"Compromise is essential for accomplishing anything significant in the legislative arena, and yet recent political polarization has made compromise much harder to achieve. The U.S. Congress was created by a compromise at the Constitutional Convention, which established a House of Representatives apportioned by population, and a Senate in which all states would be equal. The House set rules to allow its majority to prevail, while Senate rules gave more muscle to the minority. Although Congress is divided between two such widely different bodies, no legislation can be enacted, or funds appropriated, without full agreement from both. The membership of Congress has grown increasingly diverse, with more women and minorities being elected. But it has also become more divided, with members of the party conferences voting together more than ninety percent of the time. After winning a seat, members must make choices between national needs and constituent approval. Compromises necessary to passing legislation may prove unpopular and cause primary challenges. Members devote much attention to constituent services and adopt the latest technology to communicate with voters. The news media also plays a key role in making or breaking congressional careers. The Congress examines the legislative process, from committee assignments to floor procedures, and conference that reconcile disagreements. The contrasting rules of the two bodies require different strategies and tactics. Members of the larger House band together by party, state delegation, or caucuses, to increase their impact. Being able to filibuster, senators exert more individual influence. Legislation is shaped largely in committees but also by the floor leaders. Some committees wield more power than others, particularly the Appropriations Committees, which control government spending In the constitutional system of checks and balances, the three branches share power. Legislation passed by Congress may be vetoed by the president or overturned by the Supreme Court. Presidents appeal to Congress to enact and fund their proposals. The Senate votes to confirm or reject the president's nominations-including members of the judiciary. Polarized politics have prompted the Senate majority to employ a "nuclear option" to prevent filibusters on nominations. While the presidency has grown more powerful, Congress retains the ability to investigate executive branch behavior and to impeach and remove presidents, judges, and other federal office holders. Over time, Congress hasexpanded in size, filling a vast Capitol complex to accommodate, members and their staffs, along with a myriad of constituents, lobbyists, reporters, and other visitors. As a symbol of American democracy, the Capitol has also become a target. Burned by British troops during the War of 1812, threatened on September 11, 2001, and invaded on January 6, 2021, the Capitol has steadily increased security while also seeking to remain on open public view. This new edition explains how Congress has evolved and adjusted to changes in American politics and society"--
Donald A. Ritchie, a congressional historian for forty years , takes readers on a fascinating, behind-the-scenes tour of Capitol Hill, pointing out the key players, explaining their behavior, and translating parliamentary language into plain English. He also explores the essential necessity of compromise to accomplish anything significant in the legislative arena. However, recent events show that political polarization has hardened and produced gridlock, as Ritchie explains in this new edition. The 2020 election also produced a more diverse membership in terms of gender, ethnicity, religion, and ideology, with primary elections resulting in the defeat of moderate candidates by opponents ranging from socialists on the left to conspiracy theorists on the right, making bipartisan compromise harder to achieve.
Among the most significant events since the last edition, the Senate ignored President Obama's last nomination to the Supreme Court and then adopted a "nuclear option" to streamline future Supreme Court confirmations. The House also twice impeached President Trump, processes that starkly expose the differences between the majority-rule requirements of the House and the super-majority requirements of the Senate. This new edition explains how the parties have changed in light of the unprecedented politics of the past four years, culminating in the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and how this development has affected both the House and the Senate.
