Congress and Its Members

by Roger H. Davidson, Walter J. Oleszek, Frances E. Lee, Eric Schickler, James M. Curry

Overview

Congress and Its Members has been the gold standard for Congress courses for thirty years. Now in its 19th edition, the book offers comprehensive coverage of the U.S. Congress and the legislative process by examining the tension between Congress as a lawmaking institution and as a collection of politicians constantly seeking re-election. The 19th edition covers the outcomes of the 2022 election and subsequent changes in in congressional organization and leadership, including the protracted battle for the House speakership. The book’s election coverage details regional shifts in party strength, voting behavior, the use of digital media in congressional elections, and state-level efforts to expand and restrict voting access. Up-to-date information on the diversity of the new Congress in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and professional background is provided. The politics and outcomes of the 2022 primary elections are covered, as well.

Always balancing great scholarship with currency, the book features lively case material along with relevant data, charts, maps, and photos.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071901762
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	10/24/2023
Edition description:	Nineteenth Edition
Pages:	656
Sales rank:	524,131
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Roger H. Davidson was professor emeritus of government and politics at the University

of Maryland and served as visiting professor of political science at the University of

California, Santa Barbara. He was a senior fellow of the National Academy of Public

Administration. During the 1970s, he served on the staffs of reform efforts in both the

House (Bolling-Martin Committee) and the Senate (Stevenson-Brock Committee).

For the 2001–2002 academic year, he served as the John Marshall chair in political

science at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. His books include Remaking

Congress: Change and Stability in the 1990s, co-edited with James A. Thurber (1995),

and Understanding the Presidency, 7th ed., co-edited with James P. Pfiffner (2013).

Davidson was co-editor with Donald C. Bacon and Morton Keller of The Encyclopedia

of the United States Congress (1995).

Walter J. Oleszek is a senior specialist in the legislative process at the Congressional

Research Service. He has served as either a full-time professional staff aide or consultant

to many major House and Senate congressional reorganization efforts beginning

with the passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970. In 1993, he served as

policy director of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. A former

adjunct faculty member at American University, Oleszek is a frequent lecturer to various

academic, governmental, and business groups. He is the author or co-author of several

books, including Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process, 11th ed. (2020),

and Congress Under Fire: Reform Politics and the Republican Majority, with C. Lawrence

Evans (1997).

Frances E. Lee is professor of politics and public affairs in the School of Public and

International Affairs and the Department of Politics at Princeton University. She has

been a research fellow at the Brookings Institution and an APSA congressional fellow.

Most recently, she is co-author of The Limits of Party: Congress and Lawmaking in a

Polarized Era (2020). She is also the author of Insecure Majorities: Congress and the

Perpetual Campaign (2016) and Beyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship

in the U.S. Senate (2009) and co-author, with Bruce I. Oppenheimer, of Sizing Up

the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation (1999). Her articles have

appeared in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies

Quarterly, and American Journal of Political Science, among others.

Eric Schickler is Jeffrey & Ashley Mc Dermott Professor of Political Science at the

University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of three books that have won the

Richard F. Fenno Jr. Prize for the best book on legislative politics: Disjointed Pluralism:

Institutional Innovation and the Development of the U.S. Congress (2001), Filibuster:

Obstruction and Lawmaking in the United States Senate (2006, with Gregory Wawro),

and Investigating the President: Congressional Checks on Presidential Power (2016, with

Douglas Kriner; also a winner of the Richard E. Neustadt Prize for the best book on

executive politics). His book Racial Realignment: The Transformation of American

Liberalism, 1932–1965 was the winner of the Woodrow Wilson Prize for the best book

on government, politics, or international affairs published in 2016, and is co-winner of

the J. David Greenstone Prize for the best book in history and politics from the previous

two calendar years. He is also the co-author of Partisan Hearts and Minds, which

was published in 2002.

Table of Contents

Tables, Figures, and Boxes xx

Preface xxiii

About the Authors xxvii

Part I In Search of the Two Congresses

Chapter 1 The Two Congresses 1

The Dual Nature of Congress 3

Legislators' Tasks 4

Popular Images 5

The Constitutional Basis 5

Back to Burke 6

The Two Congresses in Comparative Context 7

Divergent Views of Congress 9

Chapter 2 Evolution of the Modern Congress 13

Antecedents of Congress 14

The English Heritage 14

The Colonial Experience 15

Congress in the Constitution 17

Powers of Congress 17

Limits on Legislative Power 20

Separate Branches, Shared Powers 20

Judicial Review 23

Bicameralism 25

Institutional Evolution 26

Workload 27

The Size of Congress 28

Conflict with the Executive Branch 29

Partisan interests 30

Members' Individual interests 32

Evolution of the Legislator's Job 33

The Congressional Career 34

Professionalization 36

Constituency Demands 36

Conclusion 37

Part II A Congress of Ambassadors

Chapter 3 Going for It: Recruitment and Candidacy 41

Formal Rules of the Game 42

Senate Apportionment 42

House Apportionment 43

Districting in the House 46

Malapportionment 48

Gerrymandering 49

Majority-Minority Districts 55

Becoming a Candidate 58

Called or Chosen? 59

Amateurs and Professionals 61

Finding Quality Candidates 63

Nominating Politics 66

Rules of the Nominating Game 66

Parties and Nominations 66

Sizing Up the Primary System 67

Conclusion 68

Chapter 4 Making It: The Electoral Game 71

Campaign Strategies 73

Asking the Right Questions 73

Choosing the Message 74

Campaign Resources 74

Campaign Finance Regulations 76

Incumbents versus Challengers 79

Allocating Resources 82

Organizing the Campaign 83

Campaign Techniques 84

The Air War: Media and Other Mass Appeals 84

The Ground War: Pressing the Flesh and Other Forms of Close Contact 86

The Parallel Campaigns 88

Who Votes? 89

Reasons for Not Voting 89

Biases of Voting 90

How Voters Decide 92

Party Loyalties 92

The Appeal of Candidates 96

Issue Voting 100

Election Outcomes 102

Party Balance 103

Party Alignment and Realignment 107

Turnover and Representation 107

Conclusion 108

Chapter 5 Being There: Hill Styles and Home Styles 111

Hill Styles 112

Who Are the Legislators? 112

Congressional Roles 118

How Do Legislators Spend Their Time? 123

The Shape of the Washington Career 124

Looking Homeward 125

Independent Judgment or Constituency Opinion? 125

What Are Constituencies? 126

Home Styles 130

Office of the Member Inc. 133

Road Tripping 133

Constituency Casework 134

Personal Staff 135

Members and the Media 137

Mail 138

Feeding the Local Press 138

Social Media 140

Conclusion 141

Part III A Deliberative Assembly of One Nation

Chapter 6 Leaders and Parties in Congress 143

The Speaker of the House 146

The Changing Role of the Speaker 147

The Speaker's Influence: Style and Context 153

House Floor Leaders 156

House Whips 157

Leaders of the Senate 159

Presiding Officers 159

Floor Leaders 161

Determinants of Voting 275

Party and Voting 275

Ideology and Voting 280

Constituency and Voting 284

The Presidency and Voting 288

Cue-Givers and Roll Call Votes 288

Legislative Bargaining 289

Implicit and Explicit Bargaining 290

Logrolling 291

Bargaining Strategy 292

Conclusion 294

Part IV Policy Making and Change in the Two Congresses

Chapter 10 Congress and the President 297

Constitutional Powers 299

Veto Bargaining 300

The Line-Item Veto 303

The Administrative President 303

Leadership 308

The President's Power to Persuade 308

Going Public: The Rhetorical President 312

Congressional Opinion Leadership 315

The "Two Presidencies" 315

Sources of Legislative-Executive Conflict and Cooperation 318

Party Loyalties 319

Public Expectations 321

Different Constituencies 322

Different Time Perspectives 323

The Balance of Power 323

Conclusion 325

Chapter 11 Congress and the Bureaucracy 327

Congress Organizes the Executive Branch 329

Senate Confirmation of Presidential Appointees 329

The Personnel System 335

The Rulemaking Process 339

Congressional Control of the Bureaucracy 343

Hearings and Investigations 345

Congressional Vetoes 346

Mandatory Reports 346

Nonstatutory Controls 347

Inspectors General 347

The Appropriations Process 348

Impeachment 349

Oversight: An Evaluation 349

Micromanagement 352

Conclusion 352

Chapter 12 Congress and the Courts 355

The Federal Courts 356

The Supreme Court as Policy Maker 358

"Judicial Activism" 359

Interbranch Conflict: Separation of Powers 360

Federalism 362

Statutory Interpretation 363

Legislative Checks on the Judiciary 364

Advice and Consent for Judicial Nominees 369

Supreme Court Nominations 371

The Lower Courts 374

Conclusion 379

Chapter 13 Congress and Organized Interests 381

American Pluralism 382

A Capital of Interests 383

A Nation of Joiners 383

Biases of Interest Representation 385

Pressure Group Methods 387

Direct Lobbying 388

Social Lobbying 389

Coalition Lobbying 391

Grassroots Lobbying 391

Digital Lobbying 392

Groups and the Electoral Connection 393

Groups and Campaign Fund-Raising 393

Groups and Advocacy Campaigns 394

Rating Legislators 394

Groups, Lobbying, and Legislative Politics 395

The Role of Money 396

Lobbying and Legislation 397

Subgovernments 398

Regulation of Lobbying 399

The 1946 Lobbying Law 399

The Lobby Disclosure Act of 1995 399

The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 400

Foreign Lobbying 400

Conclusion 402

Chapter 14 Congress, Budgets, and Domestic Policy Making 405

Stages of Policy Making 406

Setting the Agenda 406

Formulating Policy 408

Adopting Policy 408

Implementing Policy 409

Types of Domestic Policies 410

Distributive Policies 410

Regulatory Policies 412

Redistributive Policies 413

Characteristics of Congressional Policy Making 413

Bicameralism 413

Localism 414

Piecemeal Policy Making 415

Symbolic Policy Making 415

Reactive Policy Making 415

Congressional Budgeting 416

Authorizations and Appropriations 418

Backdoor Spending Techniques 421

The Challenge of Entitlements 422

The 1974 Budget Act 425

Concurrent Budget Resolution 426

Reconciliation 429

A Revised Budget Process 431

Conclusion 432

Chapter 15 Congress and National Security Policies 435

Constitutional Powers 436

The President Proposes 437

Congress Reacts 438

Who Speaks for Congress7 439

Types of Foreign and National-Security Policies 441

Structural Policies 442

The Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex 443

Trade Politics 444

Strategic Policies 447

The Power of the Purse 448

Treaties and Executive Agreements 449

Other Policy-Making Powers of Congress 451

Crisis Policies: The War Powers 452

Constitutional Powers 452

The War Powers Resolution 454

Changes in Warfare 456

Conclusion 458

Part V Conclusion

Chapter 16 The Two Congresses and the American People 461

Congress as the "Broken Branch" 464

Ambition and Conflict 464

Ethics and Transparency 467

Deliberation and Processes 469

Attacks on Congress 471

The "Broken Branch" and the Two Congresses 472

Congress's Vital Role 475

Representation 475

Policy Making 478

Congress's Impact 481

Twenty-First-Century Challenges 482

A Crisis of Legitimacy 484

Security versus Accessibility 485

Checks and Imbalances? 485

Conclusion 487

Appendix A Party Control: Presidency, Senate, House, 1901-2023 A1

Appendix B Internships: Getting Experience on Capitol Hill A5

Suggested Readings S1

Notes N1

Index I1

Editorial Reviews

A broad reference on the legislative branch of the US government for general readers and college students taking courses on the legislative process or national policy making. First published in 1981 and here updated through July 1997 to analyze such current issues as the irrelevancy of campaign finance laws in the context of campaign fundraising and the politics of reform, new leaders and party organizations in the House and Senate, and comparisons between the 104th and 105th Congresses. Paper edition (unseen), $34.95. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

Of the many textbooks on the subject, Congress and Its Members is clearly the gold standard. It offers a comprehensive introduction to the people and structures of the American Congress in clear and readable prose. The addition of Eric Schickler adds yet another top-notch scholar to the accomplished team of authors.”

Amy E. Black

Congress and Its Members is very nearly perfect. I have found its structure to be enormously useful, and given how broad a goal it has, I think it works great. In particular, it is very well written and contains plenty of good examples that are essential to bringing such a peculiar institution as Congress to life. It is very clear the authors are experts on the topic, not just from an academic perspective but also from day-to-day real life experience.”

Elizabeth Palmer

I have used it throughout my teaching career because it is so complete and so easy for the students to understand.…It is simply the best one can get.”

Kenneth Cosgrove

I am familiar with all the standard Congress textbooks on the market. The authors of this textbook are in my estimation among the best scholars and researchers in the field. They have produced a superior product.”

Scot Schraufnagel

I would say that it is the best introductory text on the market, that it provides highly detailed and comprehensive coverage of the institution’s rules and operation and on the way that members navigate these in pursuing their own goals and representing their particular districts.

David A. Bateman

A brilliant and comprehensive text which reflects the most significant and important information about the dynamics and trends in congressional politics.

Linda Trautman

This is the finest Congress text on the market. It has an admirable mix of compelling narratives, anecdotes from congressional journalism, large theoretical questions overlooked by other texts, detailed information about procedure, and a concise and comprehensive catalog of empirical findings from the broader literature.

Darin De Witt

For me, Congress and Its Members provides the best combination of foundational knowledge about Congress, summarization of the current state of empirical research on Congress, and timely examples from current events. The organization, structure, and presentation of the material in the book is clear, logical, and very easy to follow.

James B. Cottrill

[Congress and Its Members] is the gold standard to which all Congress texts should aspire. It is comprehensive, well written, and well organized....The recent addition of Lee and Schickler as co-authors brings to the book freshness of perspective and good solid knowledge of the way Congress works.”

Ross Baker

Congress and Its Members is the gold standard for textbooks on the U.S. Congress. This is evident from its long life, the scholarly caliber of the authors, and the wide and timely coverage it brings to topics. "

Charles Finnochiaro

Davidson, Oleszek, Lee, and Schickler have clearly taken great effort to ensure the book is as thorough as possible in its coverage of the legislative branch. There seems to be no question about Congress whose answer cannot be found in the pages of Congress and Its Members.”

Carrie Eaves

This is the finest Congress text on the market. It has an admirable mix of compelling narratives, anecdotes from congressional journalism, large theoretical questions overlooked by other texts, detailed information about procedure, and a concise and comprehensive catalog of empirical findings from the broader literature.

Darin DeWitt