Congressional politics

The 1994 midterm elections swept Republican majorities into both chambers of Congress for the first time in forty years. As a result, the congressional leadership will change, the committee structure and rules will change, and public policy itself will likely undergo a revolution.

For those wondering how to make sense of "the new Congress," congressional authority Leroy Rieselbach shows the continuities underlying legislative change and puts up-to-the-minute results in context with their historical and institutional roots.

The best-written, best-organized, and most comprehensive text about Congress on the market has only gotten better in this thoroughly revised and updated new edition. A year on the Hill in 1993 gave Professor Rieselbach new perspective and dozens of examples with which to consider traditional topics - such as rules, committees, and norms - as well as evolving issues, including term limits, campaign finance, and ethics.

Engaging new chapters introducing the book and exploring the complex role of money in congressional politics join core chapters spanning the congressional curriculum with coverage of legislative oversight, behavior, process, and reform that reviewers acclaim as "impressive" and "the best available.".

This text is the first to incorporate data fresh from the 1994 elections. Extensive and authoritative tables and figures amplify the all-inclusive text presentation. And throughout, Leroy Rieselbach brings the voice of experience and understanding to the reader in a clear and cohesive narrative outstanding among its competitors.

A must for every serious student of Congress and American government, this new edition of Congressional Politics retains the solid framework and coverage of the first edition while adding lively new material that carries through the 1994 elections and looks toward 1996.