Party On!: Political Parties from Hamilton and Jefferson to Today's Networked Age

by John Kenneth White, Matthew R. Kerbel

From Democrats to Republicans, from the Green Party to the Tea Party, American parties and their politics are continuously adapting, renewing, and evolving to meet the challenges of the times. Party On!: Political Parties from Hamilton and Jefferson to Today's Networked Age captures these
nuances with a cohesive theme, hard data, and a spotlight on new media that includes "Parties in a Networked Age" theme boxes.

Authors John White and Matt Kerbel guide students on a journey from the origins of American political parties through a multitude of reorganizations, technological developments, and financial woes. With finesse and insight, Party On! offers a sweeping view of political parties up to the eve of the
2012 elections.

277 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2011

Reviews

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad introductory text on political parties. The writing is generally clear and concise, and I didn't find much fault in the authors' assessments of the histories of the major parties or in the parties' current strengths and weaknesses.

Also useful are the many offset portions of the book that function as miniature case studies, describing some aspect of political behavior with anecdotes. Just to nitpick a bit, I think the authors will come to regret the phrase "Today's Networked Age" in the title, in the way that phrases like "Information Superhighway" or "e-commerce" now seem weirdly old fashioned.