While learning procedures like the markup or cloture, the legislative process can seem mechanical and dry. What students hunger for, and greatly benefit from, is seeing lawmaking from the inside-the backroom politics that makes the process so fascinating, so real, so compelling. All Roads Lead to Congress drives students through one piece of legislation-the surface transportation bill-showing them the maneuvering and negotiating that go on among members of Congress and their staffers as they haggle over a huge pot of money. The bill provides an example of both sides of the domestic legislative coin, as members of Congress formulating the bill fight over both policy issues (mostly along party lines) and money (mostly along regional lines). While working on the Hill, Costas Panagopoulos and Joshua Schank were able to follow the path of this legislation from inception to law, observing firsthand the twists and turns of its journey. While filled with details and dialogue reminiscent of a good novel, All Roads is sure to explain the various rules that structure legislation, the leadership styles and strategies at play, the tensions among levels of government, and the impact of the executive. Students are not only likely to read this intriguing case study of Hill life cover to cover, but they also might seriously consider an internship or future career on the Hill. More important, they will have absorbed conceptual ideas about Congress effortlessly.
The Quest for Money, Free Speech, and Fair Elections
From the authors of Legislative Labyrinth: Congress and Campaign Finance Reform. Elections, the basic mechanism of representative democracy, should be untainted by corruption and provide a platform for free speech. But running for office takes money-a lot of it, usually-which means campaign finance has become a pitched battle over the fundamental political values of free speech versus fair elections. With insiders' perspectives, Farrar-Myers and Dwyre tell the story of what it took to pass campaign finance legislation, provide analysis of the subsequent court action, and explore the regulatory and electoral outcomes of reform efforts. Limits and Loopholes is a story about incremental policymaking and inter-branch struggle, about institutional design and unintended consequences, about the influence of interest groups and the media, and about the health of our representative democracy. Bringing together discussions of core values and the policymaking process, this book serves as an excellent case study that traces an issue from inception, through legislation and litigation, and finally to implementation.
?From the first steps toward enfranchisement through modern lawmakers' vision for America, a new book from CQ Press is the first single-volume reference to provide the complete story of African Americans making U.S. political history. In African Americans in Congress: A Documentary History, authors Eric Freedman-a Pulitzer Prize winner-and Stephen A. Jones, have assembled a vital collection of original narrative supported by more than 120 of the most important historical documents tracing the African American political experience and the history of African American legislators in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Throughout this comprehensive work, the stories of notable African Americans who have served in Congress are told, including: Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi, the first African American senator; Shirley A. Chisholm of New York, the first black woman to serve in Congress; Charles B. Rangel of New York, the chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus; and Barack Obama of Illinois, the only African American senator in the 110th Congress. ? The first part of the book features chronological chapters on the history of African American involvement in U.S. politics and on Capitol Hill, while the second part features thematic chapters on the African American political experience. The issues and events covered include: The debate over slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction The civil rights movement and political empowerment The maturation of the Congressional Black Caucus Elections and investigations War, peace, patriotism and international affairs The struggle for economic justice It also details some little-known stories, including future Rep. Robert Smalls' heroism in commandeering a Confederate ship during the Civil War and piloting it into Union custody and the controversy when President Herbert Hoover's wife invited the wife of Rep. Oscar De Priest to a White House tea. The appendixes contain lists of African Americans in the 110th Congress and those since the 41st Congress, a chronology of significant events and an extensive bibliography.
Presents an account of the challenges of training the Iraqis to handle their own security. This book gives readers a glimpse into the reality at street level.
How Big Media and Power-hungry Government Are Turning America into a Dictatorship
Presents an account of an America in political and cultural decline.This book shows how mainstream media corporations like CNN, Fox, and NBC (General Electric) together with giant telecoms like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T have become administration pawns in a well-organised effort to hijack America.
Upon their arrival in Washington D.C., every member of the "freshman class" received a tote bag sporting a picture of the capitol building that contained a three-hundred-plus page document called the 2004 House Manual: New Member Orientation, 109th Congress. This mind-numbing guide details the kinds of expenditures members can and can't be reimbursed for, the kinds of mailings that can and can't be paid for with taxpayer money, the use of various types of office equipment, a section on house rules, and even some rules for ethics. Mr. Schwarz goes to Washington. Enjoy orientation! In this brief, engaging case study, Edward I. Sidlow tells the story of what it takes to make the challenging transition from candidate to newly minted member of Congress. Following the triumphs and trials of candidate and then freshman congressman Joe Schwarz, a moderate Republican from Michigan's 7th district, Sidlow gives students an inside look at Schwarz as he sets up shop on the Hill, gets familiar with the political environment, becomes involved in various policy areas, jockeys for choice committee assignments, develops a "style" that allows him to communicate effectively with other members while staying in touch with constituents at home, and a host of other issues that are central to legislative life. Sidlow uses an appealing first-hand reportorial and narrative style to describe events, while effortlessly incorporating data and information on specific topics from the current literature so that students can see how Schwarz's experience compares with others. With photos and other illustrations from the Schwarz team, Sidlow brings the congressional experience to life.
Which Framed the Constitution of the United States of America
Contains historic debates that led to the creation of one of the free world's most respected documents: the Constitution of the United States. This book includes Madison's notes and remarks as well as other requisite information for interpreting the events of that historic year.
'The new handbook by Peters and Pierre provides an invaluable addition to the literature. It offers new scholars and practitioners a means to navigate many of the complex theoretical and practical issues in contemporary policy analysis' - Mark Considine, University of Melbourne The public policies of governments affect the lives and ......
A study of the concept of European Union citizenship created by the Maastricht Treaty. This text examines: the political and legal nature of the European Union; the political integration process; the principle of subsidiarity; the concepts of equality and citizenship; citizenship rights, including electoral and political rights as well as social rights; the status of third country nationals; the remedies and means of redress available to European citizens and residents.
