Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America

Abstract

Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America puts ideology front and center in the discussion of party coalition change. Treating ideology as neither a nuisance nor a given, the analysis describes the development of the modern liberal and conservative ideologies that form the basis of our modern political parties. Hans Noel shows that liberalism and conservatism emerged as important forces independent of existing political parties. These ideologies then reshaped parties in their own image. Modern polarization can thus be explained as the natural outcome of living in a period, perhaps the fi rst in our history, in which two dominant ideologies have captured the two dominant political parties.

Competing for the platform

“…We also speak to ongoing concerns raised in popular literature about the corruptive power of wealthy groups on political action. Our results are consistent with recent evidence that shows ideas precede parties (Noel 2014) and our findings dampen heightened anxiety that 4 political parties are purchased by highest bidders. Instead, we show that loyalty to a party gains more attention than absolute dollars.…”

“…More recent research re-conceptualizes this framework by acknowledging that political parties are ultimately, at least in part, comprised of organized interests (Bawn et al 2012;Cohen et al 2008;Karol 2009;Noel 2014). In this view parties are loose coalitions of intense policy demanders who seek some common goal (Masket 2016).…”

“…(Noel 2014) argues that parties and ideologies are distinct but related phenomena, where 'parties 5 choose the 'who' that they unite by considering what those people want' (24). Ultimately, a party's primary objective is to maximize the number of seats won in a given election.…”

“…A group might also credibly threaten to exit a two-party system, either by not voting, or by voting for a third party. These organized groups of ideological thinkers have little reason to compromise (Noel 2014 elections. This process is fluid, and results in party coalitions that change between election cycles.…”

Do People Naturally Cluster into Liberals and Conservatives?

“…The Democratic and Republican parties hold long-standing contrasting views on issues pitting economic security for the poor against the interests of business and the wealthy. However, in the past halfcentury, the parties have become divided as well by civil rights for racial and religious minorities, the availability of family planning services, immigration policies, and more (Noel 2013). Though it wasn't always so, the Democratic coalition has become most representative of individuals with liberal views across a wide variety of issues, while the Republican coalition has become most representative of individuals with conservative views across these many issues (Hussey 2012).…”