Filibuster: Obstruction and Lawmaking in the U.S. Senate (Princeton Studies in American Politics: Historical, International, and Comparative Perspectives) (Hardcover)

by Gregory J. Wawro (Author), Eric Schickler (Author) "In August of 1848, a bill establishing a territorial government for Oregon was considered in the U.S. Senate..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York Times, Congressional Record, Washington Post (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
By combining rational choice and historical institutional approaches, Wawro and Schickler have succeeded in framing the filibuster's vices--and its virtues--in new and often surprising ways. In the process, they have significantly advanced our understanding of the relationship between norms and rules, practice and structure, and individuals and institutions. Filibuster is one of the very best analytical studies of the U.S. Senate ever written.
(Richard Bensel, Cornell University )

Product Description

Parliamentary obstruction, popularly known as the "filibuster," has been a defining feature of the U.S. Senate throughout its history. In this book, Gregory J. Wawro and Eric Schickler explain how the Senate managed to satisfy its lawmaking role during the nineteenth and early twentieth century, when it lacked seemingly essential formal rules for governing debate.

What prevented the Senate from self-destructing during this time? The authors argue that in a system where filibusters played out as wars of attrition, the threat of rule changes prevented the institution from devolving into parliamentary chaos. They show that institutional patterns of behavior induced by inherited rules did not render Senate rules immune from fundamental changes.

The authors' theoretical arguments are supported through a combination of extensive quantitative and case-study analysis, which spans a broad swath of history. They consider how changes in the larger institutional and political context--such as the expansion of the country and the move to direct election of senators--led to changes in the Senate regarding debate rules. They further investigate the impact these changes had on the functioning of the Senate. The book concludes with a discussion relating battles over obstruction in the Senate's past to recent conflicts over judicial nominations.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; illustrated edition edition (March 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691125090
• ISBN-13: 978-0691125091
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,498,504 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)