Getting the Donkey Out of the Ditch: The Democratic Party in Search of Itself

(Hardback)

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A pioneering case study of a major political party under extreme strain, Getting the Donkey Out of the Ditch traces in detail what the Democratic Party actually did in the two years immediately following its resounding defeat in the 1980 elections. Caroline Arden argues that in November 1980 the Democratic Party was under the most severe stress it had experienced in this century, brought on not only by the loss of an election but also by the perceived threat of a major party realignment and to the Democrat's long-term status as a majority party. She shows that even though it still had sufficient power, the Democratic Party did not perform a fundamental or effective restoration to a unifying center after the disastrous election, which led in part to the disarray that has characterized the Party during the 1988 primaries.

Reviews

Arden explores efforts undertaken by the Democratic party and its supporters to get the donkey out of the ditch' in the two years following Ronald Reagan's victory in 1980. Drawing upon the writings of well-known political scientists like E.E. Schattschneider and Nelson Polsby, Arden describes the Democrats' search for a new identity and new leaders. Her conclusion that the party lacked a brain' that could sort out the alternatives available to it is overstated. Given the federal character of the US political system, finding such a brain' is futile. However, this is an impressive study of a party searching for its bearings and finding some alternatives. A former assistant professor of library and information science, Arden has compiled an impressive bibliography of books monographs, reports, and journal articles that is of enormous help to researchers of political parties in the 1980s. Recommended for all college and university students.-Choice
"Arden explores efforts undertaken by the Democratic party and its supporters to get the donkey out of the ditch' in the two years following Ronald Reagan's victory in 1980. Drawing upon the writings of well-known political scientists like E.E. Schattschneider and Nelson Polsby, Arden describes the Democrats' search for a new identity and new leaders. Her conclusion that the party lacked a brain' that could sort out the alternatives available to it is overstated. Given the federal character of the US political system, finding such a brain' is futile. However, this is an impressive study of a party searching for its bearings and finding some alternatives. A former assistant professor of library and information science, Arden has compiled an impressive bibliography of books monographs, reports, and journal articles that is of enormous help to researchers of political parties in the 1980s. Recommended for all college and university students."-Choice

Author Bio

CAROLINE ARDEN, formerly an assistant professor of library and information sciences at the Catholic University of America, is an independent consultant to libraries, government, and public policy organizations.