Congress is crippled by ideological conflict. The political parties are more polarized today than at any time since the Civil War. Americans disagree, fiercely, about just about everything, from terrorism and national security, to taxes and government spending, to immigration and gay marriage. Well, American elites disagree fiercely. But average Americans do not. This, at least, was the position staked out by Philip Converse in his famous essay on belief systems, which drew on surveys carried out during the Eisenhower Era to conclude that most Americans were innocent of ideology. In Neither Liberal nor Conservative, Donald Kinder and Nathan Kalmoe argue that ideological innocence applies nearly as well to the current state of American public opinion. Real liberals and real conservatives are found in impressive numbers only among those who are deeply engaged in political life. The ideological battles between American political elites show up as scattered skirmishes in the general public, if they show up at all. If ideology is out of reach for all but a few who are deeply and seriously engaged in political life, how do Americans decide whom to elect president; whether affirmative action is good or bad? Kinder and Kalmoe offer a persuasive group-centered answer. Political preferences arise less from ideological differences than from the attachments and antagonisms of group life.   

Neither Liberal nor Conservative: Ideological Innocence in the American Public (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Politics & Social Sciences

Kalmoe, Nathan P.

Kinder, Donald R.

Politics & Government

University of Chicago Press

Congress is crippled by ideological conflict. The political parties are more polarized today than at any time since the Civil War. Americans disagree, fiercely, about just about everything, from terrorism and national security, to taxes and government spending, to immigration and gay marriage. Well, American elites disagree fiercely. But average Americans do not. This, at least, was the position staked out by Philip Converse in his famous essay on belief systems, which drew on surveys carried out during the Eisenhower Era to conclude that most Americans were innocent of ideology. In Neither Liberal nor Conservative, Donald Kinder and Nathan Kalmoe argue that ideological innocence applies nearly as well to the current state of American public opinion. Real liberals and real conservatives are found in impressive numbers only among those who are deeply engaged in political life. The ideological battles between American political elites show up as scattered skirmishes in the general public, if they show up at all. If ideology is out of reach for all but a few who are deeply and seriously engaged in political life, how do Americans decide whom to elect president; whether affirmative action is good or bad? Kinder and Kalmoe offer a persuasive group-centered answer. Political preferences arise less from ideological differences than from the attachments and antagonisms of group life.

Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Radical partisanship among ordinary Americans is rising, and it poses grave risks for the prospects of American democracy. &nbsp; Political violence is rising in the United States, with Republicans and Democrats divided along racial and ethnic lines that spurred massive bloodshed and democratic collapse earlier in the nation's history.&nbsp;The January 6, 2021 insurrection and the partisan responses that ensued are a vivid illustration of how deep these currents run. How did American politics become so divided that we cannot agree on how to categorize an attack on our own Capitol? For over four years, through a series of surveys and experiments, Nathan P. Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason have been studying radicalism among ordinary American partisans. In this groundbreaking book, they draw on new evidence--as well as insights from history, psychology, and political science--to put our&nbsp;present partisan fractiousness in context and to explain broad patterns of political and social change. Early chapters reveal the scope of the problem, who radical partisans are, and trends over time, while later chapters&nbsp;identify the conditions that partisans say justify violence and test how elections, political violence, and messages from leaders enflame or pacify radical views.&nbsp;Kalmoe and Mason find that&nbsp;ordinary partisanship is far more dangerous than pundits and scholars have recognized. However, these findings are not&nbsp;a forecast of inevitable doom; the current climate also brings opportunities to confront democratic threats head-on and to create a more inclusive politics.&nbsp;Timely and thought-provoking,&nbsp;Radical American Partisanship&nbsp;is vital reading for understanding our current political landscape.

Mason, Lilliana

Radical partisanship among ordinary Americans is rising, and it poses grave risks for the prospects of American democracy. &nbsp; Political violence is rising in the United States, with Republicans and Democrats divided along racial and ethnic lines that spurred massive bloodshed and democratic collapse earlier in the nation's history.&nbsp;The January 6, 2021 insurrection and the partisan responses that ensued are a vivid illustration of how deep these currents run. How did American politics become so divided that we cannot agree on how to categorize an attack on our own Capitol? For over four years, through a series of surveys and experiments, Nathan P. Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason have been studying radicalism among ordinary American partisans. In this groundbreaking book, they draw on new evidence--as well as insights from history, psychology, and political science--to put our&nbsp;present partisan fractiousness in context and to explain broad patterns of political and social change. Early chapters reveal the scope of the problem, who radical partisans are, and trends over time, while later chapters&nbsp;identify the conditions that partisans say justify violence and test how elections, political violence, and messages from leaders enflame or pacify radical views.&nbsp;Kalmoe and Mason find that&nbsp;ordinary partisanship is far more dangerous than pundits and scholars have recognized. However, these findings are not&nbsp;a forecast of inevitable doom; the current climate also brings opportunities to confront democratic threats head-on and to create a more inclusive politics.&nbsp;Timely and thought-provoking,&nbsp;Radical American Partisanship&nbsp;is vital reading for understanding our current political landscape.

With Ballots and Bullets: Partisanship and Violence in the American Civil War

What happens when partisanship is pushed to its extreme? In With Ballots and Bullets, Nathan P. Kalmoe combines historical and political science approaches to provide new insight into the American Civil War and deepen contemporary understandings of mass partisanship. The book reveals the fundamental role of partisanship in shaping the dynamics and legacies of the Civil War, drawing on an original analysis of newspapers and geo-coded data on voting returns and soldier enlistments, as well as retrospective surveys. Kalmoe shows that partisan identities motivated mass violence by ordinary citizens, not extremists, when activated by leaders and legitimated by the state. Similar processes also enabled partisans to rationalize staggering war casualties into predetermined vote choices, shaping durable political habits and memory after the war's end. Findings explain much about nineteenth century American politics, but the book also yields lessons for today, revealing the latent capacity of political leaders to mobilize violence.

History

Americas

Cambridge University Press

Product Description What happens when partisanship is pushed to its extreme? In With Ballots and Bullets, Nathan P. Kalmoe combines historical and political science approaches to provide new insight into the American Civil War and deepen contemporary understandings of mass partisanship. The book reveals the fundamental role of partisanship in shaping the dynamics and legacies of the Civil War, drawing on an original analysis of newspapers and geo-coded data on voting returns and soldier enlistments, as well as retrospective surveys. Kalmoe shows that partisan identities motivated mass violence by ordinary citizens, not extremists, when activated by leaders and legitimated by the state. Similar processes also enabled partisans to rationalize staggering war casualties into predetermined vote choices, shaping durable political habits and memory after the war's end. Findings explain much about nineteenth century American politics, but the book also yields lessons for today, revealing the latent capacity of political leaders to mobilize violence. Review ''Vote as you shot,' Republican politicos urged Union soldiers and veterans during and after the Civil War. And they did, as Nathan Kalmoe demonstrates with new data and innovative methodology in this important book. Republicans mobilized ballots as well as bullets against Northern as well as Southern Democrats in a war characterized by violent partisan conflict on both the home front and battle front.' James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom'This is an extraordinarily timely book for both contemporary American politics and the study of political science. Kalmoe’s framing of the Civil War as a fundamentally partisan conflict draws our attention - rightfully- to the span of forms that partisan conflict takes, from contesting free and fair elections in which citizens are offered clear choices for representation, to the refusal to recognize legitimate democratic outcomes and the turn to violent resistance. Kalmoe masterfully integrates party theory, history, and a truly impressive range of historical data. The result is an important advance in our understanding of American partisanship both historically and in modern times.' Christina Wolbrecht, University of Notre Dame'On September 29, 2019, Donald Trump, quoting a Southern Baptist preacher, warned that his impeachment and removal from office would cause a ‘Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal.’ Nathan Kalmoe asks us to explore what, in fact, partisan civil war actually looks like when soldiers fight the way they vote. As his meticulous analysis of data drawn from the American Civil War demonstrates, party organizations can generate strong partisan identities that can lead men - millions of men - to kill one another.' Richard Franklin Bensel, Gary S. Davis Professor, Cornell University'With Ballots and Bullets is an impressive and vitally important piece of scholarship. Kalmoe offers an array of compelling evidence to show that party elites in the North and South used people’s attachments to the political parties to whip up support for the Civil War and this had far ranging consequences - from influencing how people voted to how they fought. Kalmoe demonstrates that modern day theories of partisanship help explain the behavior of American voters 160 years ago.' Kevin Arceneaux, Thomas J. Freaney, Jr. Professor of Political Science, Temple University'With Ballots and Bullets is an important book which advances a provocative and timely thesis. Kalmoe reexamines support for the Civil War in the north and argues that the conflict was fueled by partisan animosity. From his perspective, the war was fought in part over the issue of slavery but its flames were fanned by northern partisan leaders. Kalmoe makes his case through painstaking analysis of partisan newspaper content, voluntary enlistment, desertion, and death rates, and state and county vote records. The book challe

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kalmoe, Nathan P.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kalmoe, Nathan P.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kalmoe, Nathan P.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Neither Liberal nor Conservative: Ideological Innocence in the American Public (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Neither Liberal nor Conservative: Ideological Innocence in the American Public (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

With Ballots and Bullets: Partisanship and Violence in the American Civil War

With Ballots and Bullets: Partisanship and Violence in the American Civil War