The Contemporary Congress

Burdett A. Loomis, Wendy J. Schiller

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 2018
• Edition: 7
• eBook ISBN:
  9798881879464
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

In an era of heightened partisanship and increased polarization, The Contemporary Congress offers a clear and concise introduction to legislative processes. Perfect as a brief core or supplementary text for undergraduate courses, Loomis and Schiller construct a comprehensive portrait of the U.S. Congress, from defining congressional structures and procedures, to outlining the process of elections, and analyzing presidential-congressional relations.

The seventh edition focuses on two parallel trends: an increasingly partisan and polarized Congress, and a growing executive power. In addition, the authors make some early observations of relations between the Congress and the Trump Administration. New coverage includes the art of electioneering, the pressures of campaign fundraising, and updated policy goals of the political parties that shape the congressional agenda. From a late night deciding vote by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), to the rise and fall of Freedom Caucus member Representative Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), a new "Spotlight" feature provides brief case studies of decisions made by individual members to illustrate the constant balance that they must strike between their party and their constituents, and what happens when they get that balance wrong.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright information
• Contents
• Illustrations
• Preface
• Chapter 1 The Drama of Representation
• Chapter 2 Congressional Decentralization in Design and Evolution
• Chapter 3 The Changing Environment of Congressional Politics
• Chapter 4 Congressional Elections: All for One and One for All?
• Chapter 5 Parties, Leaders, and Ideology in Congress
• Chapter 6 Presidential-Congressional Relations: Boundaries of Power
• Chapter 7 Policymaking in the House and Senate
• Chapter 8 The Individual Enterprise
• Chapter 9 The Competitive Congress: Centrifugal Forces in a Partisan Era
• Photo Credits
• Index