
The Partisan Sort
How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans
Matthew Levendusky(Author)
University of Chicago Press
Published on 1. December 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-0-226-47365-9 (ISBN)
Description
As Washington elites drifted toward ideological poles over the past few decades, did ordinary Americans follow their lead? In "The Partisan Sort", Matthew Levendusky reveals that we have responded to this trend - but not, for the most part, by becoming more extreme ourselves. While polarization has filtered down to a small minority of voters, it also has had the more significant effect of reconfiguring the way we sort ourselves into political parties. In a marked realignment since the 1970s - when partisan affiliation did not depend on ideology and both major parties had strong liberal and conservative factions - liberals today overwhelmingly identify with Democrats, as conservatives do with Republicans. This 'sorting', Levendusky contends, results directly from the increasingly polarized terms in which political leaders define their parties. Exploring its far-reaching implications for the American political landscape, he demonstrates that sorting makes voters more loyally partisan, allowing campaigns to focus more attention on mobilizing committed supporters. Ultimately, Levendusky concludes, this new link between party and ideology represents a sea change in American politics.
Reviews / Votes
"The Partisan Sort is a very impressive contribution to a couple of highly contested contemporary debates in American politics. Matthew Levendusky offers a compelling explanation of why American voters increasingly align themselves with the 'correct' political party - liberals with Democrats and conservatives with Republicans - and fruitfully draws out the potential implications of this development." - Jeff Manza, New York University"More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
274 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-47365-9 (9780226473659)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Levendusky Matthew Levendusky
Partisan Sort
How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans
E-Book
12/2009
1st Edition
University of Chicago Press
from
€32.49
Available for download
Person
Matthew Levendusky is assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.