The paradox of the 2014 midterms: All politics is national — until it isn't

Candidates are increasingly judged on issues of national import. But they're also criticized for being out of touch with their constituents.

Landrieu
(Image credit: (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images))

In recent years, Tip O'Neill's famous dictum — "All politics is local" — has looked a little shaky. Candidates these days are judged on where they stand on big national issues, while having little recourse to grease the political wheels back home. It sometimes seems that it's only a matter of time before the common wisdom becomes "All politics is national."

And yet voters still expect their representatives to show a local touch. This has expressed itself in novel ways, most notably the outing of lawmakers who don't own an actual home in their home state. Indeed, as elections become nationalized, proving some local connection can be critical to success in a tight race.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Joshua Spivak is a senior fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College in New York, and writes The Recall Elections Blog.