Congress

Congress PDF Author: David R. Mayhew
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300130010
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
"Any short list of major analyses of Congress must of necessity include David Mayhew’s Congress: The Electoral Connection." —Fred Greenstein In this second edition to a book that has achieved canonical status, David R. Mayhew argues that the principal motivation of legislators is reelection and that the pursuit of this goal affects the way they behave and the way that they make public policy. In a new foreword for this edition, R. Douglas Arnold discusses why the book revolutionized the study of Congress and how it has stood the test of time.

Congress

Congress PDF Author: David R. Mayhew
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300130010
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
"Any short list of major analyses of Congress must of necessity include David Mayhew’s Congress: The Electoral Connection." —Fred Greenstein In this second edition to a book that has achieved canonical status, David R. Mayhew argues that the principal motivation of legislators is reelection and that the pursuit of this goal affects the way they behave and the way that they make public policy. In a new foreword for this edition, R. Douglas Arnold discusses why the book revolutionized the study of Congress and how it has stood the test of time.

Why Congressional Reforms Fail

Why Congressional Reforms Fail PDF Author: E. Scott Adler
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226007557
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
For decades, advocates of congressional reforms have repeatedly attempted to clean up the House committee system, which has been called inefficient, outmoded, unaccountable, and even corrupt. Yet these efforts result in little if any change, as members of Congress who are generally satisfied with existing institutions repeatedly obstruct what could fairly be called innocuous reforms. What lies behind the House's resistance to change? Challenging recent explanations of this phenomenon, Scott Adler contends that legislators resist rearranging committee powers and jurisdictions for the same reason they cling to the current House structure—the ambition for reelection. The system's structure works to the members' advantage, helping them obtain funding (and favor) in their districts. Using extensive evidence from three major reform periods—the 1940s, 1970s, and 1990s—Adler shows that the reelection motive is still the most important underlying factor in determining the outcome of committee reforms, and he explains why committee reform in the House has never succeeded and probably never will.

Reelection Rates of Incumbents

Reelection Rates of Incumbents PDF Author: David C. Huckabee
Publisher: Nova Publishers
ISBN: 9781590335093
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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Book Description
In the American democratic system, incumbency has an inherent advantage at election time. Because the senator or representative already holds elective office, the candidate has the benefit of 'free media', able to command the attention of newspapers, radio and television by holding press conferences and trumpeting policy initiatives. In addition to the press, an incumbent has easy access to campaign donors as someone who can influence legislation and advance particular agendas. The ability to have one's name so prominently displayed and one's campaign so easily bankrolled has contributed to the incredible track record of incumbents' re-election rates. While there have been cases of high turnover and electoral upsets in Congress, in general an incumbent desiring another term of office will get it. Some critics use such a situation as justification for term limits and campaign finance reform, while others say that the system works fine as is. While this book takes no position regarding the electoral system, it does provide the information needed for doing so. The reports presented examine nearly 200 years of election results for congressional incumbents, devoting separate chapters to the Senate and the House. Anyone who wants to develop an informed opinion or understanding of the American system of national elections should be familiar with the historical trends in voting in this book.

Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln

Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln PDF Author: Jonathan W. White
Publisher: LSU Press
ISBN: 080715458X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
The Union army's overwhelming vote for Abraham Lincoln's reelection in 1864 has led many Civil War scholars to conclude that the soldiers supported the Republican Party and its effort to abolish slavery. In Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln Jonathan W. White challenges this reigning paradigm in Civil War historiography, arguing instead that the soldier vote in the presidential election of 1864 is not a reliable index of the army's ideological motivation or political sentiment. Although 78 percent of the soldiers' votes were cast for Lincoln, White contends that this was not wholly due to a political or social conversion to the Republican Party. Rather, he argues, historians have ignored mitigating factors such as voter turnout, intimidation at the polls, and how soldiers voted in nonpresidential elections in 1864. While recognizing that many soldiers changed their views on slavery and emancipation during the war, White suggests that a considerable number still rejected the Republican platform, and that many who voted for Lincoln disagreed with his views on slavery. He likewise explains that many northerners considered a vote for the Democratic ticket as treasonous and an admission of defeat. Using previously untapped court-martial records from the National Archives, as well as manuscript collections from across the country, White convincingly revises many commonly held assumptions about the Civil War era and provides a deeper understanding of the Union Army.

Challengers, Competition, and Reelection

Challengers, Competition, and Reelection PDF Author: Jonathan S. Krasno
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300068740
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
Why do US Senators have a harder time winning re-election than members of the House of Representatives? This text argues that Senate challengers are more likely to be experienced politicians who wage intense, costly media campaigns than are those who take on House incumbents.

Abraham Lincoln's Path to Reelection in 1864

Abraham Lincoln's Path to Reelection in 1864 PDF Author: Fred J. Martin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781491835319
Category : Presidents
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
PRAISE FOR ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S PATH TO REELECTION IN 1864 OUR GREATEST VICTORY "Arguably the most consequential election in American history, the presidential contest of 1864 has cried out for a more sophisticated analysis than it has heretofore received. Fortunately, Fred Martin's background in political journalism and in banking has enabled him to provide such an analysis in this book, which is a welcome addition to the Lincoln literature." --Michael Burlingame, Author, Abraham Lincoln: A Life; Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies, History Department, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Illinois, Springfield IL "Fred Martin has written an illuminating account of the roots of Lincoln's success as president, culminating in his victory in the critical election of 1864. Effectively using Lincoln's words as well as those of his contemporaries, Martin demonstrates how it became possible for Lincoln to overcome his early background and become a skillful and ethical political leader who saved the Union and ended slavery. The book clearly is a labor of love for Martin, a long-time student of Abraham Lincoln. Every person interested in Lincoln and his presidency should have this well researched and well-written book in his/her library." -- William C. Harris, author of Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union (2011) and Lincoln and the Union Governors (2013). "Fred Martin's book, "Abraham Lincoln's Path to Reelection in 1864: Our Greatest Victory", allows the reader to grasp the magnitude of that election primarily through the words of the actors who battled for the future of our nation during trying times. Mr. Martin brings his extensive background in finance and government to bear, allowing the reader to link monetary policy and legislative process into their understanding of the conflict. His discussion concerning the funding of the northern war effort, the machinations of Secretary of Treasury Chase, and the collapse of the Confederacy's ability to finance the war give readers new insights into the economics that drove the outcome of the war and the future of our nation." --Frederick Cannon, Executive Vice President and Global Director of Research & Equity Strategy, Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, New York, NY.

Reelecting Lincoln

Reelecting Lincoln PDF Author: John Waugh
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 0786747110
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 478

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Book Description
Here, from the author of the acclaimed book The Class of 1846, is the dramatic story of what may have been the most critical election campaign in American history. Taking place in the midst of the Civil War, the election of 1864 would determine the very future of the nation. Would the country be unified or permanently divided? Would slavery continue? Weaving rich anecdotal material into a fast-paced narrative, John C. Waugh places this pivotal election in its historical context while evoking its human drama. The men and women who figured in this epic campaign—most notably Lincoln himself—emerge with all their strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies. "It's an inherently dramatic story, and one that has been told before. But never quite so well as by John C. Waugh, [who] brings to his task the keen eye for detail and scene-setting that one would expect from a career reporter," said the Wall Street Journal. Drawing on an extensive array of sources, including published and unpublished reminiscences, memoirs, autobiographies, letters, newspapers, and periodicals, Waugh re-creates that fateful year with all the immediacy of a political reporter covering a national presidential election today.

Get Out the Vote

Get Out the Vote PDF Author: Donald P. Green
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 081573266X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
The first edition of Get Out the Vote! broke ground by introducing a new scientific approach to the challenge of voter mobilization and profoundly influenced how campaigns operate. In this expanded and updated edition, the authors incorporate data from more than one hundred new studies, which shed new light on the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of various campaign tactics, including door-to-door canvassing, e-mail, direct mail, and telephone calls. Two new chapters focus on the effectiveness of mass media campaigns and events such as candidate forums and Election Day festivals. Available in time for the core of the 2008 presidential campaign, this practical guide on voter mobilization is sure to be an important resource for consultants, candidates, and grassroots organizations. Praise for the first edition: "Donald P. Green and Alan S. Gerber have studied turnout for years. Their findings, based on dozens of controlled experiments done as part of actual campaigns, are summarized in a slim and readable new book called Get Out the Vote!, which is bound to become a bible for politicians and activists of all stripes." —Alan B. Kreuger, in the New York Times "Get Out the Vote! shatters conventional wisdom about GOTV." —Hal Malchow in Campaigns & Elections "Green and Gerber's recent book represents important innovations in the study of turnout."—Political Science Review "Green and Gerber have provided a valuable resource for grassroots campaigns across the spectrum."—National Journal

Words That Matter

Words That Matter PDF Author: Leticia Bode
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 0815731922
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
How the 2016 news media environment allowed Trump to win the presidency The 2016 presidential election campaign might have seemed to be all about one man. He certainly did everything possible to reinforce that impression. But to an unprecedented degree the campaign also was about the news media and its relationships with the man who won and the woman he defeated. Words that Matter assesses how the news media covered the extraordinary 2016 election and, more important, what information—true, false, or somewhere in between—actually helped voters make up their minds. Using journalists' real-time tweets and published news coverage of campaign events, along with Gallup polling data measuring how voters perceived that reporting, the book traces the flow of information from candidates and their campaigns to journalists and to the public. The evidence uncovered shows how Donald Trump's victory, and Hillary Clinton's loss, resulted in large part from how the news media responded to these two unique candidates. Both candidates were unusual in their own ways, and thus presented a long list of possible issues for the media to focus on. Which of these many topics got communicated to voters made a big difference outcome. What people heard about these two candidates during the campaign was quite different. Coverage of Trump was scattered among many different issues, and while many of those issues were negative, no single negative narrative came to dominate the coverage of the man who would be elected the 45th president of the United States. Clinton, by contrast, faced an almost unrelenting news media focus on one negative issue—her alleged misuse of e-mails—that captured public attention in a way that the more numerous questions about Trump did not. Some news media coverage of the campaign was insightful and helpful to voters who really wanted serious information to help them make the most important decision a democracy offers. But this book also demonstrates how the modern media environment can exacerbate the kind of pack journalism that leads some issues to dominate the news while others of equal or greater importance get almost no attention, making it hard for voters to make informed choices.

Abraham Lincoln's Path to Reelection in 1864

Abraham Lincoln's Path to Reelection in 1864 PDF Author: Fred J. Martin Jr.
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 149183529X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 532

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Book Description
PRAISE FOR ABRAHAM LINCOLNS PATH TO REELECTION IN 1864 OUR GREATEST VICTORY Political polls consistently record a substantial lack of confidence in national political leaders of both major parties and a disturbing sentiment that the United States is on the wrong track in current policy developments.. These sentiments lead to unfortunate summaries of alleged failures of our democratic institutions and proposals.. Fortunately, at this moment in our history, Fred J. Martin Jr. has stepped forward with a comprehensive analysis of politics in 1860s and most importantly, the political genius Abraham Lincoln as he led our country through a series of perilous crises into new paths of confidence and greatness. I admire, especially, Fred Martin's mastery of political detail and the large variety of motivations, strategies, and actions of a wide assortment of political players. -Former Senator Richard Lugar Arguably the most consequential election in American history, the presidential contest of 1864 has cried out for a more sophisticated analysis than it has heretofore received. Fortunately, Fred Martins background in political journalism and in banking has enabled him to provide such an analysis in this book, which is a welcome addition to the Lincoln literature. --Michael Burlingame, Author, Abraham Lincoln: A Life; Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies, History Department, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Illinois, Springfield IL Fred Martin has written an illuminating account of the roots of Lincolns success as president, culminating in his victory in the critical election of 1864. Effectively using Lincolns words as well as those of his contemporaries, Martin demonstrates how it became possible for Lincoln to overcome his early background and become a skillful and ethical political leader who saved the Union and ended slavery. The book clearly is a labor of love for Martin, a long-time student of Abraham Lincoln. Every person interested in Lincoln and his presidency should have this well researched and well-written book in his/her library. -- William C. Harris, author of Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union (2011) and Lincoln and the Union Governors (2013)