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Political Opposition in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2014

Nelson W. Polsby
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Extract

SURELY IN THE MANUFACTURE OF VARIETIES OF PEACEABLE AND legitimate political opposition the American political system leads the world, and from a comparative perspective the United States is therefore extremely atypical. This essay will review briefly some of the more familiar ways in which political opposition in the United States is expressed and encouraged, will consider some of the consequences for a political system so rich in opportunities for opposition, and in conclusion will discuss changes in patterns of opposition over the last 30 years.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , October 1997 , pp. 511 - 521
Copyright
Copyright © Government and Opposition Ltd 1997

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References

1 James Madison, Federalist Papers, 10, ‘The…causes of faction cannot be removed and… relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects’.

2 US Constitution, Article V: ‘… no State, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate’.

3 See Kurland, Philip B., Watergate and the Constitution, Chicago, III., University of Chicago Press, 1978.Google Scholar

4 US Constitution, Article I, Section 3. ‘Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States: but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law’.

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