11.28.2004
'04 Voting: Realignment -- Or a Tilt? (WashingtonPost.com)
Political Parties Look for Answers
By John F. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page A01
By any measure, President Bush and his fellow Republicans had a good night on Nov. 2. The question now is whether the election results set the GOP up for a good decade -- or more.
As some partisan operatives and political scientists see it, Bush's reelection victory and simultaneous Republican gains in the House and Senate suggest that an era of divided government and approximate parity between the major parties is giving way to an era of GOP dominance. By this light, the Republican advantage on the most important issues of the day -- the fight against terrorism, most of all -- and the party's uncontested control of the federal government leave it in a position to win long-term loyalty among key voter blocs and craft an enduring majority.
If so, 2004 would qualify as what academics call a "realignment election."
(More ... '04 Voting: Realignment -- Or a Tilt? (washingtonpost.com)) ¶ 18:55
By John F. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page A01
By any measure, President Bush and his fellow Republicans had a good night on Nov. 2. The question now is whether the election results set the GOP up for a good decade -- or more.
As some partisan operatives and political scientists see it, Bush's reelection victory and simultaneous Republican gains in the House and Senate suggest that an era of divided government and approximate parity between the major parties is giving way to an era of GOP dominance. By this light, the Republican advantage on the most important issues of the day -- the fight against terrorism, most of all -- and the party's uncontested control of the federal government leave it in a position to win long-term loyalty among key voter blocs and craft an enduring majority.
If so, 2004 would qualify as what academics call a "realignment election."
(More ... '04 Voting: Realignment -- Or a Tilt? (washingtonpost.com)) ¶ 18:55
