tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post2844843560640508398..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Oy, BaiJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-66469627316332967742010-11-10T14:30:34.534-06:002010-11-10T14:30:34.534-06:00Thank you for pointing out the problems with Bai&#...Thank you for pointing out the problems with Bai's article. Definitely, personal relationships and "little" favors matter for leadership races. I wouldn't quite go so far as you do, however, and say that ideology "rarely" decides congressional races. Ideology -- or at least, positions on key issues -- also matters, at least in helping explain why many (if not all) legislators will support one candidate or another. I make this case in a few studies of leadership races (see e.g. PS, Jan 2008).Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-70723748800604221162010-11-10T10:20:45.307-06:002010-11-10T10:20:45.307-06:00Not to mention that these elections don't matt...Not to mention that these elections don't matter a bit in how the country sees your party in Congress. What Congress accomplishes during a session matters to the voters, but next to nobody knows or cares who Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, Steny Hoyer, or Eric Cantor are. You're lucky if the average low-information swing voter knows who Joe Biden is.Kalhttp://twitter.com/#!/Kalbelgarionnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-70500737463388120062010-11-10T08:09:33.732-06:002010-11-10T08:09:33.732-06:00And since the most-used measures of "ideology...And since the most-used measures of "ideology" can't distinguish between partisan and ideological cleavages (see Frances Lee's new book), partisan leaders, by dint of voting with the party almost all, if not all, the time, score as very ideological. So in a real sense, the 'ideology' of party leaders in a highly partisan era is a silly thing to be concerned about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com