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The direct primary, in which voters rather than party leaders or convention delegates select party nominees for state and federal offices, was one of the most widely adopted political reforms of the early twentieth century. Yet after decades of practice and study, scholars have found little clear evidence that direct primaries changed the outcomes of party nominations. The conventional wisdom has always been that once the Progressive movement declined and voters became distracted by more pressing issues, parties slowly reasserted their control over candidate selection. This book shows that the conventional wisdom is wrong. Exploring changes in American primary election laws from the 1920s to...
This book offers an integrated theoretical perspective for explaining political party operations. Schlesinger examines the distinctive structure of the party organization, the nature of its collective outputs, and the direct and indirect rewards it offers participants. He also develops the impact of political ambitions and the structure of political opportunities and electoral arrangements on party capabilities. Schlesinger concludes by looking at the "changing multinuclear party" and the implications of his theory for comparative research. The comparative potential of the theory is demonstrated through the construction of a typology of parties based on officeholders' age and career paths for five Western democracies. ISBN 0-472-10202-8: $37.50.
Congress does most of its work in committee, and no understanding of that body can be complete without an analysis of its committees and those who shape them. Andrée Reeves now offers a rare glimpse into the workings of committee chairmanship over a span of thirty-three years-how three chairmen operated and how they influenced their committee and its impact. As Reeves demonstrates, the chair is the most important player in a congressional committee-the one who holds more cards than his colleagues and can deal a winning hand or call a bluff. His use of institutional and personal resources affects the committee, the chamber, and public policy. As a case study, Reeves compares the leadership o...
The final part of this book takes an in-depth look at Ronald Reagan. His advanced age is not unusual in a political leader. Other heads of government in the post-war world have been as old as, or even older than, he when they held office; for example, Churchill, Insn, Chiang Kai-shek, Nehru, Salazar, De Gualle, Kenyatta, Tito, Mao Zedong, Adenauer, and Ulbricht. The large number of names gives the impression that contemporary leadership is gerontocracy. The book is divided into three sections. The fist two examine middle age and old age, with each section offering numerous case studies from a variety of countries.
Analyzes the extent to which the voters of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah are concerned about problems associated with development and the extent to which state senators respond to voters' concerns. Originally published in 1980
Elected to the U.S. Senate at thirty-three, Fred Harris recounts the lives, political tensions, and personal motivations of some of the powerful political entities with whom he did business in his time in office in the 1960s and the 1970s, such as Lyndon B. Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy.
Twentieth century New Mexico history for high school courses.
A history of the German presence in the American Southwest, from the mid-nineteenth century through the World War I era.
The U.S. Congress is typically seen as an institution filled with career politicians who have been seasoned by experience in lower levels of political office. In fact, political amateurs have comprised roughly one quarter of the House of Representatives since 1930. The effect of amateurs' inexperience on their political careers, roles in Congress, and impact on the political system has never been analyzed in detail. Written in a lucid style accessible to the nonspecialist, David T. Canon's Actors, Athletes, and Astronauts is a definitive study of political amateurs in elections and in Congress. Canon examines the political conditions that prompt amateurs to run for office, why they win or lo...