You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Acrimony and hyperpartisanship have seeped into every part of the political process. Congress is deadlocked and its approval ratings are at record lows. America's two main political parties have given up their traditions of compromise, endangering our very system of constitutional democracy. And one of these parties has taken on the role of insurgent outlier; the Republicans have become ideologically extreme, scornful of compromise, and ardently opposed to the established social and economic policy regime.In It's Even Worse Than It Looks, congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein identify two overriding problems that have led Congress -- and the United States -- to the brink of ...
Two nationally renowned congressional scholars review the evolution of Congress from the early days of the republic to 2006, arguing that extreme partisanship and a disregard for institutional procedures are responsible for the institution's current state of dysfunction.
Eminent political scientists weigh the benefits and the costs of this state of permanent campaign and describe the kind of political system likely to emerge within it.
This volume combines an analysis of special interest groups and their operations, with three case studies of lobbying in action. Controversy has long surrounded the activities and influence of special interest groups. This book examines why and how Washington lobbies attempt to influence government policy and legislative action. It analyzes types the types of lobbies, they role they play, their resources, tactics, and regulation.
"As James Madison led America's effort to write its Constitution, he made two great inventions-the separation of powers and federalism. The first is more famous, but the second was most essential because, without federalism, there could have been no United States of America. Federalism has always been about setting the balance of power between the federal government and the states-and that's revolved around deciding just how much inequality the country was prepared to accept in exchange for making piece among often-warring states. Through the course of its history, the country has moved through a series of phases, some of which put more power into the hands of the federal government, and som...
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER A call to action from three of Washington's premier political scholar-journalists, One Nation After Trump offers the definitive work on the threat posed by the Trump presidency and how to counter it. American democracy was never supposed to give the nation a president like Donald Trump. We have never had a president who gave rise to such widespread alarm about his lack of commitment to the institutions of self-government, to the norms democracy requires, and to the need for basic knowledge about how government works. We have never had a president who raises profound questions about his basic competence and his psychological capacity t...
The new edition of this popular guide examines how the electoral college and postelection processes work and includes a short history of contested elections.
The devastating and politically consequential defeat of President Clinton's comprehensive health plan in Congress has unleashed a torrent of speculation over "who or what killed reform." One class of explanation deals with the institutional arrangements by which policy is made in the United States and, more specifically, with the rules and organization of Congress. This volume weighs the importance of Congress in the failure to enact health reform by examining more broadly how Congress shapes health policy—on matters ranging from ambitious plans to achieve universal health insurance coverage to annual appropriations for public health agencies. Part One examines how Congress has organized a...
A history of a remarkable political party that saw government as a practical tool for creating conditions in which individuals can thrive--and why its practices are needed today.