Deadlock and disillusionment : American politics since 1968 / Gary W. Reichard.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reichard, Gary W., 1943- author.

Series:

American history series (Arlington Heights, Ill.)

The American history series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Politics and government--1945-1989.

United States.

Politics and government.

United States--Politics and government--1989-.

United States--History--20th century.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

x, 367 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chichester, West Sussex, UK ; Malden, MA, USA : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2016.

Summary:

Polarization, divisiveness, and dysfunction are defining features of early twenty-first-century American politics. With no apparent and in sight, we well might ask: How did we get here? In Deadlock and Disillusionment: American Politics since 1968, Gary Reichard explores the politics and policy debates, from the Nixon administration to the waning days of the Obama presidency, that have shaped the present-day political landscape. Rejecting the conventional wisdom that the recent political era has been characterized by the rise and primacy of the political right, Reichard shows, in this latest volume in the distinguished American History Series, how recent decades have been characterized by a hardening deadlock between the major parties and increasing disillusionment in the electorate. Initial chapters take us from Nixon's cynical "Southern strategy" and the emergent Republican majority, to the Watergate scandal and its aftermath, up through the abandonment of idealism in the late 1970s. Themes explored in the 1980s include the rise of right-wing politics, culture wars, and Reaganomics, followed by a look at the very real costs of "trickle down" economics. Reichard then traces the deepening divide of the final decade of the twentieth century by exploring such issues as the illusion of a liberal revival, the quest for a post-Cold War foreign policy, and the crises of the Clinton presidency. Coverage of the polarizing politics of the early years of the new millennium includes the divisive resolution of Bush v. Gore and partisan battles over the war on terrorism. The concluding chapter explores partisanship since 2008 by looking at the politics of hope, government by dysfunction, and the trench warfare that is contemporary politics. Timely and thought-provoking, Deadlock and Disillusionment offers illuminating insights into the roots and evolution of the near-permanent state of gridlock that has come to define America's contemporary political ear. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 The Politics of Cynicism, 1968-1974 5

The Shaping of a New Majority 7

Conservatism as Reform 16

The Politics of War and Détente 19

Watergate and Us Aftermath 30

2 The Futility of Moderation, 1974-1976 43

The Politics of Forgiveness 44

President as Political Prisoner 48

Detente Derailed 53

3 Dashed Hopes, 1976-1980 60

Fractured Majority 61

Threading the Needle 73

The Abandonment of Idealism 78

4 Dogma and (More) Disappointment, 1980-1988 89

The Rise of the Right 90

Reaganomics 96

Culture Wars and Party Politics 107

Reagan's World 117

5 Squandering the Inheritance, 1988-1992 136

Succession by Hardball 137

The Bills Come Due 144

New World (Dis)Order 153

6 The Deepening Divide, 1992-2000 171

The Illusion of Liberal Revival 172

The Politics of Triangulation 187

Quest for a Post-Cold War Foreign Policy 200

Crises of the Clinton Presidency 212

7 The Politics of Polarization, 2000-2008 221

Ultimate Deadlock: Bush v. Gore 222

The Politics of Anti-terrorism 233

Imagined Mandate 248

The Politics of Certitude 262

8 The Politics of Red and Blue, since 2008 277

The Politics of Hope 279

Government by Dysfunction 296

The Politics of Trench Warfare 315.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Reichard, Gary W., 1943- author. Deadlock and disillusionment.

ISBN:

9781118934340

1118934342

9781118934357

1118934350

OCLC:

929586100