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

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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 Differences is 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.

Reviews

Winner of the 2005 Best Book on Religion and Politics, Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association "The Politics of Cultural Differences provides a compelling account of American electoral politics, and of presidential campaigns specifically, over the last four decades of the twentieth century."--Robert A. Jackson, Social Forces

Author Bio

David C. Leege is Professor of Government and International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He is the principal author of "Rediscovering the Religious Factor in American Politics" and "Political Research Methods". Kenneth D. Wald is Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida and the author of three books, including "Crosses on the Ballot: Patterns of British Voter Alignment since 1885" (Princeton). Brian S. Krueger is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island. Paul D. Mueller is completing his doctoral dissertation in political science at the University of Notre Dame.