A Dime

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A Dimes Worth of Difference?

• Party Governance in America

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I. The questions of party governance

• Do parties behave differently once in government?
• In a two-party system, are the two parties really
  all that different?
• Since American parties are weak, do their members
  even follow party lines?

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II. Do parties matter? The Party-Policy
Connection in Congress

• Roll-call votes Behavioral measure of ideology
  (actions instead of words)
• Limited to 109th/110th Congresses (2005-2006 and
  2007-2008)
• Controversial issues only (split is between 40-60
  and 60-40)
• High party unity on these votes (party line)

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A. Foreign Policy Republicans hard-line,
skeptical of international cooperation
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B. Economic Policy Republicans pro-business,
anti-tax, anti-union
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C. Incompatible Values Republicans against Gay
Rights, Abortion, Drugs, Multiculturalism
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D. Social Welfare Republicans willing to limit
or privatize
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E. Environment Republicans less willing to trade
growth/profits for protection
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F. Civil Liberties Issues Party split over which
liberties are sacrosanct
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F. Civil Liberties Issues Party split over which
liberties are sacrosanct
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G. Summary General differences between parties
in Congress

• Republicans favor trade (except Cuba) and
  military expansion, oppose international courts
  and environmental treaties
• Republicans oppose abortion, gay rights,
  government social welfare programs, services to
  nonresidents, services to non-English speaking
• Republicans favor business and higher-income
  workers over lower-income workers or
  environmental protection, and oppose taxes and
  unions
• Republicans seek to expand gun rights and
  property rights but not speech rights or 4th
  Amendment rights
• Democrats are opposite on each of these dimensions

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H. Caveat Party Unity Varies By Representative
(Weak Party Discipline)

• Example Republican Senators from Maine
• Surprise Despite reputation for unity,
  Republican scores are lower than Democrat scores
  in 110th Congress

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III. Parties at the State Level

• Traditional finding State party control has
  little effect on state policy
• Possible explanation State parties adapt to
  voters in the state and move to the center once
  elected.
• Result Policy tends to follow ideology of state
  voters rather than which party controls
  government
• Examples Pro-life Democrats in PA, pro-choice
  Republicans in NY
• Possible exception Highly competitive states
  (single-party states give ruling party no
  incentive to implement policy)

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Findings

• State ideology determines state party positions
• Republicans in liberal states more liberal than
  Democrats in conservative states!

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B. Social Welfare Spending Democrats favor --
when threatened
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IV. Unanswered Questions

• To what extent does ideology predict party
  positions?
• To what extent are divisions between party elites
  mirrored in the general public?
• How do states political cultures and ideologies
  differ?