In the political sphere, sociological cleavages and retrospective voting play a significant role in shaping the outcome of elections. In the political sphere, we describe sociological cleavages as the division of voters into distinct groups/blocs as a result of ideological backgrounds and basic values. The divide may also be due to historical dominance among political figures. In the United States, this is a very common way of voting. People make choices based on the shared ideologies of society's blocs. They will fight for what they believe in as a society and will actively condemn what they do not agree with in the scheme.
Retrospective voting: Evaluating performance of political organizations
On the other hand, retrospective voting is a voting system in which the voter considers the record of accomplishment in the performance contract of a particular political organization, the leadership structure: what the leader has done, as well as their potential capacity in the leadership structures. These key concepts play a great role in the actual voting among the citizens. It is perhaps the most effective strategy for the citizens to be able to elect the individuals they want and neglect those who cannot perform even if they belong to the party of the regional bloc where the individual comes from in the society.
Voting is a political right of any citizen of the world. However, the manners in which individuals express their rights to vote to depend on the influence of the political leaders in their pursuit of leadership. Some citizens will look at the records of achievement among the perpetrators while others will consider the political ambitions of the person. At the same, the social organization of the community will play a great role in shaping the direction of the decision made in the final stage of voting. This way, we have numerous perceptions on the win of Trump against Hillary in the election of 2016. However, based on the two theories of political performance within a society, we can look at the victory from various perspectives in this paper.
Sociological cleavages: Divisions within the American society
Evidently, these concepts of sociological cleavages play a great role in the political transitions within the American society. There are two strong political parties in the country. These include the Democrats and the Republican Party. However, other small parties such the Libertarian and the Green Party exist in the society. Ideally, the social cleavages separate the citizens into advocates of certain leadership or great opponents of certain elements of leadership schemes in the society. At the same time, it makes people be partisan voters of particular political parties in the societies. In order to win a presidential election, the high chances are that you are either a republican or a democrat. That is the history of political progress in the recent years within the systematic framework of the nation. Contrariwise, retrospective voting involves the contribution of the elites within the society. Political elites normally include a few people within the society who have a better understanding of the current leadership demands system. They can also access the ruling government's record of development agenda as well as the implementation regimes (Berry, 34).
Role of social cleavages in elections
Historically, the role of social cleavages has been a common movement in the society that shapes the result of every election in the system. Regional politics is a common example of this ideology that affected the last general elections (Hrebenar, & Ruth, 23-50). In the election of Trump against Hillary in 2016, the social elites of the urban centers had different opinions from those in the suburban and rural setups. This way, Trump won among the elites while Hillary won the majority of the votes in other sectors of the country. Such segregation among regional lines has often been a key player in the general elections of the country over the years. Additionally, religious people voted in favor of the deputy president as one of their own in society. Practically, both religious and secular voters form part of the major cleavages in society. The ideology portrays a common picture of political boundaries within the societies.
While Pence had a great bloc of Christian voters behind him, Trump triumphed on the political mileage among the economic drivers of the nation. He gained huge support from the country's richest people and some educated individuals. At the same time, Hillary succeeded in winning the majority of votes among the common citizens due to their trust in the Democratic Party. Clearly, one could comprehend the trend of voting in the country. It also shows how the society is shaped to vote in blocs based on specific traits of the system. All other political parties could not create any impact among the people because of the pattern of voting culture in the communities. Moreover, there is a persistent cleavage of social class within the communities that make all parties relevant based on their influence within the communities. In America, only the Republican and the Democratic parties have endured long tenure owing to their class of influence within the political hierarchy (Dye, Thomas, & Ronald, 12-36).
The role of campaigns in influencing elections
In other forums, members of the Republican Party campaigned heavily for their own flag bearer in every corner of the society. This not only affected the separation in voting trends but also created a victorious outcome for Trump and his team. Such a method of campaigns based on the political party ideology is a common strategy in the politics of the country.
Trump's campaign strategy was an effective mechanism for promoting a retrospective voting system in the country. He purely dwelt on the failures of the Obama government and other previous leaders who, according to him, had failed to deliver to the citizens of the great nation. Such a skilled strategy created an effective atmosphere among the elites and the religious individuals in the societies. Consequently, the mechanism enabled the Republican candidate to win the election against the wish of many people in the states.
According to the elites of American society, the last general was a major show of the retrospective voting culture among the citizens. The slogan "A time for a change and make America great again" captured the attention of many analysts in the system, creating an effective campaign for Trump and his deputy Pence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sociological cleavages and retrospective voting cultures form the basic mechanism within the political mileages are targeted in any society. The politics of commonalities has been the most effective strategies for the leaders of the countries. Hence, the two aspects of political organization played a great role in shaping the outcome of the 2016 presidential election in America. According to many people, Hillary was the most preferred candidate for the post because of political party popularity and the influence of the then president Barrack Obama. However, Trump used the theory of retrospective voting culture and the sociological organization to outdo his opponents in the race. Consequently, he won the election as documented.
Work Cited
Hrebenar, Ronald J., and Ruth K. Scott. Interest group politics in America. Routledge, 2015.
Berry, Jeffrey M. Lobbying for the people: The political behavior of public interest groups. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Dye, Thomas R., and Ronald Keith Gaddie. Politics in America. Pearson, 2015.
