"Horses in Midstream" breaks the mold of midterm election
literature by focusing on the consequences of midterm elections
rather than on the causes of the anti-administration pattern of
those elections. The book concludes that the midterm pattern has
two primary consequences: it stymies the President and provides an
opportunity for the revitalization of the opposition party--and
that numerical losses by the President's party is really only a
small part of the equation. Consequently, midterm elections can be
considered an additional check in the U.S. political system, acting
as a mechanism that helps to assure rough two party balance.
In examining the historical results from midterm elections dating
back to 1894 and extending to the surprising result of 1994 and
1998, Busch has uncovered seven consistent ways in which the
president and his party are harmed by midterm elections. These
elections unfavorably alter the composition of congress, both
between the parties and within the President's own party; they
deprive the President of the plebiscitary power derived from his
original electoral mandate; they give an intangible sense of
momentum to the opposition party, leading to renewed opportunities
for the opposition to put forward new leaders and to develop
winning issues; they exacerbate splits within the President's own
party; and they provide the opposition party with expanded
party-building opportunities at the state level. Busch also places
the midterm elections into four categories: "preparatory" midterms,
which contribute to a subsequent change in party control of the
Presidency; "calibrating" midterms in which voters slow but do not
reverse extraordinary periods of Presidentially-driven change;
"normal" midterms when midterm elections stymie the President
without contributing to a White House takeover; and the rare
"creative exceptions" when an administration escapes the midterm
curse at the polls and find themselves invigorated rather than
weakened. Busch's new approach to midterm elections, his well
supported conclusions, and his clear, consistent style will
certainly be of interest to political scientists and will translate
well to the classroom.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!