Trying something new for the final episode of 2018! Vanderbilt University Professor Larry Bartels discusses his book, Democracy for Realists, with guest host and Governing Magazine writer John Buntin. Bartels also discusses what identity politics means and why politics today is more partisan than ever.

(Scroll down for list of books mentioned)

Topics by minute:

2:30 - "The Folk Theory of Democracy"

3:30 - How well informed are voters?

5:18 - Impact of the economy on voting behavior

7:40 - Thermostatic nature of American politics

11:13 - Voters blaming Presidents for natural disasters

14:20 - Are elections a game of musical chairs?

15:40 - Swing voters

17:05 - Partisanship as identity

18:30 - Religion and reinforcing identities

23:20 - Polarization

26:35 - Race and "collapse of liberalism"

29:21 - Shift beginning in 1964

31:15 - Racial backlash or "white southern identity?"

34:48 - Race and party affiliation post Obama

40:42 - Trump and the racialized lens

43:09 - What was most striking about Trump's campaign?

47:23 - How well do elections hold politicians accountable?

50:00 - Political engagement and groups contending for power

51:51 - Local elections and national partisanship

54:38 - Book recommendation

Books Mentioned:

-- "Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity" by Lilliana Mason

-- "Ideology in America" by Christopher Ellis and James Stimson

-- "Identity Crisis: the 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America" by Sides, Vavreck and Tesler

-- "The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker" by Kathy Cramer

-- "Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government" by Larry Bartels

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Interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Music by Craig Turner and Joe Halberstadt