We Get What We Vote For... Or Do We? Book

	Preface
	Introduction	1
Pt. 1	How American Elections Work	7
A	Candidates' Political Communication	9
1	Political Accountability in a Post-Party Era: An Examination of Candidate and Specialized Platforms in 1992 and 1994	9
2	Presidential Campaign Rhetoric in 1988: Its Significance for George Bush's Presidency	22
3	Clarity or Ambiguity: What Should We Expect From Candidates in American Politics?	31
B	The Role of Television, Advertising, and Polling in American Elections	43
4	The Image of Democracy: Television's Effect on the American Political System	43
5	A "Different Voice"? Gender and Political Advertising	57
6	Who Are "We" and What Do "We" Want? Representations of the Public in Election News	68
C	Campaign Finance: Is the System "Broke"?	82
7	Public Funding and Political Campaigns in New York City: The Limits of Reform	82
8	Money, Elections, and Public Policy in New York Politics	101
9	Best Chance Since Watergate: Campaign Finance Reform in the 105th Congress	112
D	The Role of Parties in Elections	131
10	The Values of Political Party Activists: Ideology, Elections, and Governing	131
11	National Party Committees and Presidential Campaigns: Performance and Promise	151
Pt. 2	The Impact of Elections on Specific Policies	165
12	Sex, Race, Religion, and Partisan Realignment	167
13	What Do Women Get for Their Vote?	191
14	No Race to the Bottom: The 1993 National Voter Registration Act and the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act	200
15	The Never Ending Story of Welfare Reform	211
16	The Electoral Connection: Public Influence on Policy Output of the United States Supreme Court	223
Pt. 3	Rethinking Election Theories and Practices	239
17	The Mandate Myth: Why Presidential Elections Are Not Public Policy Plebiscites	241
18	Alternative Electoral Systems: An Answer to Our Governing Crisis	257
19	The American Electoral System at Century's End: Not Broken, but in Need of Prudent Repair	273
20	Realignments, the Atomization of Politics, and What We Don't Get from Elections	283
21	Parliamentary Government in the United States?	298
	For Further Reading	319
	Index	323
	About the Contributors	333