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The Legislative Labyrinth: A Map for Not-for-Profits (AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series) (The AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series)
Manufacturer: Wiley
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ASIN: 0471400696 |
Book Description
A simple, practical guide to help not-for-profit organizations lobby local, state, and federal legislative bodies
Only a fraction of not-for-profit organizations take advantage of the legislative process in representing their members and their organization's goals. Yet lobbying is an important way to gain visibility, attract members, and find new sources of funding. This book is designed to help the modern not-for-profit develop and implement an effective lobbying program without jeopardizing its tax-exempt status. Dr. Pidgeon and the contributers he has assembled provide in-depth analysis of all the major issues of the lobbying process, including:
- The basics of lobbying
- The structure of local, state, and federal government
- Using the mass media to spread the message
- Political action committees (PACs)
- Marketing and communication strategies
- Strategic partnerships
- The legal aspects of government affairs and lobbying
- When and how to use outside consultants
- A strategic, step-by-step plan for success
A CD-ROM with a wide-ranging array of tables, forms, and checklists as well as a complete model strategic plan is included. When used in conjunction with the CD-ROM, The Legislative Labyrinth is a comprehensive guide that explains and simplifies the process of developing and maintaining an effective, efficient government affairs program. This wealth of wise and insightful advice will help executive directors, board members, consultants, and lobbyists find creative, effective ways to earn the attention their organizations deserve.
Book Description
". . . a comprehensive account of the battle to make the GNA a reality. Skillfully bringing to life not only the players but also the issues, Mr. Locher, who was a prime mover in framing the legislation that resulted in Goldwater-Nichols, has written the definitive history of the Act."--Washington Times
". . . a monumental Washington battle in prose that is both exciting for experts and informative for novices . . . offers a unique historical lesson in rational decision making and civilian control of the military, and reminds us that the United States never pauses on the path to perfection."--William S. Cohen, former Secretary of Defense
"A definitive case study of the most important and successful American defense legislation of the twentieth century. Victory on the Potomac is probably the best informed book we are ever going to get on this critical chapter in the history of U.S. military policy. As such, it is must reading for military professionals and civilian defense policy experts alike."--Air and Space Power Journal
". . . a tale of the careful preparation and tenacity required to overturn an entrenched bureaucratic position . . . lays out the manner in which a handful of senior officers, vigorously supported by farsighted members of Congress, managed to overcome bitter institutional resistance to pass the Goldwater-Nichols Act--which embodied a veritable organizational revelation."--James R. Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense
". . . provides a superb insight into how the system works in the marble, stone, and cement battlefields of Washington. For anyone interested in Congress, the Department of Defense, or the White House, this book provides a unique view into details not revealed in textbooks or biographies."--Proceedings
Customer Reviews:
Required reading, but with a big caveat.......2006-03-18
My rating is in the middle because the book should be required reading for anyone who wants to know how Goldwater-Nichols came about, however, at the same time, it is extremely biased in its delivery, analysis and conclusions. The author was appointed by Senators Nunn (D) and Goldwater (R) to be the senior reorganization staffer who, "led the team that helped congress 'get smart' on this complex but critically important subject." Because of Locher's involvement from the Act's beginning through to its approval, which gives him unique insight, he has a vested interest in presenting his justifications for the Act in a positive light. This is best seen in his portrayals of the principals involved; those who supported reform are heroes who were not afraid to stand up to the establishment and the institutionalized bureaucracy. Those who opposed Goldwater-Nichols were more interested in their own power and often presented emotional rather than factual or issues based arguments.
Unfortunately, the book was published in 2002, which means the work was done before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003; it would be interesting to see his analysis of the relationship between the SECDEF and the JCS now.
Bottom line: if you're interested in how Goldwater-Nichols evolved, buy the book; I did, and I have no regrets. But read it with a (big) grain of salt.
Gripping and Insightful, "Victory" for Studying Policymaking.......2003-01-13
This is quite easily one of the best books I've ever read on the creation of public policy. Locher paints a full and colorful picture of the military reform efforts culminating in the Goldwater-Nichols Act. I never realized what a role the Beirut/Lebanon operations played in creating an atmosphere in which military reform began to be viewed as necessary, and I found both the strategy and actions used to push the legislation through the Senate Armed Services Committee in 1985-86 particularly fascinating. With regards to balancing personal insights and meticulous research, in my opinion "Victory on the Potomac" is unequalled, and I consider it one of the top prizes in my personal library. If your interests include public policy, successful reform attempts or the organization of the U.S. military, you will find this book to be an entertaining and informative treasure.
Powerful study of Congress and the Pentagon.......2002-08-03
Jim Locher tells the fascinating story of how Congress forced the Pentagon to undergo major reform in the mid-1980s. Locher, who was a major participant in the process, tells the inside story of the Goldwater-Nichols reforms and really takes the gloves off. Locher is a careful researcher and skillful writer who demonstrates vividly the courage of Senators Barry Goldwater and Sam Nunn, Congressman Bill Nichols, Admiral Bill Crowe and others. Locher highlights both the brilliance and the manipulative skills of Secretary of the Navy John Lehman in the debates and interactions between the Congress and the Pentagon. . My only criticism is that Locher is a bit too critical of Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger who did so much to build up the military during the early 1980s. Must reading for all who will work with or within the Pentagon or the Congress in the years ahead
Book Description
What happens when a president violates the U.S. Constitution, resulting in the deaths of thousands? In Warrior-King, public interest lawyer John Bonifaz argues passionately that Bush did just that when he launched a first-strike invasion of Iraq without a congressional declaration of war. The framers of the Constitution, he argues, wanted to ensure that our presidents would not be like European kings of old who could decide, on their own volition, to send their subjects into battle. Only the Congress can send this nation into war—George Bush is not a king. In February 2003 Bonifaz and a coalition of U.S. citizens, soldiers, and members of Congress sued the president and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, seeking to prevent an undeclared and illegal war. The courts heard the case on an expedited basis, but ruled that they were barred from deciding it on the grounds that it raised a “political question” to be addressed only by the political branches. It didn't matter that the president might trample on the Constitution—the judiciary would only stand on the sidelines and watch. Bonifaz argues that if we are to preserve our Constitution, we must now act: We must call for George Bush's impeachment.
Customer Reviews:
An Objective Look at a Very Plausible Idea.......2005-06-18
Certainly there have been no allegations of George W. Bush having an affair. However, what John Bonifaz is able to do in this explosive book, is detail a strong case for the impeachment and removal of Bush as President for real and tangible Constitutional issues. In fact, it makes the impeachment of Bill Clinton seem trivial and silly. There is no telling how many people have died as a result of the "illegal" war that President Bush started. The conservatives have always prided themslves on being strict constructionists, well, if that is the case, then Bonifaz is really on to something here.
Confronting Constitutional Questions.......2004-05-25
John Bonifaz was part of the legal process in seeking to impeach Bush, confronting critical constitutional issues in that process. In failing to meet the criteria established by elements of the international community, Bush bypass UN approval in his haste for war.
Bush stated the importance of going to war as what he and advisers termed a preemptive action, a necessity in the face of a clear and present danger from an aggressive enemy. In choosing to act on his own rather than allowing the UN weapons inspection team finish its work, and relying on a false claim that Iraq's Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, Bush threw open the distinct possibility of an impeachment action.
The U.S. is obligated to follow laws and processes to which it has committed itself, namely the UN Charter and the Geneva Accords, and to fail to do so means more than a violation of international law. Such an act is violative of the U.S. Constitution since a president is mandated to follow the laws to which the nation is committed. Bonifaz and fellow petitioners contend that this failure leaves Bush open to removal from office.
Richard Nixon resigned from office after being impeached and facing a Senate trial for removal. He was previously found guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors by the House of Representatives. A good case can be made that Bush, by rushing to war and not allowing inspections to be completed, violated the law and distorted the facts by insisting that that which had not been proven, namely that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, compelled him to go to war in the interest of American safety.
The more the issue has been studied the more compelling the evidence has become that Iraq under Saddam Hussein was only a shell of the military threat it formerly posed. Did Bush and his close advisers not know this? If so, by what rationale could it commit American troops to war?
Love the idea of impeachment, hated this book.......2004-05-10
Let me start by saying nobody would enjoy the idea of impeachment more than me. But, this book fails to come close to making the case.
The point of the book is Bush's actions were bad, he acted like a King, the Constitution was set up to avoid the abuses of a King, therefore war in Iraq was unconstitutional. Out of 155 pages, there was some material that could be cut and pasted together to get a few pages worth of sound bites. Those would be really good sound bites, but there is a big difference between sound bites and substance. And this book was nothing in terms of the latter.
From the view of partisanship, I have no problem with Bush is bad, his actions were bad, therefore let's declare this unconstitutional. But, from the view of the Constitution, we need more than that. There are books that make a far better case for impeachment. Books like Worse Than Watergate are among them. This one only makes the case that a bad argument makes a bad book, regardless of how good the title is.
I never imagined that a book with that kind of title would result a negative endorsement from me. But, that's how poor this one was.
And, just to show how all there is a little bit of sound bites, the title represents another one. There is no mention at all about impeachment in this book.
Don't Remember King George of England? We'll Create Our Own.......2004-02-04
Every American should read two thin books about Iraq: "The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq" by Christopher Scheer, Robert Scheer, and Lakshmi Chaudhry, and "Warrior King: the Case for Impeaching George W. Bush" by John Bonifaz with forward by Congressman John Conyers.
The first book exposes the lies that President Bush and members of his Administration knowingly told during the build-up to the war on Iraq, including the lies that are keeping US troops in Iraq today.
The second book addresses Bush's unconstitutional act of taking the US military to war without a declaration of war by Congress. A number of US soldiers and US Congress Members sued the President in a failed attempt to prevent this war, and this book lays out the case.
Regardless of Your Views On the War in Iraq, Read this Book.......2004-02-02
Regardless of your views about the War in Iraq, John Bonifaz's Warrior-King is a must read. Bonifaz presents a concise, compelling case for why Bush's and Congress's actions with respect to the War were so dangerous. Rather than focusing on the merits of the War itself, Bonifaz explains why the methods employed to bring our nation into War are so objectionable. He forces readers to take a step back and view our government's actions in a historical framework. After reading the book, readers will have a deeper understanding of the far-reaching implications of our government's actions.
Unlike other authors who solely provide written social commentary, Bonifaz is a man of action. Outraged by our government's behavior, amazingly Bonifaz organized a coalition of individuals - from Congressmen to soldiers to soldiers' parents - to bring a law suit against our President. Through Warrior-King, the reader has the unique opportunity to get an insider's perspective into the legal case waged against our President. All readers, including supporters of the War, will finish Bonifaz's book with an appreciation for the gravity of our most powerful leaders' actions leading up to the War.
Bonifaz's book cannot prevent the deaths that have already occurred in Iraq, but it can inspire us to demand that our future leaders take seriously their constitutional obligations before entering our nation into another world conflict.
Book Description
The House of Representatives - the people's House - is supposed to most closely reflect the needs and desires of ordinary citizens. But over the past decade, House leaders fearful of losing power have torn the House from its roots. The creation of politically safe, more ideologically-tilted congressional districts through redistricting has cemented this shift and seated more politicians from both the extreme left and right. Fight Club Politics will show how we have come to the point where average Americans have little say over what happens in the House, and what can be done about it.
Customer Reviews:
Good Read.......2007-01-11
I eagerly purchased this book after seeing Eilperin on the Daily Show over the summer. It is a short book, and was somewhat disappointing. If you have read either Culture War? by Morris Fiorina, or The Myth of a Polarized America by Gary Jacobson then this book may be a bit of a novice read. Eilperin's book seems like an elongated term paper on polarization of the House, and it cites its sources in just that manner. It tells many tales that further the perception of polarization, with countless interviews of Congressman, Senators and staffers, but offers little analysis of their impact beyond the obvious. All in all, it was a good book, not great, but good. If you want to see examples of polarization in the House, read this book. If you want empirical proof of how it happened, and predictions of its relevance, try something a little more in depth.
Fight Club Politics.......2007-01-10
Puzzled about how Congress became seduced by lobbyist ? Eilperin shows how changes by the Rules Committee concentrated powers in the hands of the Leadership and enabled this influence. In as much that Newt Gingrish may run for President and the changes occurred while he was Speaker, the lessons are relevant now.This book deserves to be read widely because of the lessons it can teach.
Go Immediately to Page 49 of Juliet Eilperin's Splendid Work.......2006-11-21
I am writing this review about two weeks after the elections of 2006. Needless to add, the Democrats took control of both houses of Congress. Juliet Eilperin writes the following on page 49:
"...the House has always been a majoritarian institution, where the party in control imposes its vision on the chamber.
This strategy has encouraged Democrats to become even more partisan, however, because they have nothing invested in the measures Hastert brings to the House floor. It has also prompted GOP leaders to rush through legislation with little oversight, short-circuiting the public debate that often exposes a bill's potential flaws."
Let's be blunt: the Democrats can no longer claim to be a beleaguered minority. Will they behave better than their former alleged persecutors? Well, we will find out soon enough. The author argues convincingly that common courtesy and fairness are virtues often not practiced within the walls of the House of Representatives. Both parties have been guilty of pushing their weight around when they are in the driver's seat. This book should be required reading for every member of Congress. Eilperin not only cites numerous horror stories of past abuses---she offers suggestions on how to improve matters. Perhaps you might wish to consider purchasing a copy for your own representative? And yes, you also need to read it. It is ultimately the fault of the voters if matters do not improve. We are the ones with the real power. Our congressmen and women work for us!
David Thomson
Flares into Darkness
A history of the House, its actions, and how past decisions differ from modern times.......2006-08-16
The House of Representatives is supposed to be closest to the desires of ordinary citizens - but in reality it's lost its way and in recent years are more fixed on power plays than consumer representation: that's the message of FIGHT CLUB POLITICS: HOW PARTISANSHIP IS POISONING THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Here's an important survey for any who would understand modern politics: it provides a history of the House, its actions, and how past decisions differ from modern times.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Explains Why the House is so Extreme.......2006-06-26
The creation of politically safe, more ideologically tilted congressional seats through redistricting has cemented the Republican hold on power and made the House of Representatives unrepresentative - so charges Eilperin in "Fight Club Politics." Republicans take about two-thirds of committee seats, even though they had only 52.9% of the vote in '94. Another "innovation" was having leadership PACs dole out money, instead of challengers, junior lawmakers, and possibly more independent lawmakers.
Thirty years ago new members were more likely to move their families to D.C., eager to become part of the social scene. Families often socialized with each other, regardless of party. This lifestyle disappeared in the late '80's and early '90s - especially after Armey and Gingrich warned the Class of '94 to keep their families away from the D.C. The intent was to focus on one's district, and members became "Tuesday to Thursday" legislators.
Rather than seeking a comfortable bipartisan majority for their initiatives, GOP leaders now focus on securing 218 votes on their side so they can craft bills as conservative as possible. Thus, the Democrats have become irrelevant. Given the Republicans' slight majority, floor amendments are banned 78% of the time. Sixty percent of all bills are exempted from the requirement of at least 48 hours to review bills, and nearly 40% come off the printer after 8 P.M. (Result: Democrats had one hour before the vote on a 3,000 page $1 trillion budget bill.)
House tradition dictated that the minority party got to send delegates of its choice to conference committees - no longer. Term-limiting committee chairs, and filling those positions via leadership decision (vs. seniority) has further augmented leadership power. Members now are also required to donate campaign funds to retain choice assignments.
Bottom Line: Gerrymandering + closed primaries creates much more extreme politics with a focus on primaries. Fixing the problem will require an end to gerrymandering. Several states have done this, Iowa being the most obvious, but there is a long way to go.
Book Description
The Dance of Legislation has long been considered a classic description of the legislative process. In it, Eric Redman draws on his two years as a member of Senator Warren Magnuson's staff to trace the drafting and passing of a piece of legislation-S.4106, the National Health Service Bill-with all the maneuvers, plots, counterplots, frustrations, triumphs, and sheer work and dedication involved. He provides a vivid picture of the bureaucratic infighting, political prerogatives, and Congressional courtesies necessary to make something happen on Capitol Hill. In a Postscript to the 2000 edition, Redman reflects on how that process has, and has not, changed in the thirty years since the book was first published.
Customer Reviews:
Great for scholars and casual observers alike.......2004-06-09
This book deserves its reputation as a classic. Redman's story-telling skills are wonderful, he writes well, and clearly explains everything going on in the sometimes arcane world of legislative procedure. He makes the dullest-seeming motions and committee hearings come alive.
Scholars of the Congress should read this, if for no other reason than to get a basic handle on how the Congress actually works, rather than how they think it works in fancy regression analyses. But more than that, it's the starting point for a whole genre of work such as Showdown at Gucci Culch, Conflict and Compromise, and The Bill (all of which are must-reads as well). Even a casual observer of politics can get excited and interested.
An EXCELLENT Read.......2002-10-22
This book is the most informative and best written book I have ever read on politics. It's filled with humor and candid comments about the United States Congress.
The Way the Senate Was.......2000-05-20
This book makes me nostalgic for the days when Members of Congress cooperated & got things accomplished. Great vignettes of Maggie! Very accurate rendition.
The Best Look At The Goings On Inside The U.S. Congress.......1998-08-08
The year was 1970, President Nixon was still in office, however, an intern by the name of Eric Redman was on hand in the halls of Congress to witness the fascinating dance of legislation as The National Health Service Corps was attempting to be born. This book provides a personal account of the birth and struggles of the attempt to pass a piece of legislation from within the private confines of who was then the second most powerful United States Senator, Warren Magnuson from the State of Washington. While the names have changed, the struggle for a balance between power, influence, and social consciousness and survival remains the same. This book is as fantastic look behind the scenes of the most influential body of power on earth contains the essential ingredients today as a quarter of a century ago. It is a must read for anyone with an interest in political legislation and stands alone in its own right as a factual story that is as fascinating and compelling as any! fictional novel you will ever read.
Book Description
Cooley, Thomas McIntyre. A Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations Which Rest Upon the Legislative Power of the States of the American Union. [First Edition]. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1868. xlvii, 720pp. Reprinted 1999 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 99-20589. ISBN 1-886363-92-7. Cloth. $95.
* Reprint of the first edition. Rogers considers it to be ""...the real source of his [Cooley's] fame. This book originated from the need of introducing a course on Constitutional Law in the school... The text was developed as a basis for lectures... His discussion attained immediate fame and his views and suggestions practically dominated American Constitutional Law... Like Blackstone, Pomeroy and many other legal works, the influence of Constitutional Limitations rests partly upon literary qualities, upon clarity and grace of unaffected statement."": Rogers, James G., American Bar Leaders 70 cited in Marke, A Catalogue of the Law Collection at New York University (1953) 396. Referring also to Cooley's General Principles of Constitutional Law in the United States (1880), Walker declares that these ""...are classics, and he ranks with Story among the foremost commentators on the Constitution."" Walker, Oxford Companion to Law 288. The Lawbook Exchange has also published a reprint of the fifth and final authorial edition.
Book Description
Widely praised in its first edition fourteen years ago and now thoroughly updated in a new edition, Judicial Policies assesses the implementation, impact, and consequences of judicial rulings. It systematically explores the effects of judicial decisions on the people who carry them out, and the individuals and organizations who feel their impact. This second edition discusses and responds to the significant research that has been published since the first edition appeared.
Arguing that judicial policies in the United States are substantially influenced by how the courts and other political actors respond, authors Canon and Johnson employ a heuristic model of different populations and their responses to judicial decisions as a means of: explaining the implementation of judicial policies as a political process, examining the events that usually follow judicial decisions, and organizing the literature in the field. The concluding chapter addresses the important question of whether the judiciary actually makes a difference in the American political system. Canon and Johnson delineate examples where the courts have clearly had an impact and those where they have had little influence.
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Landmark Legislation, 1774-2002
Stephen W. Stathis
Manufacturer: CQ Press
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ASIN: 1568027818 |
Book Description
Open a textbook on American politics and you're likely to find the process by which a bill becomes a law described much as it was in texts of decades ago. But, lawmaking has changed dramatically in recent years, and the traditional how-a-bill-becomes-a-law diagram describes few of the major measures considered in the contemporary Congress.
Bills follow a number of routes through Congress today:
-- they may be considered by several committees -- or none
-- omnibus measures may be shaped by special task forces, or in formal executive-congressional summits
-- floor consideration in the House may be governed by rules tailored to facilitate or slow a bill's progress
-- bills are regularly subject to non-germane amendments or are filibustered on the Senate floor.
In a timely revision of her successful book, Unorthodox Lawmaking, noted political scientist Barbara Sinclair describes the contemporary legislative process as it really operates and treats this subject in a highly readable manner. Sinclair leads students step-by-step through the lawmaking process in each chamber, as she explores the range of special procedures and practices, the factors that have contributed to their emergence, and their consequences on both the lawmaking process and the legislation produced.
Sinclair provides five case studies to illustrate how the legislative process varies from bill to bill, and to show how procedure and politics are interrelated. Following a non-technical description of the current budget process in Chapter 5, case studies in Chapters 10 and 11 trace the budget process from 1993 to 1999, including the balanced budget deal between the President and Congress in 1997 and subsequent budget politics. Three other case studies -- focusing on managed care regulation (new in this edition), national service legislation, and the Omnibus Drug Bill -- offer concrete and interesting examples of the variety in the present-day lawmaking process.
Does the use of new procedures and practices enhance or inhibit the likelihood of a bill becoming law? What other effects does unorthodox lawmaking have on how Congress functions? The second edition of Unorthodox Lawmaking gives your students the tools to better assess the relative successes and limitations of the contemporary legislative process.
Customer Reviews:
A Few Holes.......2003-10-16
In her book, Unorthodox Lawmaking: New Legislative Processes in the U.S. Congress, Barbara Sinclair successfully argues that legislation no longer follows the common "textbook method." Representatives and senators alike have adapted new methods, sending each bill through a different custom-tailored process. Though she leaves a few questions unanswered, Sinclair uses multiple forms of research to paint a clear picture of how legislation is now passed.
Sinclair divides the book into three sections - first analyzing the path bills take, then exploring how and why these processes developed, and finally making an in-depth analysis of these changes through several case studies.
The House, she argues, has grown more efficient through this developmental process. The leadership has seized power through a variety of rules and other manipulations. By shipping bills to what committee it wants (or, in some cases, committees), the leadership can put bills in friendly hands. Post-committee changes make bills passable, and finally the leadership can use rules to craft debate exactly how it wants.
In the Senate, the opposite has happened. Senators have used new methods to gain individual power. Most importantly, Senators have often use filibusters, both covertly and overtly, to prevent the majority from getting its way. The need for a 60 person majority gives a minority senator incredible power.
After this analysis, Sinclair then turns to examine how these changes came about. She suggests that opportunity and necessity drove the changes. As parties became more polarized and constituents demanded more efficient legislation, the Senators looked for ways to outsmart and out manipulate the other side. Ultimately, Sinclair argues that these processes have made passing legislation more efficient. Significant legislation has passed more often when such measures have been applied.
Proving any thesis, including this one is a difficult task. Some books, including the Jacobs/Shapiro book and the Fenno book, lack a strong backbone because they rely on only one method of research that each have obvious shortcomings. Sinclair avoids this mistake, opting for a variety of research methods that paint a broad and tightly constructed picture.
The first method Sinclair turns to is statistical data. Multiple charts confirm Sinclair's argument that the legislative process is becoming more complex. Figure 5.1 notes a distinct and obvious trend towards the use of more special maneuvers. Later figures confirm these trends (at least to a degree) in the Senate.
As evidenced in Jacobs and Shapiro, statistical evidence does, however, have its limit. Sinclair successfully researches history and changing political dynamics to explain the statistics, not leaving them to stand on their own ground. Of course, this method has its drawbacks. The reader is forced to accept Sinclair's interpretation and conclusions. Nonetheless, there is no better method to interpret the data, and Sinclair seems to have done her homework, presenting a thoughtful and well researched chapter.
Finally, Sinclair uses another method to bring her point together. Standing alone, case studies do not pass muster; they are simply too narrow to make broad generalizations. When taken in the context of statistical data and interpretations, however, they effectively bring the numbers to life. Sinclair starts by examining the National Service Bill. She highlights a more or less traditional process. The reader does, however, see several uses of non-traditional methods, particularly in the Senate, where a filibuster threat and a non-germane amendment give the minority quite a voice. By the time the Omnibus Health Bill was passed, Sinclair describes a process that was completely different. The bill is sculpted and directed at every turn. The reader sees a clear difference from the first case study to the last.
Using these methods, Sinclair does paint a convincing picture. However, she leaves some notable holes. The first concerns the role of the President in the legislative process. In her initial analysis (chapters 1 through 5), she considers the president only briefly, mentioning his veto power and the occasional need for a summit. Surely, the president's role is not limited to a brief meeting. From reading the case studies, it becomes obvious the president is often influential, even a driving force in legislation. Why is the president's role essentially ignored in her descriptive analysis?
Sinclair's ultimate conclusion is that "unorthodox lawmaking" makes legislating more efficient, but she seems to recklessly add that legislation will now "reflect the will of the people." Through examination of this book, I have encountered scant evidence that would suggest this to be true. The new tools are used to overcome the power of the opposing party; how this reflects public opinion is not seriously addressed.
In fact, Sinclair offers little proof that new legislative processes have significantly increased responsiveness to the general public. By making this statement, Sinclair opens a whole new set of inquiry about the dynamics of public opinion and the influence of outside interests. Unfortunately, she can not substantiate any claims in this area. An interesting addendum to this book might include an analysis of how closely legislation's relation to public preference has changed as these processes developed. Another addendum might include an inquiry into how the public sees these processes. Does it further the view that the Congress is simply power driven and unresponsive?
Despite these minor shortcomings, Sinclair nonetheless proves her point. Congress today is a different body than it used to be several decades ago. Legislation no longer follows the textbook method on its way to becoming law. Instead, it takes many different paths and contours, contours that help promote its passage. Unorthodox Lawmaking is a piece of sound research that describes an evolving process.
The Ugly Reality of Lawmaking.......2002-07-24
There exists a profound difference between the legislative process observed on Capitol Hill and the legislative process described in most U.S. Gov't textbooks and Sinclair's work presents a fluid and well written testament to that fact!
In her preface, she explains that this work was written to help the most nascent student of Congress understand the legislative process, but I would say those without a working knowledge of Congress will not appreciate the nuances in this work.
Sinclair compares historical and even for their time, controversial legislation (Clean Air Act) with the more modern examples of legislation that proved out signficantly more problematic than their earlier counterparts. Moving back and forth between the House and the Senate, she begins to paint the picture of the divisiveness that is partisan politics today.
That Sinclair would write such an ambitious work, is a tribute to her understanding of this body. This book is sophisticated and insightful and should be on the shelves of EVERY student in political science, but particularly those who study Congress.
I would add this disclaimer however, that this book is not for the faint of heart. If one has already developed an abiding mistrust in Congress, this book may only serve to reinforce it. The simple fact is, if more people were exposed to the true nature of "doing the business of the people," they would appreciate the "ugliness of democracy" and embrace it for that! Three cheers to Barbara!
Not light reading.......2000-04-29
I had to read this book for a course on the Legislative Process. While it is definitely readable, and well-researched, it is expectedly dry. Sinclair describes methods that are becoming more common in getting major legislation passed, and shows that this unorthodoxy is not necessarily a bad thing. The first half of the book describes the changes that the system has undergone, while the second half illustrates how these methods affected several major bills. Examples include a national service bill, regulatory overhaul, an omnibus drug bill, and two budgets.
Book Description
Written by leading scholars, each title in the "Introduction to Law" series contains comprehensive treatment in black-letter style. Featuring footnotes citing to case law, statutory and other authorities, these volumes are ideal for in-depth research on particular issues and points of law.
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