Congress, Presidents, and American Politics: Fifty Years of Writings and Reflections
384Congress, Presidents, and American Politics: Fifty Years of Writings and Reflections
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Overview
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780253020864 |
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Publisher: | Indiana University Press |
Publication date: | 04/18/2016 |
Pages: | 384 |
Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d) |
Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Introduction1. The Johnson Years (1965–1968): A Remarkable Time to Begin in CongressPassing MedicareThe Other War in VietnamThanksgiving 1966Luncheon at the White HouseVisit to the CIAPresident Johnson Off the RecordUrban RiotsThe Regular OrderThe U.S. Role in the WorldSenate Hearings on the Vietnam WarCivil Disorder after Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.The Assassination of Robert Kennedy2. The Nixon Years (1969–1974): Accomplishments Amid TurmoilChristmas at the Nixon White HouseChanging the House Seniority SystemMeeting with Student ProtestersReducing the Voting AgeSetting up our System of GovernmentReports on Trip to War ZoneThe Pentagon PapersNixon's Trip to ChinaEvaluation of the Apollo ProgramInauguration 1973The Costs of the Vietnam WarThe Vice President's ResignationThe House Judiciary Committee and ImpeachmentAfter Watergate3. The Ford Years (1974–1976): A Needed RespiteThe PardonAs We Leave VietnamThe Middle ClassThe Women's Rights MovementPoliticiansDemocracy and CapitalismBig GovernmentCongress and Foreign Policy4. The Carter Years (1977–1980): Intra-party DiscordInauguration Day 1977Human RightsReorganizing the Federal BureaucracyThe Panama Canal TreatyAn Assessment of the Carter AdministrationThe Congressional Budget ProcessA Good Word For AmericaThe Gasoline ShortageThe Iranian Hostage CrisisDeregulation5. The Reagan Years (1981–1988): Letting the Democratic Process WorkPresident Reagan Looks at Social SecurityImproving Intelligence AnalysisThe Week the Government StoppedReflections on the 97th CongressThe Military BalanceReligion in PoliticsHow a Member DecidesThe Appeal of CongressOur Constitutional HeritageIssues of the FutureCovert Actions in a Democratic SocietyThe Reagan-Gorbachev SummitThe Budget Legacy of the Reagan YearsThe Quiet Crisis6. The George H. W. Bush Years (1989–1992): A New World OrderSDI reassessmentHouse Ethics ReformSupply-side EconomicsNational Spending PrioritiesLessons of the Great SocietyThe United States Flag and the ConstitutionThe Balanced Budget AmendmentThe President's Arms Control SpeechCongressional PerksThe Confirmation ProcessIraq and the Persian Gulf War One Year Later7. The Clinton Years (1993–2000): Opportunity LostQuestions About CongressReinventing GovernmentPublic CynicismThe Term Limit Movement and Congressional ChangeThe Contract with AmericaA Sensible Role for GovernmentThe Budget BattleCivility in CongressThe Budget SurplusThe Starr Report and the Congressional ResponseThe Work of CongressThe Record of the 105th CongressWhy Voting Matters8. The George W. Bush Years (2001–2008): A Timid CongressWhy the President Needs the Help of Congress to Make Foreign PolicyThe Merits of Citizen EngagementWhy Congress Needs to Assert ItselfOversight At LastWe Urgently Need Redistricting ReformOur Leaders Must Find a Balance on IraqWhat Politics Should Be AboutThe Ten Commandments of Citizenship9. The Obama Years (2009–2014): Continuing StrugglesIs Congress Up To The Task Before It?Polarization Will Not Disappear QuicklyHere's An Idea For Congress: Try DemocracyIn Congress, Going Big Isn't Always the AnswerIt's Not Just Congress: Citizens Also Have Room to ImproveThe Invisible LawmakersThe Justices and the Scramble for CashNow It's Time to Focus on the EconomyThe Summer of Our Discontent10. Some Concluding ThoughtsWhat People are Saying About This
Lee Hamilton is a careful writer, and here he draws on his many years of public service in Congress, at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and on commissions and other special executive branch assignments. This is an original work stemming from the combination of his experience.
This book is a treasure trove of insightful, real-time commentaries from a consummate legislator highly respected by members of both parties. Hamilton's observations could not be more relevant today, as they illustrate how the political process can, in fact, be made to work; and that thoughtful, principled compromise in both the legislative and executive branches is a lynchpin for producing solutions and the best possible policy for America's future.
A balanced treatment that does not assign the blame for current political dysfunction solely to members of Congress, donors, interest groups, or any other single cause.
Lee Hamilton is a careful writer, and here he draws on his many years of public service in Congress, at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and on commissions and other special executive branch assignments. This is an original work stemming from the combination of his experience.
This is a chronicle of a fascinating odyssey. It is a trip, not by the "wise Odysseus" from Troy to Ithaca, but the story of the more than fifty-year journey of the sage former congressman and senior statesman Lee Hamilton from the first of his thirty-four years in Congress during the Johnson Administration to the present day. . .One of the most remarkable and valuable characteristics of the work is that it is written at a level that is readily understandable by the average citizen for whom the newsletters it contains were written. It is essentially an exercise in civic education and enlightening not only for the general populace, but also for teachers and students of American government throughout the nation.
This superb collection of Lee Hamilton's commentaries about Washington reminds us why he was a great bipartisan leader for half a century: he understood politics, and he always put his country first. Here, readers can see how Hamilton kept his balance and good sense, from Vietnam to Watergate to Iraq. If you want an inside look at how the federal government really works, read this powerful book.
Lee Hamilton offers a sweeping and insightful history of America's governmental structure, contemporary politics, and the responsibility of citizens in our representative democracy. Given his 34 years of first-hand experience, a reader could not ask for a more informed guide through the controversies and debate that shaped the United States during the second half of the 20th Century. This work will be valuable to anyone interested in understanding our political/governmental past, contemplating how we might make the future better, and grasping what each of us can do to be informed and effective citizens.
A balanced treatment that does not assign the blame for current political dysfunction solely to members of Congress, donors, interest groups, or any other single cause.