When Politicians Attack: Party Cohesion in the MediaFostering a positive brand name is the chief benefit parties provide for their members. They do this both by coordinating their activities in the legislative process and by communicating with voters. Whereas political scientists have generally focused on the former, dismissing partisan communication as cheap talk, this book argues that a party's ability to coordinate its communication has important implications for the study of politics. The macro-level institutional setting of a party's communication heavily influences that party's prospects for cohesive communication. Paradoxically, unified government presents the greatest challenge to unified communication within the president's party. As this book argues, the challenge stems primarily from two sources: the constitutional separation of powers and the intervening role of the news media. In this setting, internal disputes with the president or within the congressional majority are more likely to arise; these disputes are disproportionately likely to be featured by the news media, and stories of intra-party strife become the most credible and damaging type of partisan story. |
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agenda American analysis argue attacks Axiom Barack Obama Baum and Groeling benefit Bill Clinton Bob Dole broadcast Bush Bush’s campaign candidates Clinton CMPA data coding coefficient cohesion communication conflict congressional Democrats congressional party congressional Republicans Contract Contract with America Costly Credibility coverage cross-party dataset difficult divided government election electoral evaluations example fellow partisans figures final find first franchise George W Gingrich Groeling data Hypothesis identified influence intraparty journalists legislative party majority party McDonald’s members of Congress message discipline NAFTA newsworthiness Newt Gingrich nonpresidential party nonpresidential-party criticism nonpresidential-party praise Obama office officials opposing partisan messages party brand name party in Congress party’s Pew Research Center political politicians predictions preferences president presidential approval presidential party presidential-party presidential-party criticism presidential-party praise reflect rhetoric Senate significant significantly sources specific statements stories strategy supermajority Table target unified government viewers vote voters White House World News Tonight
Bibliographic information
| Title | When Politicians Attack: Party Cohesion in the Media Communication, Society and Politics When Politicians Attack: Party Cohesion in the Media, Tim J. Groeling |
| Author | Tim Groeling |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, 2010 |
| ISBN | 0521842093, 9780521842099 |
| Length | 242 pages |
| Subjects | › › Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication Studies Political Science / American Government / General Political Science / General Political Science / Political Process / Political Parties Social Science / Media Studies |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |