Polarization, Public Opinion, and the Presidency: The Obama and Anti-Obama Coalitions

Polarization, Public Opinion, and the Presidency: The Obama and Anti-Obama Coalitions

Barack obama's victory in 2008 sparked a brief moment of postelection euphoria during which most Americans celebrated the passing of the George W. Bush administration and the historically remarkable election of an African American president. Democratic partisans had particular reason to celebrate, as their party won enlarged majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives as well as the White House. But if they imagined that these victories, along with the damage the Bush presidency had inflicted on the Republican Party,1 would usher in an era of durable Democratic majorities, the first two years of the Obama administration have proven thoroughly disillusioning. Despite important ...