Politics to the Extreme

To overcome the political deadlock that overshadows the pressing problems facing the United States, the academies top scholars address the causes and consequences of polarization in American politics, and suggest solutions for bridging the partisan divide.

Foreword; Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein Introduction; Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q Kelly PART I: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF PARTISAN POLARIZATION 1. Appropriations to the Extreme: Partisanship and the Power of the Purse; Geoffrey W. Buhl, Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q Kelly 2. The Gingrich Senators, the Tea Party Senators, and Their Effect on the U. S. Senate; Sean Theriault 3. The Weaponization of Congressional Oversight: The Politics of the Watchful Eye, 1947-2010; David C. W. Parker and Matthew Dull 4. Party Polarization, Member Incivility, and Legislative Productivity: A Two-Dimensional Perspective on Conflict and Moderation in Congress; Lawrence C. Dodd and Scot Schraufnagel 5. Let's Play Hardball: Congressional Partisanship in the Television Era; Douglas Harris 6. Profile Politics: Examining Polarization through Congressional Member Facebook Pages; José Marichal 7. Necessary and Damaging: Presidential Base Electoral Strategies and Partisan Polarization; Lara Brown 8. A Polarizing Supreme Court? Judicial Decisions in a Red/Blue America; Kevin J. McMahon PART II: BRIDGING THE PARTISAN DIVIDE 9. Growing Apart: 'Civilista' Attempts to Bridge the Partisan Rift; Frank Mackaman 10. Can Polarization be Mitigated? California's Experiment with the Top-Two Primary; Seth Masket 11. How to Turn Democrats and Republicans into Americans; Mickey Edwards