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Congress and Its Members (Congress and Its Members)x$45.45
  (7 reviews)
Best Price: $59.95 $45.45
The tension between Congress as a lawmaking institution and Congress as a collection of re-election-minded politicians has proven to be a powerful and effective way to understand Congress and the legislative process. Over nine editions, thousands of students have benefited from Davidson and Oleszek's tightly organized framework, as well as from their engaging and vivid narrative. Helping students understand the institution's evolution, Congress and Its Members paints broad brush strokes, while effectively showing enough color and detail to ground students in important concepts. Each chapter of the tenth edition will feature new analysis of the most recent and important scholarship. While the authors discuss the overall position and prospects for congressional government, they will include up-to-the-minute details on: - the 2004 congressional elections and ongoing party realignment indicating Republican dominance for the foreseeable future;
- the state of campaign finance, including performance under the McCain-Feingold legislation;
- the majority leader's efforts to strengthen his powers and the role of the new Democratic leaders in challenging the GOP's agenda;
- party realignment from the standpoint of floor voting, including the decline of the middle;
- the consequences of war for the legislative branch and for the separation of powers, as well as reorganization due to homeland security and intelligence reform;
- the new rules for the 109th Congress, with the possibility of changes in the Senate's filibuster rule and unusual procedures to pass legislation;
- the outlook for a second term president and the role of the minority party in challenging an assertive White House;
- big government conservatism, new regulatory trends, the rules and tools for effective oversight, and the shadow government of contractors;
- legislative-judicial conflicts, including controversies in naming judges to the federal bench;
- the return of deficits, the growing use of earmarks, congressional budget reforms, and the conflict between discretionary versus entitlement spending.
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Customer Reviews
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excellent introduction in the United States Congress
By AKXSWA79GHR22 on 2001-07-21
"Congress and Its Members" is an excellent textbook for any government student wanting a thorough introduction into the actions and events of the United States' Senate and House of Representatives. The discussion found in the book ranges from the differences between the two houses, their procedures, methods of governance, etc... This book is very easy to read and comprehend what the authors convey.
Excellent Textbook on Congress
By A1IL6W1NK05UW9 on 2004-08-26
This is probably the best textbook on Congress for undergraduates that I have seen. Primarily I like it because it's easy to read and very well written, covers all the important topics, and is not tedious. Now you might think being easy to read isn't important since it's for college students. But believe me, if you want students to actually read the assignment, more engaging texts are important.
Excellent textbook, lots of examples, and a good read
By AAKUO2TTMZSTT on 2001-07-28
If you are looking for a textbook for upper-division classes on Congress, this is the one. It is thorough, full of interesting stories and examples, it's not too long, and it's easy to read. Oh, and it has lots of pictures! If you want to know how the US Congress works, this is the best text I've seen.
Good introductory textbook on Congress.
By on 1997-08-06
I read this book as the textbook for a course at
the University of Maryland. It is a good text that explains how Congress works. It is very well organized, and tells how bills become law, how members are elected, and the procedures of
Congress.
It also contains some humorous anecdotes; however, I did not find the book to be particularly gripping.
One of the best textbooks on the subject
By AQQLWCMRNDFGI on 2007-05-28
I have ordered this book in its many editions for classes that I have taught on Congress and Legislative Politics. It is one of the best general texts available--and readily accessible to those who are simply interested in the politics of Congress.
One of the key points made by the authors is that there are "two Congresses": One of these is the Congress of "how a bill becomes a law," of the actions and politics characteristic of Capitol Hill. The other is the operation of representatives in their home districts, acting on behalf of their constituents, "the folks back home." The two worlds that members of Congress live in (Washington D. C. and "back home") can produce tensions and dilemmas for members of the legislature. But these conflicts help us to understand the complex nature of Congressional politics and decision-making.
Lawmakers cannot just live in the one Congress or the other. They must navigate and negotiate between the two.
This text covers the full territory, from the history of Congress, to how one ends up getting elected to Congress, to how Congress works and its interactions with other key political actors, to the policy process of which Congress is a key.
For anyone--students or citizens--interested in the nature of Congress, this represents a good starting point.
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