Social science / Political science / Government / Legislative Branch

When the Tea Party Came to Town

by Robert Draper

When the Tea Party Came to Town demonstrates Robert Draper’s uncanny ability to ferret out news-making tidbits and provides us with the first look at this game-changing Congress—sure to be a classic work....

Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment

by Wendy J. Schiller & Charles Stewart III

From 1789 to 1913, U.S. senators were not directly elected by the people—instead the Constitution mandated that they be chosen by state legislators. This radically changed in 1913, when the Seventeenth Amendment...

Congressional Realignment, 1925-1978

by Barbara Sinclair

Ronald Reagan's election in 1980 brought with it a major shift in the composition of the U.S. Congress for the first time in several decades. The subsequent introduction of an enormous amount of new legislation...

Saving Congress from Itself: Emancipating the States and Empowering Their People

by James L Buckley

Saving Congress from Itself proposes a single reform: eliminate all federal grants-in-aid to state and local governments. This action would reduce federal spending by over $600 billion a year and have a profound...

The Cynic: The Political Education of Mitch McConnell

by Alec MacGillis

From a dogged political reporter, an investigation into the political education of Mitch McConnell and an argument that this powerful Senator embodies much of this country’s political dysfunction.

Based on...

Congressional Primary Elections

by Robert G. Boatright

Congressional primaries are increasingly being blamed for polarization and gridlock in Congress. Most American states adopted congressional primaries during the first decades of the 20^th century as a means of...

The U.S. Constitution with The Declaration of Independence and The Articles of Confederation

by The Founding Fathers

Collected here in one affordable volume are the most important documents of the United States of America: The Constitution of the United States of America, with the Bill of Rights and all of the Amendments;...

Congressional Ambivalence: The Political Burdens of Constitutional Authority

by Jasmine Farrier

Is the United States Congress dead, alive, or trapped in a moribund cycle? When confronted with controversial policy issues, members of Congress struggle to satisfy conflicting legislative, representative, and...

One Nation Under Siege

by Jocelyn Evans

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, America's political institutions underwent radical changes as they adapted to comprehensive security reforms. While the media exhaustively covered new security protocols...

Summary of Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches - John W. Dean

by Capitol Reader

This ebook consists of a summary of the ideas, viewpoints and facts presented by John W. Dean in his book “Broken Government: Hoe Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches”....

Summary of The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, and the Battle for the Supreme Court - Cliff Sloan and David McKean

by Capitol Reader

This ebook consists of a summary of the ideas, viewpoints and facts presented by Cliff Sloan and David McKean in their book “The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, and the Battle for the Supreme Court”....

Summary of Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court - Jan Crawford Greenburg

by Capitol Reader

This ebook consists of a summary of the ideas, viewpoints and facts presented by Jan Crawford Greenburg in his book “Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the struggle for Control of the United States Supreme...

Summary of Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Econony - BILL CLINTON

by Capitol Reader

This ebook consists of a summary of the ideas, viewpoints and facts presented by Bill Clinton in his book “Back to Work, Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy”. This summary offers a concise...

Summary of Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government - Glenn Beck

by Capitol Reader

This ebook consists of a summary of the ideas, viewpoints and facts presented by Glenn Beck in his book “Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government”. This summary offers a concise overview...

Summary of Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts are Wrong for America - Cass R. Sunstein

by Capitol Reader

This ebook consists of a summary of the ideas, viewpoints and facts presented by Cass R. Sunstein in his book “Radicals in Robes, Why Extreme Right-wing Courts are Wrong for America”. This summary offers...

Summary of Supreme Chaos: The Politics of Judicial Confirmation and the Culture War - Charles Willis Pickering

by Capitol Reader

This ebook consists of a summary of the ideas, viewpoints and facts presented by Charles Willis Pickering in his book “Supreme Chaos: The Politics of Judicial Confirmation and the Culture of War”. This summary...

Summary of The Next Justice: Repairing the Supreme Court Appointments Process - Christopher L. Eisgruber

by Capitol Reader

This ebook consists of a summary of the ideas, viewpoints and facts presented by Christopher L. Eisgruber in his book “The Next Justice: Repairing the Supreme Court Appointments Process”. This summary offers...

Russell Long: A Life in Politics

by Michael S. Martin

Russell Long (1918-2003) occupies a unique niche in twentieth-century United States history. Born into Louisiana’s most influential political family, and son of perhaps the most famous Louisianan of all time,...

Dead Men Ruling: How to Restore Fiscal Freedom and Rescue Our Future

by C. Eugene Steuerle

The news coming out of Washington, D.C., and reverberating around the nation increasingly sounds like a broken record: low or zero growth in employment, inadequate funds to pay future Social Security and Medicare...

The Roles and Function of Parliamentary Questions

by Shane Martin & Olivier Rozenberg

Parliamentary questions are a feature of almost all national legislatures. Despite this, we know very little about how questions are used by MPs and what impact questions have on controlling the government....