Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T14:12:38.621Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Bridges between Wedges and Frames: Outreach and Compromise in American Political Discourse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2020

ANDREW STARK Open the ORCID record for ANDREW STARK [Opens in a new window]
ANDREW STARK*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
*
Andrew Stark, Professor of Strategic Management and Political Science, University of Toronto, [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Wedges and frames, two much-studied strategies of American political combat, are generally thought to be partisan weapons, meant to manipulate voters into making trade-offs that favor the political actor wielding them. My inquiry here explores whether there exists anything comparably schematic to wedges and frames at work in attempts by American politicians not to polarize but to find consensus, not to cater to extremes but moderate them. Despite the seeming paucity of such efforts in American public discourse, there is one such common and as-yet untheorized scheme, which uses the two issue positions involved in wedges to overcome the ill effects of reframing and the two value dimensions involved in reframing to overcome the ill effects of wedges. I elaborate this discursive structure by examining its presence in a number of American political debates, showing how it differs from other contemporary normative-theoretic frameworks for understanding compromise in American politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 114 , Issue 4 , November 2020 , pp. 1280 - 1296
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Political Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

I am grateful to Simone Chambers, Don Herzog, Melissa Williams, and the APSR editor and reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.

References

Andersen, Arden. 2018. Issues. Retrieved November 12, 2018. http://andersen2018.com/issues/.Google Scholar
Arizona Chamber Foundation. 2013. The Business Case for AHCCCS Expansion. Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved January 12, 2017. https://azbigmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The_Business_Case_for_AHCCCS_Expansion.pdf.Google Scholar
Associated Press. 2017. “Trump Health Subsidy Cuts Will Cost New Jerseyans $166M.” The Seattle Times, October 13.Google Scholar
Badger, Emily. 2011. “Are More Gun Laws for Mentally Ill Off-Target?” Pacific Standard, January 13.Google Scholar
Becker, Bernie. 2016. “Get Transcript’s Grand Return.” Politico, June 8.Google Scholar
Bloomberg, LP. 2011. “Rep. Paul Ryan (R) Wisconsin.” Analyst Wire, May 4.Google Scholar
Bloomberg, Michael. 2003. State of the City Address. Gotham Gazette, January 23. Available at https://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/1670-mayor-michael-bloombergs-2003-state-of-the-city-address.Google Scholar
Botting, Eileen Hunt, and Houser, Sarah L.. 2006. “‘Drawing the Line of Equality’: Hannah Mather Crocker on Women’s Rights.” American Political Science Review 100 (2): 265–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewer, Paul R., and Gross, Kimberly. 2005. “Values, Framing and Citizens’ Thoughts about Policy Issues: Effects on Content and Quantity.” Political Psychology 26 (6): 929–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bridges, Paul W. 2011a. “Why I’m Suing Georgia over Immigration Law.” CNN, June 20. Available at http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/19/bridges.georgia.immigration/index.html.Google Scholar
Bridges, Paul. 2011b. “Georgia Mayor ‘Immigration Law Heinous’.” CNN Video, June 20. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6QG_pm7ddU.Google Scholar
Bridges, Paul. 2011c. “Mountain West Immigration Summit: Mayor Paul Bridges.” Sutherland Institute Video, October 28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRGOitR-3TI.Google Scholar
Bridges, Paul. 2011d. “Paul Bridges: In Conversation with Joelle Chase.” Center for Action and Contemplation, June 28. Retrieved January 6, 2018. http://elbuenpastorlcs.org/clientimages/48943/articles/paul%20bridges%20interview.pd.Google Scholar
Bridges, Paul. 2014a. “Georgia Mayor Stood Up to State’s Anti-Immigrant Law.” The Atlantic, June 3.Google Scholar
Bridges, Paul. 2014b. “Immigration’s Humanitarian Challenges.” JFK Library Video, October 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqEaWgsB3o0.Google Scholar
Brooks, Ryann. 2018. Barnett Lays Out Plan for Kansas. Emporia Gazette, July 26.Google Scholar
Callahan, David. 2013. How the Safety Net Encourages Risk Taking and Spurs Prosperity. Demos, January 22.Google Scholar
Carter, Heather. 2018. “Representative Heather Carter, Senate District 15.” Stand for Children. Retrieved January 4 2019. http://stand.org/heather-carter-senate-district-15.Google Scholar
Casey, Robert P. 1995. “Casey Feels That Democrats Have Vision, but No Voice.” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 21.Google Scholar
Chong, Dennis. 1996. “Creating Common Frames of Reference on Political Issues.” In Political Persuasion and Attitude Change, eds. Mutz, Diana C., Sniderman, Paul M., and Brody, Richard A.. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 195–224.Google Scholar
Chong, Dennis, and Druckman, James N.. 2007. “Framing Theory.” Annual Review of Political Science 10:103–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conard, Edward. 2016. The Upside of Inequality. New York, NY: Penguin.Google Scholar
Cruz, Ted. 2013. “GOP Should Emphasize Economic Opportunity.” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, January 4.Google Scholar
DeMint, Jimet al. 2012. “Time for a Cut, Cap and Balanced Budget.” Politico, March 16.Google Scholar
Dixit, Avinash, and Londregan, John. 1996. “The Determinants of Success of Special Interests in Redistributive Politics.” Journal of Politics 58 (4): 1132–1155.10.2307/2960152CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dryzek, John S., and List, Christian. 2003. “Social Choice Theory and Deliberative Democracy: A Reconciliation.” British Journal of Political Science 33 (1): 1–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dryzek, John S., and Niemeyer, Simon. 2008. “Discursive Representation.” American Political Science Review 102 (4): 481–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emmett, Quin, and Kennedy, Brian Colbert. 2018. “Episode #5: Bob Inglis (Transcript).” Apple Podcasts. Retrieved February 20, 2018. https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast.Google Scholar
Findlay, Steven. 2017. “As Bipartisan Plans for ACA Fixes Emerge, Will Congress Act? Probably Not.” The Health Care Blog, Retrieved August 11, 2017. http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2017/08/11/as-bipartisan-plans-for-aca-fixes-emerge-will-congress-act/.Google Scholar
Finkle, Victoria. 2017. “New House Healthcare Proposal a Mixed Bag for Employers.” EBN, August 10. Retrieved March 8, 2018. https://www.benefitnews.com/news/new-house-healthcare-proposal-a-mixed-bag-for-employers.Google Scholar
Fischer, Frank, and Gottweis, Herbert, eds. 2012. The Argumentative Turn Revisited. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gabrielson, Teena. 2005. “Obstacles and Opportunities: Factors that Constrain Elected Officials’ Ability to Frame Political Issues.” In Framing American Politics, eds. Callahan, Karen and Schnell, Frauke. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 76–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gamson, William. 1992. Talking Politics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Goodin, Robert E. 2008. Innovating Democracy: Democratic Theory and Practice after the Deliberative Turn. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gutmann, Amy, and Thompson, Dennis. 2012. The Spirit of Compromise. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Habermas, Jürgen. 1979. Communication and the Evolution of Society. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Hacker, Jacob S. 2009. “A Strong Safety Net Encourages Healthy Risk-taking.” The American Prospect, April 19.Google Scholar
Hammond, Samuel. 2019. Progressives’ Tall Poppy Syndrome. Niskanen Center, January 11. https://niskanencenter.org/blog/the-70-tax-and-progressives-tall-poppy-syndrome-ocasio-cortez/Google Scholar
Hawkesworth, Mary. 2003. “Congressional Enactments of Race-Gender: Toward a Theory of Raced-Gendered Institutions.” American Political Science Review 97 (4): 529–550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hicks, Brian. 1998. “Hollings, Inglis Play Hardball.” The Post and Courier, October 20.Google Scholar
Hillygus, D. Sunshine, and Shields, Todd. 2008. The Persuadable Voter. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Himes, Jim. 2017. “Democrats and Republicans Now Have Chance to Work Together to Improve the ACA.” The Hill, September 27.Google Scholar
Hochschild, Arlie Russell. 2016. Strangers in Their Own Land. New York, NY: New Press.Google Scholar
Holahan, John J., and Blumberg, Linda J.. 2017. Instead of ACA Repeal and Replace Fix It , Washington, DC: Urban Institute, January 16.Google Scholar
Holloway, Kali. 2017. “6 Gun Groups That Aren’t for White Right-wingers.” Salon, September 3.Google Scholar
Ihlenfeld, William. 2018. “Issue Position: Fighting Back Against Opioids.” Vote Smart. Retrieved January 1, 2018. https://votesmart.org/public-statement/1303128/issue-position-fighting-back-against-opioids#.XFY9WFxKg2w.Google Scholar
Inglis, Bob, and Laffer, Arthur. 2008. “An Emissions Plan Conservatives Could Warm To.” New York Times, December 27.Google Scholar
Inglis, Bob. 2018. “Carbon Tax Could Grow the Economy, Be Fair to the Poor and Fix Climate Change.” Twitter, April 12. https://twitter.com/bobinglis/status/984368602970251264.Google Scholar
Johnson, Connie. 2017. “Connie Johnson on Health Care.” On the Issues: Every Political Leader on Every Issue. Retrieved November 20, 2017. http://www.ontheissues.org/social/Connie_Johnson_Health_Care.htm.Google Scholar
Jones, David K. 2017. Exchange Politics: Opposing Obamacare Battleground States. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kadner, Phil. 2017. “The Curious Case of a Caucus in Congress Working on Obamacare.” Chicago Sun-Times, August 8.Google Scholar
Kapur, Akshay, Ashish, Kaura, Minoo, Javanmardian, and Paolo, Borromeo. 2012. “The Emergence of Private Health Insurance Exchanges Fueling the “Consumerization” of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance.” Booz & Company Perspective. Retrieved March 6, 2019. https://www.kff.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/09/boozco-emergence-private-health-insurance-exchanges.pdf.Google Scholar
Kelly, Terrence. 2001. “Sociological Not Political: Rawls and the Reconstructive Social Sciences.” Philosophy of the Social Sciences 31 (1): 3–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, Channing. 2011. “Republican Small-Town Mayor Sues Georgia: For Immigrants’ Rights.” Colorlines, June 30. Retrieved May 3, 2018. https://www.colorlines.com/articles/republican-small-town-mayor-sues-georgia-immigrants-rights.Google Scholar
King, Gary, Keohane, Robert O., and Verba, Sidney. 1994. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, Ruth. 2014. “Ohio Congressional Elections 2014 Incumbents and Challengers Primary Has Concluded.” Ruthfullyyours.com, June 19. http://feedreader.com/observe/ruthfullyyours.com/2014%2F06%2F19%2Fohio-congressional-elections-2014-incumbents-and-challengers-primary-has-concluded%2F%3F+itemId=1277963976?from=67778244.Google Scholar
Kirk, Kristi. n.d. “Kristi Kirk for Kansas.” Retrieved October 12, 2018. https://votesmart.org/public-statement/1290275/issue-position-healthy-people-build-a-healthy-economy#.Xs754Xt7k2w.Google Scholar
Kuebrich, Ben. 2018. “At Garden City, Forum Barnett Urges Medicaid Expansion, Kobach Wants Complete Overhaul.” High Plains Public Radio, July 12. Retrieved September 15, 2018. https://www.hppr.org/post/garden-city-forum-barnett-urges-medicaid-expansion-kobach-wants-complete-overhaul.Google Scholar
Lahav, Gallya, and Courtemanche, Marie. 2012. “The Ideological Effect of Framing Threat on Immigration and Civil Liberties.” Political Behavior 34 (3): 477–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liberal Gun Club (LGC). n.d.a. “Stances Regarding Regulation.” LGC. Retrieved December 29, 2018. https://theliberalgunclub.com/about-us/stances-regarding-regulation/.Google Scholar
Liberal Gun Club (LGC). n.d.b. “Why Root Causes Matter.” LGC. Retrieved December 29, 2018. https://theliberalgunclub.com/about-us/root-cause-mitigation-2/.Google Scholar
Mackura-Tromski, Denise. 1998. “Pro-Lifers belong in Democratic Party.” Chicago Tribune, April 19.Google Scholar
Martin, Isaac. 2013. Rich People's Movements: Grassroots Campaigns to Untax the One Percent. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maynard, Jonathan Leader, and Mildenberger, Matto. 2016. “Review Article: Convergence and Divergence in the Study of Ideology.” British Journal of Political Science 48 (2): 563–589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenzie, Richard B. 1999. “Bubble-up Economics Shows How Tax Cuts for Rich Help Poor.” Detroit News, September 9.Google Scholar
Meagher, Richard. 2013. “Death and Taxes: Issue Framing and Conservative Coalition Maintenance.” Political Science Quarterly 128 (3):517–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morel, Nathalie, Palier, Bruno, and Palme, Joakim, eds. 2012. Towards a Social Investment Welfare State? Bristol, UK: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Mutz, Diana C., Sniderman, Paul M., and Brody, Richard A.. 1996. “Political Persuasion: The Birth of a Feld of Study.” In Political Persuasion and Attitude Change, eds. Mutz, Diana C., Sniderman, Paul M., and Brody, Richard A.. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olsen, Cort. 2018. “Problem Solvers Caucus Offer Bipartisan Healthcare Action Items.” Employee Benefit News, February 28.Google Scholar
Olson, Laura. 2017. “Charlie Dent, Bob Casey Critical of Trump Decision to End Obamacare Subsidies to Insurers.” The Morning Call, October 13.Google Scholar
Parthasarathy, Ramya, Rao, Vijayendra, and Palaniswamy, Nethra. 2019. “Deliberative Democracy in an Unequal World: A Text-as-Data Study of South India’s Village Assemblies.” American Political Science Review 113 (3): 623–640.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pelosi, Nancy. 2017. “Transcript of Pelosi Press Conference Today.” Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House Newsroom, September 14. Retrieved February 6, 2018. https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/91417-3/.Google Scholar
Political Transcript Wire. 2009. “Del. Eni. H. Faleomavaega Holds a Hearing on Japan’s Changing Role.” Political Transcript Wire, June 29.Google Scholar
Political Transcript Wire. 2012. “National Immigration Law Center Holds a News Conference on Arizona’s SB 1070 Immigration Law.” Political Transcript Wire, April 25.Google Scholar
Randazzo, Ryan. 2013. “Subsidy Debate Key to State’s Solar Future.” Arizona Republic, June 31.Google Scholar
Richardson, Henry S., and Bohman, James F.. 2009. “Liberalism, Deliberative Democracy, and ‘Reasons that All Can Accept.’” Journal of Political Philosophy 17 (3): 253–74.Google Scholar
Riker, William H. 1983. “Political Theory: The Art of Heresthetics.” In Political Science: The State of the Discipline, ed. Ada Finifter. Washington, DC: American Political Science Association, 47–67.Google Scholar
Riker, William H. 1990. “Heresthetic and Rhetoric in the Spatial Model.” In Advances in the Spatial Theory of Voting, eds. Enelow, James M., Hinich, Melvin J., and Arrow, Kenneth. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 46–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodriguez, Joanna. 2017. “Rep. Curbelo and Problem Solvers Caucus Reach Bipartisan Agreement to Stabilize Healthcare.” Targeted News Service, July 31.Google Scholar
Rosen, James. 2009. “Republican Lawmakers Back Carbon Tax (Yes, That’s Right).” McClatchy Washington DC News Bureau, May 13.Google Scholar
Rubio, Marco. 2013. Rubio Calls on Obama to Follow Growth-Oriented Policies. Investor’s Business Daily, February 13.Google Scholar
Ryan, Paul. 2011. “Four Pro-Growth Axioms to Avert Shared Scarcity.” Investor’s Business Daily, May 17.Google Scholar
Sadin, Steve. 2017. “Schneider Covers Health Care, Infrastructure during Highland Park Town Hall.” Chicago Tribune, July 24.Google Scholar
Scheve, Kenneth, and Stasavage, David. 2016. Taxing the Rich: A History of Fiscal Fairness in the United States and Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Schuck, Peter H. 2017. One Nation Undecided: Clear Thinking about Five Hard Issues That Divide Us. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Shafer, Byron, and Claggett, William. 1995. The Two Majorities: The Issue Context of Modern American Politics. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins.Google Scholar
Shoichet, Catherine E. 2011. “Republican Mayor in the South Becomes Unlikely Advocate for Immigrants.” CNN, June 29. Retrieved Aug. 9, 2018. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/28/immigration.georgia.mayor/index.html.Google Scholar
Singhal, Shubham, Steuland, Jeris, and Ungerman, Drew. 2011. “How US Healthcare Reform Will Affect Employee Benefits.” McKinsey & Company Healthcare Systems and Services, June. Retrieved November 9, 2018. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/how-us-health-care-reform-will-affect-employee-benefits.Google Scholar
Skocpol, Theda. 2001. “Targeting Within Universalism.” In The Urban Underclass, eds. Jencks, Christopher and Peterson, Paul E.. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.Google Scholar
Smith, Mark A. 2009. The Right Talk: How Conservatives Transformed the Great Society into the Economic Society. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Smith, Noah. 2019. Soaking the Rich? It Could Backfire for Progressives. Bloomberg.com, Jan. 29. Retrieved November 16, 2018. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/soaking-the-rich-it-could-backfire-for-progressives-1.1205629.Google Scholar
Smith, Rogers. 1988. “Political Jurisprudence, the ‘New Institutionalism,’ and the Future of Public Law.” American Political Science Review 82 (1): 89–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sniderman, Paul M., and Theriault, Sean M.. 2004. “The Structure of Political Argument and the Logic of Issue Framing.” In Studies in Public Opinion, eds. Saris, William E. and Sniderman, Paul M.. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 133–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sowell, Thomas. 1999. “Demagoguery’s Noise about ‘the Rich’”. Austin American Statesman, May 23.Google Scholar
Steiner, Jurg. 2012. The Foundations of Deliberative Democracy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swearengin, Paula. 2018. “Paula Jean Swearengin.” Balletopedia Candidate Surveys. Retrieved January 5, 2019. https://ballotpedia.org/Paula_Jean_Swearengin.Google Scholar
Targeted News Service. 2016. “Museum, Greg Fishel Look at Benefits and Consequences of Clean, Renewable Energy.” Targeted News Service, June 26.Google Scholar
Trubowitz, Peter. 2011. Politics and Strategy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warren, Mark, and Mansbridge, Jane. 2016. “Deliberative Negotiation.” In Political Negotiation: A Handbook, eds. Mansbridge, Jane and Martin, Cathie Jo. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 141–196.Google Scholar
White, Jonathan, and Ypi, Lea. 2016. The Meaning of Partisanship. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wikler, Ben. 2017. “Proposals That Undermine Employer Mandate and Result in Fewer People Getting Covered Aren’t Going to Fly.” Twitter, July 30. https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/891848641908019200.Google Scholar
Williams, Joan C. 2017. White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.Google Scholar
Woodly, Deva R. 2015. The Politics of Common Sense. New York, NY: Oxford.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.