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The Democrats' decision to nominate Joe Biden for 2020 was hardly a fluke but rather a strategic choice by a party that had elevated electability above all other concerns. In Learning from Loss, one of the nation's leading political analysts offers unique insight into the Democratic Party at a moment of uncertainty. Between 2017 and 2020, Seth Masket spoke with Democratic Party activists and followed the behavior of party leaders and donors to learn how the party was interpreting the 2016 election and thinking about a nominee for 2020. Masket traces the persistence of party factions and shows how interpretations of 2016 shaped strategic choices for 2020. Although diverse narratives emerged to explain defeat in 2016 - ranging from a focus on 'identity politics' to concerns about Clinton as a flawed candidate - these narratives collectively cleared the path for Biden.
List of contents
1. When the fools were right; 2. What we know about identity, ideology, and electability, and what we don't; 3. Interpreting loss; 4. When parties try to fix themselves; 5. The persistence of faction; 6. How narrative changes voters; 7. The invisible primary becomes visible.
About the author
Seth Masket is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver. Masket writes regularly for Mischiefs of Faction and FiveThirtyEight. His work has also appeared in Politico, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post's Monkey Cage. He is the author of The Inevitable Party: Why Attempts to Kill the Party System Fail and How They Weaken Democracy (2016) and No Middle Ground: How Informal Party Organizations Control Nominations and Polarize Legislatures (2009).
Summary
An essential guide to American politics, the Democratic Party, and the US party system at a time of turmoil and uncertainty. Masket offers a unique, real-time examination of how the Democratic Party interpreted its 2016 defeat and why a focus on electability led to Joe Biden's nomination in 2020.
Additional text
'Masket … delivers a meticulous and lucidly written analysis of how Democratic insiders came to believe Joe Biden should be the party's candidate in the 2020 presidential election.' Publishers Weekly
Report
'Read this book for the first truly comprehensive and persuasive account of why Joe Biden won the 2020 Democratic primary. Masket also deftly explains how political parties are adapting to the modern media landscape, and how they can sometimes overreact based on stylized interpretations of the facts ('narratives') that may not match the more complicated reality. Masket shows why Biden's comeback win wasn't nearly as surprising as the conventional wisdom seemed to hold.' Nate Silver, editor-in-chief, FiveThirtyEight
