Americans, Congress, and democratic responsiveness : public evaluations of Congress and electoral consequences / David R. Jones and Monika L. McDermott.
Voters may not know the details of specific policies, but they have a general sense of how well Congress serves their own interests and how closely politicians pay attention to public approval ratings. The authors show that both politicians and voters take a hand in reconfiguring the House and Senat...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Ann Arbor :
University of Michigan Press,
[2009]
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| Summary: | Voters may not know the details of specific policies, but they have a general sense of how well Congress serves their own interests and how closely politicians pay attention to public approval ratings. The authors show that both politicians and voters take a hand in reconfiguring the House and Senate when the majority party is unpopular, as was the case during the 2008 elections. Candidates who continue to run under the party banner distance themselves from party ideology, while voters throw hard-line party members out of office. In this way, public approval and democratic responsibility directly affect policy shifts and turnovers at election time. Contrary to the common view of Congress as an insulated institution, Congress is indeed responsive to the people of the United States. |
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| Physical Description: | x, 203 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-198) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780472116942 0472116940 |