Norman J. Ornstein - Böcker

In this book, the third of the five trade books for the Institutions of Democracy project, Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein argue that congress faces a crisis of self-identity and role in the American Constitutional System. Congress is supposed to be the driving force behind policy in the nation and a vital check and balance against the executive, but it is neither, particularly under the current administration. As with other books in this series Mann and Ornstein will examine the first principles of the intended role of the legislative branch, look throughout history at how congress has fulfilled this role, and consider what can be done to improve it and bring it back to its original purpose.

A remarkable collection of farewell addresses by the thirteen U.S. senators who voluntarily retired in 1996-Bill Bradley, Hank Brown, William S. Cohen, J. James Exon, Mark O. Hatfield, Howell Heflin, J. Bennett Johnston, Nancy Landon Kassebaum, Sam Nunn, Claiborne Pell, David Pryor, Paul Simon, and Alan K. Simpson.

In recent years Congress has been in a state of siege. The healthy skepticism that had long characterized public attitudes toward Congress degenerated into corrosive cynicism. The reservoir of support among political elites appears to have collapsed as well. Part of the explanation for this growing public hostility lies in objective conditions: stagnant wages, huge budget deficits, sustained divided government, scandals and deadlock on Capitol Hill. But another important factor may be how Congress is presented to and interpreted for the broader public.This book explores the connections between Congress, the press, and the public. Public opinion scholars analyze historical data to discern trends in and sources of public hostility toward Congress. Media specialists examine patterns of congressional coverage in national print and television news and attitudes toward Congress among producers, editors, and reporters. And students of Congress explore the tools and techniques leaders and rank-and-file members use in presenting themselves and their institution to the public. The book concludes by assessing the role the media plays in presenting Congress to the public and what the media and Congress might do to improve public understanding.The contributors are Herb Asher and Michael Barr, Ohio State University; Karlyn Bowman and Kimberly Coursen, the American Enterprise Institute; Ronald D. Elving, Congressional Quarterly; Stephen Hess, Brookings; Karl Kurtz, National Conference of State Legislatures; Everett Carll Ladd, The Roper Center; Robert Lichter, Center for Media and Public Policy; and Mark J. Rozell, Mary Washington College.This book is the third in a series by the Renewing Congress Project, a joint effort of the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution. The previous volumes are Renewing Congress: A First Report and Renewing Congress: A Second Report.

The devastating and politically consequential defeat of President Clinton's comprehensive health plan in Congress has unleashed a torrent of speculation over ""who or what killed reform."" One class of explanation deals with the institutional arrangements by which policy is made in the United States and, more specifically, with the rules and organization of Congress. This volume weighs the importance of Congress in the failure to enact health reform by examining more broadly how Congress shapes health policy—on matters ranging from ambitious plans to achieve universal health insurance coverage to annual appropriations for public health agencies.Part One examines how Congress has organized and equipped itself to make health policy. Individual chapters consider how committee jurisdictions, budgeting procedures, information, and oversight influence health policymaking. Part Two uses recent health policy episodes—the 1988-89 adoption and repeal of Medicare catastrophic coverage and the 1993-94 failure to pass national health reform—to generalize about how process shapes policy.This book is a product of the Renewing Congress Project, a joint undertaking of the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute. The contributors include C. Lawrence Evans, College of William and Mary; Mark Nadel, General Accounting Office; Julie Rovner, freelance health policy writer; and Allen Schick and Joseph White, Brookings.Copublished with the American Enterprise Institute

Vital Statistics on Congress remains the quintessential source of authoritative information on America's legislature. This important series tracks the elements that define and describe Congress in the post–World War II era, and in this new edition, three of America's most esteemed political analysts extend their examination through the 109th Congress. They combine historical context with insightful analysis and copious data to produce a valuable and authoritative picture of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Norman Ornstein, Thomas Mann, and Michael Malbin track the changing makeup of Congress through history and across several dimensions, such as region, party, occupation, religion, committee assignments, staff size, and political stances. They document trends in critical areas such as voter turnout, ticket splitting, incumbency and turnover, and margin of victory. The authors, acknowledged experts in campaign finance, provide detailed information on candidate, party, and PAC spending. The material presented in l Statistics on Congress 2008 rev reveals a fascinating and important picture of America's chosen representatives, as politicians and as people. It will be an important addition to the bookshelves of media, political professionals, scholars and their students, and political junkies everywhere.

The mechanisms that lead to the final selection of a president are complex. Some procedures are sketched out in the original Constitution and its amendments, and others in federal law, congressional rules and procedures, state laws, and political party rules. This new, expanded edition of After the People Vote—featuring new sections on public opinion on the Electoral College and proposals for amending the Electoral College system—explains how our system of electing a president works, especially the processes that kick in after the November general election date.