American Government: Review of US Presidential Election Articles

This essay critically examines the current state of American politics, focusing on the upcoming presidential election and the prevailing political scenario. The student analyzes three articles that discuss the nature of American elections, highlighting the common theme of strong partisanship despite the perceived inadequacy of both major political parties. The essay summarizes the arguments presented in the articles, including the issue of partisanship, the growing political divide, and the impact on voters. The student then provides a critical assessment of the arguments, identifying a potential shortcoming in the analysis. Finally, the essay concludes by posing questions raised by the readings, such as the continued relevance of identity politics and the driving issues that are likely to impact voters in the upcoming elections. The analysis references the Electoral College system and how a few states ultimately decide the fate of the parties. The paper underscores the importance of these topics in understanding the complexities of the American political landscape.

Running head AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
American Government
Student’s name
University
Author’s note:

1
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
The purpose of this present essay is to review scholarly opinions regarding the upcoming
Presidential election and the current political scenario of America. The essay analyses three
pertinent articles that comments on the current nature of American elections, and review their
arguments on the unprecedented state of American politics.
` Although none of the articles aligns with any particular political ideology, the common
point where all of them converge is their dismay over the strong partisanship prevailing in
America, despite of a poor political infrastructure fuelled by the inadequacy of both the
prominent political parties. Azari (2016), in her article published in the Vox magazine, directly
addresses the partisanship issue, while calling out the inefficiency of both the Republicans and
the Democrats without holding back. She observes that there is a shortcoming in the networks
approach that these parties tend to follow, and this has impaled the party organization that
essentially hampers their influence on both party insiders and the public. As a result of such
uncoordination, Azar notes, inexperienced, unqualified, or extreme candidates may rise.
However, she observes, despite of a weak candidacy, America is facing serious partisanship
which is reflected by the increasing gap between Republican and Democrat votes. Azar also
opines that such strong partisanship, with the background of weak party systems, is detrimental
for the nation, as it may result in destabilization of institutions and increased suspicion and
abhorrence for the opposing faction.
Drutman (2017), in his article also addresses this growing political divide and increasing
tension between the participants of the American bi-party system, and its consequences as
reflected on the voters. He maintains that the voters of both the parties in the current scenario are
seem to be prominently divided, while the standpoints of these two parties are going further apart

2
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
day by day. The rift among the voters and the party insiders have made the elections more
unpredictable than ever, as a result of which, Donald Trump has won the 2016 national elections
to everyone’s shock. Steve Kolowich (2016) also noted this growing unpredictability while
reviewing the response attributed to Marty Cohen’s The Party Decides, where has argued that
the party insiders now have the potential to influence presidential elections. Drutman (2017)
observes the Republicans and the Democrats have undertaken two distinct line of approach to
influence their voters, moving away from the traditional economic issues. Trump has visibly
adhered to incite the ‘national identity’ agenda, which has won the populist voters over. In
comparison to Trump, Clinton lost the populist support by big margins, resulting in Trump’s
win.
The growing rift among the American voters is not really ignorable. However, the claim
of political failure in the part of Democrats and the Republicans is not entirely tenable. American
presidential election largely relies on the Electoral College system, where a handful of states
ultimately decide the fate of the parties. This is evident in the case of Donald Trump himself, as
he won over Clinton only by 74 electoral votes, despite losing more than 3 million popular votes
(Jacobson & Sprague, 2020). Hence, the outcome of the election does not necessarily indicate
the entire public attitude.
However, the arguments in these articles present an array of questions for the upcoming
elections. From the nature and trends of electoral campaigns, it is evident that Trump is still a
front runner for the presidential race. Hence, is it valid to claim that identity politics is still a
pertinent issue in this election? If not, what are the driving issues that are likely to make an
impact on the people? Are the conservatives gaining in momentum on the social issues? Will the
difference of opinion regarding liberal economy continue to create gaps in the Democratic camp?

3
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
The nation will have to wait until 2020 election results to see how the changed politics will
answer these questions.

4
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
References
Azari, J. (2016). Weak parties and strong partisanship are a bad combination. Retrieved 31
March 2020, from https://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2016/11/3/13512362/weak-parties-
strong-partisanship-bad-combination
Kolowich, S. (2016). The Life of ‘The Party Decides’. Retrieved 31 March 2020, from
https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Life-of-The-Party/236483
DRUTMAN, L. (2017). Political Divisions in 2016 and Beyond. Retrieved 31 March 2020, from
https://www.voterstudygroup.org/publication/political-divisions-in-2016-and-beyond
Jacobson, L., & Sprague, K. (2020). Why the US uses the Electoral College in presidential
elections. Retrieved 31 March 2020, from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/03/the-us-the-
electoral-college-in-presidential-elections.html