Book contents
- Dangerously Divided
- Dangerously Divided
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Fault Lines
- Part II The Consequences – Racial Inequality in Representation
- 2 Who Wins Office?
- 3 Which Voters Win Elections?
- 4 Who Wins on Policy?
- Part III Immigration’s Rising Impact on American Democracy
- Part IV Seeking Greater Equality
- Notes
- Appendix
- References
- Index
4 - Who Wins on Policy?
from Part II - The Consequences – Racial Inequality in Representation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 January 2020
- Dangerously Divided
- Dangerously Divided
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Fault Lines
- Part II The Consequences – Racial Inequality in Representation
- 2 Who Wins Office?
- 3 Which Voters Win Elections?
- 4 Who Wins on Policy?
- Part III Immigration’s Rising Impact on American Democracy
- Part IV Seeking Greater Equality
- Notes
- Appendix
- References
- Index
Summary
When President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, his signature put into effect one of the biggest tax cuts in the history of American democracy. The act that Trump and the Republican majority in the House and Senate implemented was remarkable for another reason: the overwhelming majority of Americans did not favor it. Only 26 percent of Americans polled before the bill’s passage approved of the bill. And it is not as if the American public was not watching or did not care. Nearly half of all Americans – 43 percent – said they would be less likely to vote for a senator or congressperson who supported the tax plan. Yet, despite such opposition, Trump and the Republican Party not only passed the law, but they triumphally fêted its passage. As Trump proclaimed at a ceremony on the White House lawn to celebrate the passing of the sweeping tax bill, “It’s always a lot of fun when you win” (Walsh et al. 2017).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Dangerously DividedHow Race and Class Shape Winning and Losing in American Politics, pp. 117 - 142Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020