Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies Books - Page 5

The Oxford Guide to United State Supreme Court Decisions (Oxford Guide)

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Not yet published By: Oxford University Press, USA

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Law -> Constitutional Law -> General
Subjects -> Law -> Constitutional Law -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Supreme Court has been the site of some of the great debates of American history, from child labor and prayer in the schools, to busing and abortion. The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions offers lively and insightful accounts of the most important cases ever argued before the Court, from Marbury v. Madison and Scott v. Sandford (the Dred Scott decision) to Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade.
This new edition of the Guide contains more than 450 entries on major Supreme Court cases, including 53 new entries on the latest landmark rulings. Among the new entries are Bush v. Gore, Nixon v. United States, Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights. Four decisions--Hamdi v. Bush, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Rasu v. Bush, and Rumsfeld v. Padilla--are considered in a single essay entitled "Enemy Combatant Cases." Arranged alphabetically and written by eminent legal scholars, each entry provides the United States Reports citation, the date the case was argued and decided, the vote of the Justices, who wrote the opinion for the Court, who concurred, and who dissented. More important, the entries feature an informative account of the particulars of the case, the legal and social background, the reasoning behind the Court's decision, and the case's impact on American society. For this edition, Ely has added an extensive Further Reading section and revised the Case Index and Topical Index. The Guide also features the Constitution of the United States, an appendix on the Justices, and a legal glossary.
For anyone interested in the great controversies of our time, this invaluable book is a must read--a primer on the epic constitutional battles that have informed American life.

Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President

Lincoln Chafee

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Thomas Dunne Books Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $7.27

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Leaders & Notable People -> Political
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this smart, candid, and surprising political memoir, Lincoln Chafee offers a behind-the-scenes look at the first six years of the Bush Administration from the vantage point of one of the few Republican moderates in the Senate.
            When Senator Chafee (R-RI) went to Washington, he encountered a Republican Party drifting so far to the right it no longer stood for the mainstream principles that united Americans. Instead, under the direction of George W. Bush, the Party had fallen victim to extremism. In the face of this trend, Chafee stood fast as one of the most liberal Republicans in the Senate, seeking to cut across partisan lines at the very time that they threatened to irrevocably divide the nation. 
            A political iconoclast, Chafee was the only Republican senator to have expressed support for same-sex marriage; the only Republican to vote in favor of reinstating the top federal tax rate on upper-income payers; the only Republican in the Senate to have voted against authorization of the use of force in Iraq; the only Republican to vote for the Levin-Reed amendment calling for a nonbinding timetable for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; and the only Republican to vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Chafee favored increased federal funding for health care, supported affirmative action and gun control, supported women’s reproductive rights, and endorsed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Sometimes referred to by conservatives as a RINO (Republican in Name Only), Chafee turns the tables on the right and asks why it has enabled Bush Jr. to pull the GOP and the nation away from traditional principles of fiscal conservatism, respect for our environment, and aversion to foreign entanglements.  
            Unabashedly frank, Chafee’s memoir recounts his political journey from small-town mayor to a voice crying from the congressional wilderness. He offers a forward-looking assessment of what comes next for the Republican and Democratic parties, and he also addresses the potential rise of a third party within the void created by bipartisan extremism. Most important, Chafee sounds a wake-up call to his Party, and to all Americans, by challenging our government to strive, as Abraham Lincoln once articulated, “to elevate the condition of men.”

. . . and His Lovely Wife: A Memoir from the Woman Beside the Man

Connie Schultz

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Random House Amazon Marketplace: 65 new & used starting at $0.73

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Leaders & Notable People -> Political
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Memoirs
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Specific Groups -> Women

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The first time I heard it, I laughed.
Oh, come on, I thought. He didn’t just say that.
We were at a restaurant in southern Ohio, where a hundred or so Democrats and a handful of young campaign workers had gathered to hear my husband, Sherrod Brown, announce for the seventh time in two days why he was running for the United States Senate.
The party chairman of the county stood up at the lectern and in a loud, booming voice, introduced “Congressman Sherrod Brown–and his lovely wife.”
By Week 40 of the campaign, I had been introduced that way nearly a hundred times. I stopped counting once we hit the 50 marker. I knew I was not the point at these gatherings, and I was so proud of the man who was.
Also, I realized I was getting cranky about something I could not change. If I couldn’t rely on a sense of humor, I was in for one long year on the campaign trail.

Writing with her trademark warmth, wit, and common sense, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz reveals the rigors, adrenaline joys, and absolute madness of a new marriage at midlife and campaigning with her husband, now the junior senator from Ohio. She describes the chain of events leading up to Sherrod’s decision to campaign for Senate (he would not run without his wife’s unequivocal support) in a state where no Democrat had won statewide office for twelve years. She writes about the moment her friends in the press became not so friendly; the constant campaign demands on her marriage and family life; a personal tragedy that came out of the blue. She gives us a candid behind-the-scenes look at the often ludicrous trials and tribulations of being an opinionated columnist, a political wife, and a newly married woman in her forties, and the rigors of political life: audacious bloggers, ruthless adversaries, campaign fatigue, political divas, the no-small-planes agreement, and staffers young enough to be her children suddenly directing her and her husband’s every move.
Filled with eye-opening revelations about the election process, . . . and His Lovely Wife illuminates through one woman’s story a marriage, our political system, our working lives, and our nation. Connie Schultz is outspoken, passionate, and very public about her opinions–in other words, every political consultant’s nightmare, and every reader’s dream.

Unorthodox Lawmaking: New Legislative Processes in the U.S. Congress, 3rd Edition

Barbara Sinclair

Amazon Price: $39.95 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: CQ Press Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $25.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Law -> General
Subjects -> Law -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

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.

Politics of Congressional Elections (Longman Classics in Political Science), The (7th Edition) (MySearchLab Series 15% off)

Gary C. Jacobson

Amazon Price: $50.22 List Price: $55.80 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Longman Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $34.97

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Elections
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> U.S.

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The Bible on Congressional Elections 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Anyone involved in running for a congressional seat, working on a congressional election or just interested in national politics will find this book enormously interesting. It's short. It's down to earth. It's up-to-date. And, it's one of the best on the subject. Professor Jacobson's book features pertinent analysis of national survey data plugged into long-term electoral trends. It covers all you need to know about how to make a run for Congress, calculating your odds and the chances of knocking off an incumbent. It is a unique blend of academic effort and practicality that is continually useful. It is the very best on what to expect in congressional elections for the U.S. House and Senate.

Editorial Review:

Brought completely up-to-date with the latest data from the National Election Study and the Federal Election Commission, and including coverage and analysis of the dramatic 2006 midterm elections, this seminal work continues to offer a systematic account of what goes on in congressional elections and demonstrates how electoral politics reflect and shape other components of the political system, with profound consequences for representative government.

 

 

Feasting on the Spoils: The Life and Times of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, History's Most Corrupt Congressman

Seth Hettena

Amazon Price: $19.96 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: St. Martin's Press Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $3.15

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Leaders & Notable People -> Political
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Randy “Duke” Cunningham was an ace fighter pilot and Top Gun instructor.  He came back from battle as Vietnam’s most famous pilot—a Navy hero in an unpopular war.  In his political life, Cunningham was an eight-term United States representative who never lost an election.  So how did this powerful politician, one of the Vietnam War’s most highly decorated pilots, become the most corrupt congressman in U.S. history?

In 2005, Cunningham shocked the nation by pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, fraud, and tax evasion. A federal judge sentenced him to more than eight years in prison, the longest sentence handed down to a member of Congress in 40 years.  And even as Cunningham was led, weeping, to prison, investigators continued to uncover a deep-rooted scandal, reaching the cozy nexus between Congress and lobbyists, military contractors, the Defense Department and the upper ranks of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Cunningham’s bribes were seemingly endless.  They included a yacht, a Rolls-Royce, and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of antiques.  Defense contractors flew him aboard private chartered jets to luxury destinations, picked up the tab at expensive restaurants, and paid for his daughter’s graduation party.  In total, he collected at least $2.4 million in five years, a series of acts unequaled in the long, sordid history of congressional corruption.   An ongoing investigation is even exploring allegations that prostitutes were hired by Cunningham's associates to entertain the congressman.  His corruption and that of his cohorts was a decisive factor in the 2006 elections, as Democrats retook control of the House for the first time in more than a decade.

What led a man who showed such strength and resolve in battle to show such moral weakness later in life? Had he become a prisoner of greed or was he manipulated by others far more cunning than he?  What happened to Randy Cunningham?  In Feasting on the Spoils, Hettena offers a probing look at deception and avarice.  He paints an unforgettable portrait of a life publicly unraveled, and of a man for whom the mysteries—and the history of fraud—only seem to deepen.

The Most Exclusive Club: A History of the Modern United States Senate

Lewis Gould

Amazon Price: $14.36 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Basic Books Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $0.71

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> 20th Century -> General
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> 20th Century -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The definitive history of the modern United States Senate, and the outsized figures who shaped its role in the twentieth century.

In this sweeping narrative, acclaimed political historian Lewis L. Gould chronicles over one hundred years of Senate history, from the Progressive Era to the war in Iraq. Over the course of the twentieth century, the most powerful legislative body in the world grappled with great questions of empire and democracy, war and peace, capital and labor, fascism and communism, race relations, women's rights, and terrorism. In addition to towering figures such as Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr., William E. Borah, and Lyndon Johnson, Gould also highlights the stories of lesser-known Senate leaders who have played vital roles in America's upper house.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, controversy surrounding the Senate is intensifying-as is its political power. Lewis L. Gould's masterful history is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the past, present, and future of American politics.

The House and Senate Explained: The People's Guide to Congress

Ellen Greenberg

Amazon Price: $10.80 List Price: $12.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: W. W. Norton & Company Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $1.91

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Government -> Federal Government
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> U.S.

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A great guide to the vocabulary and proceedings of Congress! 5 out of 5 stars.
20 of 21 people found this review helpful.

Whether you're a C-SPAN addict or simply a citizen who wants tolearn about how our Constitutional Republic works, this book is agreat introduction into the workings of the Legislative branch, and ahandy reference that's a lifesaver when watching C-SPAN or during aCivics test.

This book is conveniently divided into threeparts. The first part deals with the makeup of each chamber, and whereeveryone goes. Answers to questions like "Where does the Speakerof the House sit?" and "How are the seats in the Senatearranged?" can be found here.

The second part, the heart ofthe book, is a large dictionary of Congressional terms. This is themost useful section of the book. Find out what a "SecretSession" is, as well as a "filibuster", a"line-item veto", and what a "Pro-Forma session"is. Clear, consise definitions, in laymans terms.

The thirdsection deals with Congressional procedure. This section detailscommon phrases, how to testify for Congress, how a Bill becomes Law,and a common day in the life of Congress.

Last of all, is anappendix with Congressional websites, ... and other Internetresources. At the end is a lengthy listing of all the CongressionalCommittees (just so you know, a Congress is subdivided into committeesthat focus on certain aspects of the government), such as theCommittee on Indian Affairs and the Agriculture Committee.

Overall, this is a great book, and I highly recommend it for anyonethat wants to have a better knowledge of the enigma that isCongress.
For political junkies, this is a very handy referncetool, as is a dictionary to a grammarian.

Editorial Review:

Explains the traditions surrounding Congressional protocol, how the chambers are laid out, what goes on on a daily and weekly basis, and how a bill becomes law or gets rejected, and includes a chapter on accessing political information on the Internet.

Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Legal Issues

M. Ethan Katsh

Amazon Price: $29.47 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $13.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Law -> Criminal Law -> General
Subjects -> Law -> Criminal Law -> General AAS
Subjects -> Law -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Thoroughly wonderful 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book, is one I bought for my Human Rights class. It is very clear and thorough. The chapters are not long, and each case shows both point of views so it comes off as neutral.

Editorial Review:

This Thirteenth Edition of TAKING SIDES: CLASHING VIEWS ON LEGAL ISSUES presents current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is thoughtfully framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript. An instructor�s manual with testing material is available for each volume. USING TAKING SIDES IN THE CLASSROOM is also an excellent instructor resource with practical suggestions on incorporating this effective approach in the classroom. Each TAKING SIDES reader features an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites and is supported by our student website, www.mhcls.com/online. .

All Politics Is Local: and Other Rules of the Game

Thomas P. O'Neill

List Price: $15.00 By: Crown Amazon Marketplace: 66 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> General
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

TIp and his big ego 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 13 people found this review helpful.

The other reviews for this book amaze me... it seems that the other reviewers like their authors to relate common sense principles with a common thred of self-serving arrogance.

Tip said nothing in this book that everyone doesn't already know. And his constant references to himself in 3rd person get annoying by the 10th page. Who actually refers to themself as "a great man"???

Tip does.

A Short and Insightful Read 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Whether knocking on doors or meeting folks at the county fair, the best way to persuade people is the personal way. In this short but sweet book, former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil shares a lifetime of stories to illustrate this important lesson. Even if you aren't an avid reader, you'll find it difficult to put this book down.

This book deserves more respect. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

"All Politics Is Local" by Tip O' Neill, with Gary Hymel
Published by Bob Adams Inc. Holbrook, Ma 1994.

This small book has not been given enough respect by my fellow Amazon reviewers. Tip O'Neill, (D, Massachusetts) has compiled a concise compendium of anecdotes dealing with his sixty years experience in politics. The very definition of anecdote requires a short and condensed story making a point. Tip O'Neil, former Speaker of the House, has done just that: provided many miniature stories that succinctly illustrate a point.

As Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill received more popular votes than anybody except the President and the Vice President. The President is elected by popular votes by way of the Electoral College while the House Speaker is elected by popular votes by way of the House of Representatives. This, alone, should be reason enough to study this book on politics.

I was given this book by my son for Father's Day, 1997, and ever since then I have been "sensitive" to the term, "All Politics Is Local". I suggest to my fellow reviewers that they count how many times generals and TV commentators use the term, "All Politics Is Local" when they are describing the nation building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Further, this book should be read again and again by the 535 members of Congress. Example: On page 162, Mr. O'Neill tells about Fr. Robert Drinan, S. J., being concerned about wearing his Roman collar on the floor of the House. Tip O' Neill recommended to the priest-congressman that he just be himself and walk around with his collar. Don't you think that the current Speaker of the House, R. Dennis Hastert, (R. Illinois) would have profited from reading that anecdote? If he had read this book, Speaker Hastert would have been prepared for the recent election of a Catholic priest as Chaplain of the House, and Hastert would not have been embarrassed by worrying about a person in a Roman collar walking around on the floor of the House. It had already been done! Too bad Speaker Hastert had not given this book more respect.

Editorial Review:

The former Speaker of the House provides witty and insightful advice about how the world of politics really works and how to run a successful campaign. 100,000 first printing. $75,000 ad/promo. Tour.