{"product_id":"a-case-for-congress-volume-17-julian-j-rothbaum-distinguished-lecture","title":"A Case for Congress: Volume 17 (Julian J. Rothbaum Distinguished Lecture)","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A sweeping and convincing argument for the enduring efficacy of the Congress as a vehicle for representation and lawmaking. The case Lee makes will correct many widely held misconceptions about the strengths and weaknesses of our national legislature. Should be read and carefully considered by all serious scholars and students of American national government in the era of Trump--and beyond.\" -- \n\u003cb\u003eC. Lawrence Evans\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Whips: Building Party Coalitions in Congress\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Knee-jerk complaints about Congress are upended by Frances Lee's brilliant defense of the institution. In fact, it is precisely when Congress is divided and full of conflict that it is performing crucial tasks, ones essential to liberal democracy. Prepare to have your assumptions challenged in this powerful and fascinating defense of our first branch, the political institution that is closest to 'we the people.'\"-- \n\u003cb\u003eSuzanne Mettler\u003c\/b\u003e, John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions, Cornell University \n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPolarized. Dysfunctional. Toxic. Broken. These are only some of the negative words Americans use to describe the United States Congress. Nowadays hardly anyone has something good to say about either the House of Representatives or the Senate, the two bodies that make up Congress. But is this common viewpoint too negative, too one-sided? And is it based on solid evidence or reasonable expectations? In \n\u003ci\u003eA Case for Congress, \u003c\/i\u003e political scholar Frances Lee provides a more balanced assessment, arguing for the enduring worth and importance of the representative assembly. \n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As one of the three branches of the US government, Congress stands at the heart of our liberal democracy. This continues to be true even when Congress is divided and fractious. Lee draws from a wide range of scholarship and current data to highlight three important functions that Congress continues to serve, as envisioned by the authors of the Constitution: representing the American people along multiple dimensions, lawmaking even in the face of persistent disagreement, and holding executive branch officials accountable. While Congress never fully achieves any of its functions, it still serves them. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Written in a clear and engaging style, \n\u003ci\u003eA Case for Congress\u003c\/i\u003e challenges readers to think against the grain and appreciate the Congress we have, not an ideal Congress that never in fact existed. \"The bathwater is dirty,\" the author acknowledges, \"but there is a baby in there.\" It turns out that a complex, polarized, distrustful republic of some 340 million Americans needs Congress more than ever. \n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eLee, Frances\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFrances Lee\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She is the author or editor of numerous books, including \n\u003ci\u003eInsecure Majorities: Congress and the Perpetual Campaign\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eBeyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship in the U.S. Senate.\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"University of Oklahoma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496013562134,"sku":"9780806196756","price":35.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9780806196756.jpg?v=1783050542","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/a-case-for-congress-volume-17-julian-j-rothbaum-distinguished-lecture","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}