Congress: The First Branch

by Sean M. Theriault, Mickey Edwards

Overview

Written by an award-winning political scientist and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who is now an instructor, Congress: The First Branch introduces students to the inner workings of Congress. The text examines the process by which laws are made and passed and the many factors that influence congressional decisions. Presenting the standard material covered in the typical Congress class, this text also pays special attention to the overarching trends in the legislature—specifically hyper-partisanship and the high rates of reelection for incumbents in the midst of very low public regard for the institution. Given all that is at stake, Congress: The First Branch highlights the role of Congress as a critical component in the separation-of-powers system and in creating law and policy for the United States. The combination of these elements creates a unique text that provides students with an insider's look at real life on Capitol Hill.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199811304
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/10/2019
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 6.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Sean M. Theriault is an award-winning instructor and scholar. He currently serves as Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin.

Mickey Edwards was a member of Congress for sixteen years, serving on the House Budget and Appropriations Committees and as Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. He has taught at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He currently serves as Vice President of the Aspen Institute, where he directs a bipartisan fellowship for elected public officials.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part 1: The Fundamentals

Chapter 1: The Complexity of Congress
Congress Seen and Unseen
Congress: The First Branch of Government
Empowerment and Constraint: The Limits of Power
Herding Cats: Choosing to Make Things Difficult
A Matter of Principle
A Matter of Politics
A Matter of Party
Caught in the Web: Conflicting Interests
The Culture of Congress
Congress in Perspective

Chapter 2: The People
I. Vox Populi - The Voice of the People
What do Constituents Expect?
How Members View the Constituency
Presentation of Self
II. The Complexities Behind "Vox Populi"
Whose Views Matter?
Determining the Constituents' Preferences and Interests
The Absence of Committed Political Views
The American Public Doesn't Have Faith in the System
The American Public is Politically Ignorant
Voter Turnout
III. Restoring the American Public
The Vigilant American Spirit
Police Patrols and Fire Alarms
Heuristics
The Electoral Process: Adversarial and Competitive
"Potential" Preferences

Chapter 3: Getting Elected to Congress
I. A Historical Perspective on Congressional Elections
Early Congressional Election Contests
The Era of Strong Parties
Candidate-Centered Elections
II. The Four Factors of Congressional Elections
Fixed Factors
Long-term Factors
Medium-term Factors
Short-term Factors
Which Factors Matter Most?
III. The Campaign
The Candidates
Recruitment
The Incumbents
The Power of Money
Campaign Finance Laws
The Power of Organization
The Power of Ideas
IV. Who Wins?
Incumbents
Quality Challengers
Really Lucky Candidates
V. Who Votes?

Chapter 4: Being a Member of Congress
I. The Members of Congress
Race, Ethnicity, and Sex of Members of Congress
Other Member Characteristics
II. Perquisites of Serving in Congress
Salary
Health Care Coverage
Office and Other Expenses
III. The Daily Life of a Member
IV. How Members Vote
V. Members Goals
Reelection
Providing Good Constituent Service
Formulating Good Public Policy
Furthering their Political Careers
Having Majority Party Status


Part 2: The Legislative Process

Chapter 5: The Legislative Process
I. The Textbook Process
II. Introducing a Bill
Committees
The Floor
—The House of Representatives
—The Senate
Action after the Floor
On to the White House
The End of a Congress
III. Different Pieces of Legislation
IV. Implications of the Textbook Process

Chapter 6: Modern Developments in the Legislative Process
I. Forces that Brought about the Irregular Order
Individual Member Enterprises
The Stalling of Civil Rights Legislation
Supreme Court Opinions
Northernization of the South; Southerniztion of the North
The Fiscalization of Politics
The Sorting of the Parties by Ideology
Party Competition
The Imperial President
II. The Irregular Order
Multiple Referrals
Subcommittee Bill of Rights
Discharge Petitions and the Threat of Discharge Petitions
Omnibus Bills
Continuing Resolutions
Ad Hoc Working Groups and Task Forces
Gangs
Commissions
Restrictive Rules
Special Special Rules
Complex Unanimous Consent Agreements
Self-Executing Rules and Post-Committee Adjustments
Avoiding Conference Committees
Fast Track Authority
Filibusters and Holds
Death by Amendment and the Filling of Amendment Trees
III. Consequences of the Changes

Chapter 7: The Committees
I. The History of Committees
II. The Committee System of Today
Authorizing Committees
The Appropriations Committees
The Taxing Committees
The Budget Committees
Other Committees
III. The Makeup of Committees
Committee Leadership
Committee Assignments
Staff
IV. Ranking the Committees
V. The Committees at Work
In Committee
To the Floor
Oversight
VI. Studying the Committee System

Chapter 8: Political Parties
I. History of Political Parties in Congress
II. Political Parties in the Contemporary Congress
Unified Constituencies
Intense Party Competition
Polarized Parties
III. The Structure of Leadership
The Speaker
Majority Leader of the Senate
Majority Leader in the House
The Minority Leaders
The Whips
Conference or Caucus Chairmen
Party Campaign Committees
Other Leadership Positions
Leadership Staff
Winning a Leadership Position
IV. The Resources of Party Leaders
Committee assignments
The Power of Party Leaders during Floor Debates
Conference Committees and Negotiations Between Chambers
Fundraising

Chapter 9: External Influences
I. The President
Legislator-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
Party Leader
Unilateral Actor
II.The Bureaucracy
III. The Courts
IV. Interest Groups
Interest Groups as an Extension of Members' Offices
Interest Groups and Watch Dogs over the Bureaucracy
V. The Media

Chapter 10: The Congress of the Future

Appendix: Modeling the Legislative Process
I. Criteria for Evaluating Models
Clarity of Assumptions, Processes, and Outcomes
Simplicity
Surprise Valley
Generalizability
Accuracy
II. Lawmaking Models
Median Voter
Pivotal Politics Model
Incrementalism
Streams Analysis
Punctuated Equilibrium

Editorial Reviews

"I love the idea of a Member of Congress co-authoring with a Stanford-educated political scientist. Each of them have a section for their reactions at the end of each chapter. That's great."—Kristin Kanthak, University of Pittsburgh

"Theriault and Edwards have created an exciting textbook on Congress that combines both scholarly and practitioner experiences. This book is unique because it provides accessible and comprehensive coverage of the study of the legislative process and the U.S. Congress while also incorporating the insights of a former member of Congress. The end result is a clear scholarly text that is rich in real-world practices on the Hill and one that students are likely to find an engaging read."—Sophia Jordán Wallace, University of Washington

"This is a welcome work. I found the writing style more inviting, less dry, and thus more approachable than that of similar books. It provides a clear picture of Congress and contemporary lawmaking."—John Grummel, Upper Iowa University

"The dual-author approach is well-suited to covering the activities of Congress. The authors are right to consider how party polarization has fundamentally changed the operation of Congress. Focusing on this is much more satisfying than simply tacking on an additional chapter about party polarization."—Jon Rogowski, Washington University in St. Louis

"Congress: The First Branch is the only book to date that will provide readers with the fundamental basics of the congressional decision process, while at the same time offering perspectives from both a renowned legislative scholar and a coauthor who actually served as a member of Congress. There is nothing esoteric about this nicely written and well-organized work. The book instead provides students with a straightforward and down-to-earth presentation of how Congress as a law making institution truly functions. Every dimension of Congress, ranging from rules of procedure to the current polarization that has gripped the law-making process, is contained in this impressive volume. For many years, I have sought a book for my course on Congress that can connect with students in a direct, informative and thought-provoking manner. I have finally found this book in the work of Theriault and Edwards."—Gary L. Rose, Sacred Heart University

"Congress: The First Branch is a perfect blend of a classic congressional textbook and a careful examination of new trends in the legislature, which produce much of the polarization and disorganization observed today. The commentary from practitioner and professor allows for two unique perspectives on a variety of topics throughout the book. It is the ideal text for both students interested in pursuing research on Congress and also those who envision themselves on the Hill one day."—Sarah A. Treul, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"Theriault and Edwards have crafted an amazingly readable and engaging text on Congress. While instructors have a wide array of choices for Congress texts, this book is unique. Most notably, it is a collaboration between someone who has served as a member of the House of Representatives and one of the world's leading academic experts on the workings of the U.S. Congress. This team is able to provide extraordinary insights that students will find fascinating. In particular, Theriault and Edwards do an excellent job of presenting legislators through a sympathetic lens while not shying away from the pathologies that have undermined public confidence in this central institution of U.S. policy making."—Nathan J. Kelly, University of Tennessee

"Theriault and Edwards' Congress: The First Branch is an engaging and illuminating look at legislative politics, balancing rigorous scholarly analysis with insider accounts of how Congress works and its role in our constitutional system. Those with interests in legislative procedures, congressional behavior and representation, and separation of powers will all find something to like here. The book is an excellent fit for both introductory and advanced undergraduate courses in Congress and American political institutions."—Tracy Sulkin, University of Illinois

"What do you get when you pair a prolific scholar of Congress and an experienced former House member as authors of a Congress text? A book with a totally unique voice and perspective on the institution. Theriault and Edwards provide theory and evidence about how Congress works and why, but they also make a distinct argument that embraces Congress as the first branch and demonstrates the necessity of politics. This engaging collaborative perspective—along with the independent takes from the professor and politician in each chapter—should spark critical thinking and discussion about what we should expect from Congress and the members we elect."—Scott R. Meinke, Bucknell University

"Congress: The First Branch is a path-breaking new textbook on our America's national legislature. It is innovative in three key ways. First, the conversations between 'professor' and 'politician' are insightful and fascinating. Second, the book does a better job than any other in terms of covering process and the politics of process. Third, the book is lively anecdotally while also covering deep scholarly topics (e.g. models). I did not know that such a combination of attributes was possible in an accessible textbook, but Theriault and Edwards pull it off wonderfully."—Glen S. Krutz, University of Oklahoma

"This contribution to textbooks about Congress is invaluable. It is both practical in its presentation but hopeful in its content, academic in its detail but pragmatic in its perspective. Its unique authorship—one author is a highly esteemed scholar of American government, the other a former congressman with over a decade of real-world legislative experience—offers something lacking in other texts. James Madison, America's closest thing to a 'Philosopher-King,' would surely approve of a text that embodies both a politics of principal and politics of interests."—Jeremy Adams, California State University, Bakersfield

From the Publisher