The Death of Bipartisanship
Authors:
Jason Runnfeldt, David VitulloMentor:
Sean Kelly, Dr. of Political Science, California State University Channel IslandsThe Death of Bipartisanship Abstract Authors: David Vitullo (CSUCI Political Science Undergraduate) Jason Runnfeldt (CSUCI Political Science Undergraduate) By all accounts bipartisanship in congress has declined over the past fifty years. For the American system of government to operate there must be give and take between the two main parties. Past studies have used roll call votes to document the increase in partisanship. We use a unique approach to testing the decline of bipartisanship: Congressional memorial statements since 1960. When a member or former member of congress dies, it is common for current members to deliver memorial statements on the floor. We believe that we will find that as the years go on, fewer and fewer members of the opposing party will make a statement about late Congressmen on the floor. We argue that personal relationships have a direct link to the willingness of opposing party members to work together. As those personal relationships disappear we can find evidence of deterioration in who memorializes members of congress in death.