The Nationalization of Congressional Politics

This book examines the consequences of nationalization for members of Congress and the voters they represent. Constituents have come to evaluate their elected representatives on the basis of their national policy records. Although the public expects the government to tackle important problems, many of the most engaged voters are also the most uncompromising—a fact that carries important legislative implications. During campaigns, candidates reflect these expectations back to voters by emphasizing broad policy issues that are largely divorced from local conditions. Meanwhile, officeholders carefully navigate the legislative process to avoid provoking national policy activists in and outside the district. Taken together, the book's study of mass opinion and elite behavior shows how the nationalization of U.S. politics creates a legislative conundrum for Congress. The impulse to focus on national policy and a refusal to compromise one's "values" are often incompatible goals, resulting in legislative gridlock with little hope for relief. Travis M. Johnston is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He served as committee staff for the Senate's Heath, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. His work appears in PS: Politics and Political Science, Studies in American Political Development, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Punishment and Society, Review of Higher Education, among others.