Introduction

A more parsimonious theory better explains the rise of the Atari Democrats in Congress during the 1970s. The Atari insurgency occurred at roughly the same time as the emergence of television and TV-centered election campaigns. The Atari Democrats needed to supply large quids pro quo to a growing number of large campaign contributors. Pluralism’s critics emphasize that the interest group system poorly represents ordinary citizens and the national interest, and overrepresents wealthy contributors. Despite party-unifying forces and partisan incentives, the Democrats have been unable to reverse the trend decline in their partisan voter base. Campaign reform would enable Democratic legislators to shift monies spent on contributors to popular programs, reverse the decline in their voter base with an effective party message, and regain effective control of Congress. The Strong Party theory fits the facts better than Pluralist theory. The chapter examines how campaign finance would affect American politics as viewed through the prism of the Pluralist and Strong Parties theories.