Thomas E. Mann Quotes

25 quotes in 502 categories

• The increase in straight-ticket party voting in recent years means that competitive congressional races can tip one way or the other depending on the showing…
• America is an outlier in the world of democracies when it comes to the structure and conduct of elections.
• The public's evaluation of the job George W. Bush is doing as president changed dramatically as a result of the horrific attacks of September 11…
• Votes in federal elections are cast and counted in a highly decentralized and variable fashion, with no uniform ballots and few national standards.
• While Republican voters have remained universally supportive of their President, Democrats and Independents are returning to a more naturally critical stance.
• With the parties at virtual parity and the ideological gulf between them never greater, the stakes of majority control of Congress are extremely high.
• Congress requires states to draw single-member districts.
• But presidential approval also became a surrogate measure of national unity and patriotism.
• First, his job approval ratings have been trending down for many months, a trend that has accelerated in recent weeks as the war on terrorism…
• In the House, Republican prospects have been buoyed by several successful rounds of redistricting, which have sharply reduced the number of competitive seats and given…
• A healthy degree of party unity among Democrats and Republicans has deteriorated into bitter partisan warfare.
• In addition to the decline in competition, American politics today is characterized by a growing ideological polarization between the two major political parties.
• Responsibility for overseeing the implementation of election law typically resides with partisan officials, many with public stakes in the election outcome.
• All of this suggests that while citizens became more comfortable with President Bush after September 11 and thought him to have the requisite leadership skills,…
• Further-more, partisan attachments powerfully shape political perceptions, beliefs and values, and incumbents enjoy advantages well beyond the way in which their districts are configured.
• Redistricting is a deeply political process, with incumbents actively seeking to minimize the risk to themselves (via bipartisan gerrymanders) or to gain additional seats for…
• Presidents are elected not by direct popular vote but by 538 members of the Electoral College.
• Partisanship particularly increased after the 1994 elections and then the appearance of the first unified Republican government since the 1950s.
• Party and ideology routinely trump institutional interests and responsibilities. Regular order - the set of rules, norms and traditions designed to ensure a fair and…
• Incumbency adds a layer of advantage on top of this party dominance. But rather than foster an environment in which members of Congress feel free…

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