44 The nature of American politics
We have tried to isolate four main strands of political behaviour in the
electorate, and we shall see in later chapters how these strands continue
right through the political system. Of course the patterns of political behav-
iour are more complicated than this, for in reality sectional, class, pluralistic
and individualistic influences overlap and interact. Each election, each politi-
cal situation, becomes a unique combination of these elements, and we are
faced with an ever-changing panorama of political life, responding to chang-
ing social, economic and strategic forces, internal and external. However,
though in constant change, and although the patterns never repeat them-
selves exactly, there are certain restraints and certain persistent structures
that give continuity and shape to the political system. Constitutional forces,
the electoral system, the party system: these provide the framework within
which more transient political forces work themselves out, and it is to these
that we must now turn our attention.
Further reading
Dahl, R.A. (1967) Pluralist Democracy in the United States: Conflict and Consent, Chicago:
Rand McNally.
Kaufmann, E.P. (2004) The Rise and Fall of Anglo-America, London: Harvard University
Press.
Lawrence, D.G. (2004) California: The Politics of Diversity, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Schlesinger, A.M. Jr (1992) The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society,
New York: Norton.
Wright Mills, C. (2000) The Power Elite, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Websites
One of the glories of the internet is to be able to access the web editions of newspapers
as they are published. The following are fascinating for students of American
politics:
The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com
The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com
The Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com
The Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com