In Defense of Partisanship

by Julian E. Zelizer

Overview

“Contravening conventional wisdom, Zelizer offers a spirited defense of parties and partisanship.” —Frances Lee, Princeton University

Partisanship is a dirty word in American politics. If there is one issue on which almost everyone in our divided country seems to agree, it’s the belief that the intense loyalty within the electorate toward Democrats and Republicans is the source of our democratic ills—division, dysfunction, distrust, and disinformation. The possibilities that responsible partisanship can offer were at the heart of an important intellectual tradition that flourished in the 1950s and 1960s, one which was institutionalized through a sweeping set of congressional reforms in the 1970s and 1980s.

In Defense of Partisanship reimagines what partisanship might look like going forward from today. A new era of party-oriented reforms has the potential to pay respect to the deep differences that divide us—simultaneously creating a more functional path on which two responsible political parties compete to shape policy while still being able to govern.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798987053683
Publisher:	Columbia Global Reports
Publication date:	01/14/2025
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Julian E. Zelizer is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton Universityand a columnist for Foreign Policy. He also publishes a Substack newsletter called The Long View. Zelizer is the author and editor of numerous books, most recently Myth America and Burning Down the House. He lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Tracing the Democratic and the Republican Parties from their births through the congressional reforms of the nineteen-seventies, Zelizer dissects what has gone wrong and provides a clear and accessible blueprint for further changes.” —New Yorker

“[A] short, but timely, scholarly treatise.” —East Hampton Star

“This useful and timely study can serve as a textbook for American government courses and for politically engaged citizens.” —Library Journal

“Contravening conventional wisdom, Zelizer offers a spirited defense of parties and partisanship. Rather than futile attempts to reverse polarization, In Defense of Partisanship advocates for political and institutional reforms to channel partisan impulses toward more democratically accountable policymaking.” —Frances Lee, professor of politics and public affairs, Princeton University

“Julian Zelizer has long been one of America’s best political historians, and this fascinating little book about the evolution of US parties and the fierce battle between them today contains more wisdom than any other volume on the subject. Anyone who cares about the past and future of our public life should read it—and politicians should take his ideas for how to reform the system to heart.” —Michael Kazin, author of What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party and professor of history, Georgetown University

“Julian Zelizer deploys his formidable skills to illuminate what has gone wrong with American democracy and how we might fix it. In Defense of Partisanship is powerful and engaging, and penetrating in its analysis of how well-intentioned Congressional reforms of the 1970s went so awry. Essential reading.” —Gary Gerstle, author of The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era

“How did our politics get so bad? How do we get to a better place? In this fresh, important, and wonderfully accessible book, Zelizer answers the big questions with deep historical knowledge and analytical grace. It gives me hope that ‘responsible partisanship’ and real reform of Congress can prevail.” —Jonathan Alter, author of American Reckoning: Inside Trump’s Trial—and My Own

“As anyone familiar with Julian Zelizer’s books, articles, and broadcasts about American politics already knows, he is one of our foremost public intellectuals. With this book, he turns his rigorous scholarship, incisive analysis, and lucid prose to the defense of what he aptly calls ‘responsible partisanship.’ Rather than offer a paean to some imaginary Congressional past, or a cri de coeur of hopelessness about the nation’s present polarization, Zelizer sets forth a plausible, achievable agenda for restoring the most productive kind of party loyalty and organization. Think of this book as a manual for democracy.” —Samuel Freedman, author of Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights

“This book is instantly essential. Too many commentators bewail our hyperpartisan politics. Julian Zelizer does something much better—he explores the long and fascinating history of America’s political parties, explains the current moment, and offers a road map back to sanity.” —Ted Widmer, author of Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington

From the Publisher

12/01/2024

Prolific political historian Zelizer (Princeton Univ.; Burning Down the House), a CNN political analyst and contributor to NPR's Here & Now, addresses the current dysfunctional state of American politics in this concise study of (mainly) the U.S. Congress. Drawing on his earlier work, Zelizer traces the decline of civility in American politics and the prevalence of slash-and-burn tactics in Congress. From Woodrow Wilson's 1885 treatise Congressional Government through influential studies in the 1940s and 1950s, Zelizer lays the groundwork for responsible partisanship. He argues that bold reforms are necessary to reduce polarization and reign in the abnormal legislative practices brought about by Newt Gingrich and the Tea Party and MAGA movements. He also criticizes the aggressive partisan leadership style of Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, as well as Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell. He argues for changes in the federal debt ceiling, the Senate filibuster, the appointment confirmation process, and campaign financing so that Congress can resume a more orderly legislative process. He also advocates for a larger House of Representatives, resulting in smaller congressional districts, which would allow for more citizen participation in government. VERDICT This useful and timely study can serve as a textbook for American government courses and for politically engaged citizens.—Thomas Karel

Library Journal