Crackup: The Republican Implosion and the Future of Presidential Politics

The Republican Party fractured into uncompromising groups with irreconcilable demands due to changes in campaign finance laws and the proliferation of mass media. Samuel Popkin's book "Crackup" argues that moving money outside the political parties fueled the rise of single-issue advocacy groups and Super PACs funded by billionaires with pet issues, allowing self-promoting politicians to undermine colleagues. Donald J. Trump took advantage of the party's inability to do anything for Republican voters struggling with economic decline, and lone-wolf figures like Ted Cruz are inevitable given the new rules of the game. Unless the system for financing elections changes, we will continue to see opportunists emerge to block intra-party compromise.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 11 November 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

In his book "Crackup: The End of the Republican Party as We Know It," renowned American political scholar Samuel Popkin delves into the intricate dynamics that led to the fragmentation of the Republican Party into uncompromising factions with divergent demands. The advent of changes in campaign finance laws and the proliferation of mass media played a pivotal role in enabling newly energized groups to split the party. The 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill, intended to weaken the influence of big corporations and strengthen political parties by curtailing corporate donations, had the unintended consequence of weakening legislative leaders and rendering bipartisanship a taboo term.

According to Popkin, the move of money outside the traditional political parties fueled the rise of single-issue advocacy groups and Super PACs, which were funded by billionaires with specific pet issues. This enabled self-promoting politicians to employ tactics once reserved for disrupting the opposing party, undermining their colleagues and blocking compromises on critical issues such as immigration and healthcare.

One notable figure who capitalized on the Republican Party's inability to address the concerns of struggling Republican voters was Ted Cruz. With his oratorical skills and intellectual prowess, Cruz effectively promoted himself at the expense of the party, mobilizing other obstructionists in Congress and blocking compromises on immigration and healthcare. Donald J. Trump, another prominent figure, emerged as a candidate who promised to bring about radical change and fulfill the unrealistic promises of his supporters.

Popkin's book offers a novel structural explanation for why the GOP ended up with Trump as their standard bearer. It forces readers to examine the deeper forces that were set in motion over a decade ago and highlights the inevitability of lone-wolf figures like Cruz in the new political landscape. Unless the system for financing political campaigns is reformed, we can expect to see more individuals like Cruz emerge and further divide the Republican Party.

Weight: 662g
Dimension: 164 x 243 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780190913823