Overview

Why do Republican politicians promise to rein in government, only to face repeated rebellions from Republican voters and media critics for betraying their principles? Why do Democratic politicians propose an array of different policies to match the diversity of their supporters, only to become mired in stark demographic divisions over issue priorities? In short, why do the two parties act so differently-whether in the electorate, on the campaign trail, or in public office?Asymmetric Politics offers a comprehensive explanation: The Republican Party is the vehicle of an ideological movement while the Democratic Party is a coalition of social groups. Republican leaders prize conservatism and attract support by pledging loyalty to broad values. Democratic leaders instead seek concrete government action, appealing to voters' group identities and interests by endorsing specific policies. This fresh and comprehensive investigation reveals how Democrats and Republicans think differently about politics, rely on distinct sources of information, argue past one another, and pursue divergent goals in government. It provides a rigorous new understanding of contemporary polarization and governing dysfunction while demonstrating how longstanding features of American politics and public policy reflect our asymmetric party system.

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9780190626600

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Reviews

Grossmann and Hopkins provide a fresh and incisive analysis of the state of America's party politics. Highly recommended. --CHOICE Not many books change how you think about American politics. This one will. Grossmann and Hopkins' research decisively shows that the two parties are not the same-and once you understand the ways in which they're different, American politics begins to make a lot more sense. --Ezra Klein, Editor-in-Chief, Vox In this detailed and well-argued book, Grossmann and Hopkins present formidable evidence against a still-too-common depiction of American parties, which views their 'polarization' as a consequence of their equivalent march away from some imagined middle. Asymmetric Politics encourages a badly-needed re-examination of the very distinctive internal workings and strategic choices of Democrats and Republicans. --Paul Pierson, John Gross Professor of Political Science, University of California at Berkeley, and co-author of Winner-Take-All Politics This deeply clarifying book not only helps us gain a better grasp of our polarized politics, it also helps to show how the methods of political science can help bridge the gap between the theory and practice of American political life-bringing the former down to earth and lifting the latter toward a more coherent understanding of itself. It is required reading in this confusing time. --Yuval Levin, editor, National Affairs Asymmetric Politics: Ideological Republicans and Group Interest Democrats by political scientists Matt Grossmann and David Hopkins, makes it clear that the two parties are essentially different: The Democratic Party is focused on producing concrete solutions for citizens whereas the Republican Party is obsessed with conservative ideological purity. This is useful for understanding how the nation got to a point of contemplating a possible Donald Trump presidency. -Paul Rosenberg, Salon

Not many books change how you think about American politics. This one will. Grossmann and Hopkins' research decisively shows that the two parties are not the same-and once you understand the ways in which they're different, American politics begins to make a lot more sense. --Ezra Klein, Editor-in-Chief, Vox In this detailed and well-argued book, Grossmann and Hopkins present formidable evidence against a still-too-common depiction of American parties, which views their 'polarization' as a consequence of their equivalent march away from some imagined middle. Asymmetric Politics encourages a badly-needed re-examination of the very distinctive internal workings and strategic choices of Democrats and Republicans. --Paul Pierson, John Gross Professor of Political Science, University of California at Berkeley, and co-author of Winner-Take-All Politics This deeply clarifying book not only helps us gain a better grasp of our polarized politics, it also helps to show how the methods of political science can help bridge the gap between the theory and practice of American political life-bringing the former down to earth and lifting the latter toward a more coherent understanding of itself. It is required reading in this confusing time. --Yuval Levin, editor, National Affairs

Author Information

Matt Grossmann is Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and Associate Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. David A. Hopkins is Assistant Professor of Political Science, Boston College.

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