Burdett A. Loomis

Despite all the arguing from politicians, special interests, and political parties, Americans basically agree on the most important political issues. If only our legislators would stop fighting over obtuse policy details and really listen to what ordinary Americans want, representatives on Capitol Hill and in the statehouses would actually get something done, right? Wrong. Americans perceive consensus when in reality there is none. The fact of the matter is Americans not only disagree on the most significant challenges facing the country, but also conflict on what to do about them. On issue after issue—crime, Social Security, homosexual rights, military intervention, abortion—the American public is deeply divided over the proper course of action. Yet our system is not flawed by this division; democracy is necessarily complex and contentious. In truth, without these messy and chaotic features of governance, our system would not be working as the Founders envisioned. In lucid and lively prose, the authors lay out criteria with which to assess our representative system. By showing students what democracy entails in practice—the in's and out's of legislators actually doing their jobs—they will come to see that uncertainty, competing interests, confusion, bargaining, compromise, and conflict are central to the proper functioning of our democracy.

In an era of heightened partisanship and increased polarization, The Contemporary Congress offers a clear and concise introduction to legislative processes. Perfect as a brief core or supplementary text for undergraduate courses, Loomis and Schiller construct a comprehensive portrait of the U. S. Congress, from defining congressional structures and procedures, to outlining the process of elections, and analyzing presidential-congressional relations. The seventh edition focuses on two parallel trends: an increasingly partisan and polarized Congress, and a growing executive power. In addition, the authors make some early observations of relations between the Congress and the Trump Administration. New coverage includes the art of electioneering, the pressures of campaign fundraising, and updated policy goals of the political parties that shape the congressional agenda. From a late night deciding vote by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), to the rise and fall of Freedom Caucus member Representative Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), a new “Spotlight” feature provides brief case studies of decisions made by individual members to illustrate the constant balance that they must strike between their party and their constituents, and what happens when they get that balance wrong.