Agreeing to Disagree: Agenda Content and Senate Partisanship, 1981–2004

Abstract

This article presents evidence that the recent increase in partisanship in Senate roll‐call voting is partly due to changes in the content of the Senate agenda. The analysis draws on an original dataset classifying Senate roll‐call votes from 1981 to 2004 according to substantive issue content. Over the past two decades, the types of issues that were most divisive along partisan lines in earlier periods became progressively more prominent on the Senate roll‐call agenda. Even when one controls for the effects of other electoral and institutional factors, one finds that the shifting agenda notably contributed to the rise in Senate partisanship.

Dynamic Elite Partisanship: Party Loyalty and Agenda Setting in the US House

“…of interest. Moreover, it has also been shown that variation in party cohesion is related to changes in the issue content of the agenda (Lee, 2008), and so we likewise include dummy variables (Issue Type Fixed Effects) for the 19 major topic categories identified by the Policy Agendas Project. 11…”

Presidential Proposals in Congress

“…In "Agreeing to Disagree: Agenda Content and Senate Partisanship", Frances Lee (2008b) argues that the shifting agenda in Congress has resulted in an increase in Senate partisanship, and argues this by analyzing the issues that made it onto the Senate roll-call agenda from 1981-2004 (p. 199). This "institutionalization" of parties in Congress has promoted non-decisions in the legislative process (Lee, 2008b, p. 202).…”

“…This "institutionalization" of parties in Congress has promoted non-decisions in the legislative process (Lee, 2008b, p. 202). According to Lee's (2008b) methodology, economic issues in the Senate are much more polarizing than many other issues, and have become more prominent on the Senate agenda (p. 205). Lee (2008b) cites statistical data that points to conservative Republicans supporting measures that limit the government's share of the economy, which includes healthcare related policy areas such as social security, Medicare, and a number of other "privatization initiatives" (p. 207).…”

“…According to Lee's (2008b) methodology, economic issues in the Senate are much more polarizing than many other issues, and have become more prominent on the Senate agenda (p. 205). Lee (2008b) cites statistical data that points to conservative Republicans supporting measures that limit the government's share of the economy, which includes healthcare related policy areas such as social security, Medicare, and a number of other "privatization initiatives" (p. 207). Over the time period in which she studies, Lee (2008b) informs readers that blanket economic issues have become 55% more prominent on the Senate agenda, and that the two parties battle the most over "economic issues of taxation, redistributive social programs, economic regulations, and the government's share of the economy (pp.…”

“…In terms of presidential proposals, Lee (2008b) argues that "if senators take into account how their votes will affect the president's and their own party's image, then presidential agenda items are likely to spark higher levels of partisanship" and that the "distance between the two parties is likely to be greater on each of these types of votes" (p. 213). While the words of Lee provide an applicable guidebook for the legislative fortunes of the ACA, its applicability to the HSA is comparatively limited, which is a shortcoming that will be addressed in the hypothesis section of this research design.…”