Congress and Its Members, 8th Edition (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "A U.S. representative rarely gets to see a part of his constituency attacked and destroyed..." (more)
Key Phrases: love their congressmen, partisan colleagues, elective branches, White House, Capitol Hill, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is the foundation text for courses on the U.S. Congress. It is clear, comprehensive, and easy to read. Students appreciate the up-to-date examples and the clearly-presented information. The authors use of the dual Congress framework helps to illuminate the underlying tension between the individual and collective responsibilities of legislators. This is one of the fundamental books for understanding how Congress operates. --Pam Camerra-Rowe, Kenyon College

Written in clear, direct prose, Congress and Its Members provides students with a central theme, the two Congresses, that enables them to organize and understand the myriad details that characterize the structure and operation of a very complex institution. I particularly value the fact that by following that theme through the many dimensions of Congress, students learn to think analytically as they learn about Congress itself. --Dennis J. Goldford, Drake University --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Davidson, Oleszek, and Lee s focus on Congress as both a legislative institution and as a group of reelection-minded politicians has proven to be an extraordinarily effective and accessible way for thousands of students to understand the institution and the law-making process. A proven classic, the twelfth edition of Congress and Its Members features careful revising, new scholarship, and crucial updating.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 505 pages
• Publisher: Congressional Quarterly Books; 8th edition (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568026498
• ISBN-13: 978-1568026497
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,742,415 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Knowledgeable review of mechanics but not effectiveness, September 25, 2008

By	Frank T. Manheim (Fairfax VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Congress and Its Members (Congress and Its Members) (Paperback)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best textbooks on the subject, May 28, 2007

By	Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Congress And Its Members (Paperback)

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.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Textbook on Congress, August 26, 2004

By	C. Baker "[e-mail]" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.