Combative politics : the media and public perceptions of lawmaking / Mary Layton Atkinson.
2017
P95.82.U6 A86 2017
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Title
Combative politics : the media and public perceptions of lawmaking / Mary Layton Atkinson.
Imprint
Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2017.
Copyright
©2017.
Description
xvi, 211 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Summary
From the Affordable Care Act to No Child Left Behind, politicians often face a puzzling problem: although most Americans support the aims and key provisions of these policies, they oppose the bills themselves. How can this be? Why does the American public so often reject policies that seem to offer them exactly what they want? By the time a bill is pushed through Congress or ultimately defeated, we've often been exposed to weeks, months, even years of media coverage that underscores the unpopular process of policymaking, and Mary Layton Atkinson argues that this leads us to reject the bill itself. Contrary to many Americans' understandings of the policymaking process, the best answer to a complex problem is rarely self-evident, and politicians must weigh many potential options, each with merits and drawbacks. As the public awaits a resolution, the news media tend to focus not on the substance of the debate but on descriptions of partisan combat. This coverage leads the public to believe everyone in Washington has lost sight of the problem altogether and is merely pursuing policies designed for individual political gain.Politicians in turn exacerbate the problem when they focus their objections to proposed policies on the lawmaking process, claiming, for example, that a bill is being pushed through Congress with maneuvers designed to limit minority party input. These negative portrayals become linked in many people's minds with the policy itself, leading to backlash against bills that may otherwise be seen as widely beneficial.
Note
From the Affordable Care Act to No Child Left Behind, politicians often face a puzzling problem: although most Americans support the aims and key provisions of these policies, they oppose the bills themselves. How can this be? Why does the American public so often reject policies that seem to offer them exactly what they want? By the time a bill is pushed through Congress or ultimately defeated, we've often been exposed to weeks, months, even years of media coverage that underscores the unpopular process of policymaking, and Mary Layton Atkinson argues that this leads us to reject the bill itself. Contrary to many Americans' understandings of the policymaking process, the best answer to a complex problem is rarely self-evident, and politicians must weigh many potential options, each with merits and drawbacks. As the public awaits a resolution, the news media tend to focus not on the substance of the debate but on descriptions of partisan combat. This coverage leads the public to believe everyone in Washington has lost sight of the problem altogether and is merely pursuing policies designed for individual political gain.Politicians in turn exacerbate the problem when they focus their objections to proposed policies on the lawmaking process, claiming, for example, that a bill is being pushed through Congress with maneuvers designed to limit minority party input. These negative portrayals become linked in many people's minds with the policy itself, leading to backlash against bills that may otherwise be seen as widely beneficial.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Location
RM195
Call Number
P95.82.U6 A86 2017
Language
English
ISBN
9780226441894 hardcover ; alkaline paper
022644189X hardcover ; alkaline paper
9780226441924 paperback ; alkaline paper
022644192X paperback ; alkaline paper
9780226442082 electronic book
022644189X hardcover ; alkaline paper
9780226441924 paperback ; alkaline paper
022644192X paperback ; alkaline paper
9780226442082 electronic book
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