Index	237