Customer Reviews

Congress and Its Members, 8th Edition

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

"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.

The authors are acknowledged experts on the mechanics of the U.S. Congress. They convey acquaintance with the human side of the institution through a folksy style and many anecdotes. They describe "two Congresses", the first relating to constituents, and the second to colleagues. What about performance? What about effectiveness?

Polls now (2008) record an all-time low of 9% for Congress's approval rating. This highlights the authors' glaring myopia and essential omission of the reason for the existence of Congress - to manage the affairs of the nation in a balanced and efficient way.

No doubt, most Senators and Representatives do an excellent job of helping their constituents. They know that reelection depends on this service. The U.S. Congress is probably unique in the world in citizens' access to effective assistance in interfacing with government on a personal level.

But it was not until I recently had occasion to compare U.S. lawmaking with that in leading European nations' parliaments that I realized - to my shock - the arbitrary, serendipitous, and dysfunctional way Congress has come to function since the 1960s. In EU nations' parliaments the party in power initiates a concept for a new major law by first sending it to a relevant ministry. There the concept gets a careful assessment: short-term, long-term impact, vetting with various constituencies affected by the proposed policy, cost, etc. A draft law with the assessment comes back to the governing party or coalition. It is then submitted to the full parliament for debate, amendment, and vote. The pre-analysis process catches conflicts with earlier laws, policies that will generate problems or hostilities gaps and other weaknesses. Dialoging and communication is key.

The post-1970s U.S. system could not be more different. ~10,000 bills [pour into each (2-year) Congress. The majority get no action at all in the standing committees- many are framl;u introduced mainly to register activity and concern about issues with constituents. Many are blatantly partisan and narrowly drawn. Even more carefully written bills are rarely coordinated with other authors - or similar initiatives in other committees. Except for assessing cost and links to existing law the fate of bills is largely at the discretion of committee chairpersons and majority leaders. Partisan gridlock has largely paralyzed Congressional activity in the big issues. In these or noncontroversial areas Members feel free to write fragmentary, intrusive, micromanaging laws in areas where Congress has no formal expertise - like science, environment, that should rightfully be in the hands of professional agencies. With the enormous crush of new bills and other activities that every committee and the Congress as a whole must manage, there is no way Congress can maintain continuous oversight over detailed programs initiated by past enacted legislation.

So it is no wonder that in the past 30 years or more the landscape has become littered with failed or foundered Congressional initiatives - each of which may have begun with enthusiasm and often substantial funding outlays.It's shocking but part of the reason that the U.S. is in the trouble it is in, that experts like the authors, as well as politicians, can absorb themselves in their special interests and forget all about "minding the store". Three stars for mechanics - zero for the rest.

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.

Great book. Very detailed. Good book for those who want to know more how Congress works. Good book for poly sci majors.

Normally, Law has been such a struggle for me to understand. This book, long as it may be, has very good guidelines on how politics really work and why politicians struggle the way they do. Would recommend it to anyone interested in Law and Politics.

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.

I heard about bias in academia but that did not prepare me for this book. The bias and political agenda of the authors was so apparent it was insulting to read. They leave out information that does not support their agenda and dismiss little inconviences like the Constituion. Do not belief, for one second, that you are getting balanced information or an accurate representation of party views. This is a sophmoric demonization of everyone the authors don't agree with and the promotion to sainthood of everyone on they do agree with. This book was used for a Masters program but it will most likely be replaced. Strangely enough, most grad students want to make up their own minds.

I ordered this book with about a dozen other text books, and this was the first one to arrive, and it was brand new. Thanks.