Bibliograph

Presidents and parties in the public mind, Gary C. Jacobson

Type

Label

Presidents and parties in the public mind, Gary C. Jacobson

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Presidents and parties in the public mind

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1050144383

Responsibility statement

Gary C. Jacobson

Summary

How is Donald Trump's presidency likely to affect the reputation and popular standing of the Republican Party? Profoundly, according to Gary C. Jacobson. From Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama, every postwar president has powerfully shaped Americans' feelings, positive or negative, about their party. The effect is pervasive, influencing the parties' reputations for competence, their perceived principles, and their appeal as objects of personal identification. It is also enduring, as presidents' successes and failures continue to influence how we see their parties well beyond their time in office. With Presidents and Parties in the Public Mind, Gary C. Jacobson draws on survey data from the past seven administrations to show that the expansion of the executive branch in the twentieth century that gave presidents a greater role in national government also gave them an enlarged public presence, magnifying their role as the parties' public voice and face. As American politics has become increasingly nationalized and president-centered over the past few decades, the president's responsibility for the party's image and status has continued to increase dramatically. Jacobson concludes by looking at the most recent presidents' effects on our growing partisan polarization, analyzing Obama's contribution to this process and speculating about Trump's potential for amplifying the widening demographic and cultural divide. -- ‡c From publisher's description

Table Of Contents

Introduction -- The coevolution of affect toward presidents and parties -- Evaluations of parties and party leaders -- Assessments of party competence -- Cognitive views of parties -- Party identification I: partisan change -- Party identification II: generational imprinting -- Elections -- Polarized parties and the 2016 elections -- Conclusion

Classification