Candidates and Campaigns: Campaigns and the Media
In presidential campaigns, media consumes over half the dollars a presidential candidate spends. Increasingly, candidates for public office rely on television ads to get their message out. Some experts decry the fact that candidates can buy televisi...
Balancing Act: Nation's Fiscal Policy, A
One of the ways that government stabilizes the economy is through its fiscal policy, the amount of money it spends in comparison to the taxes it collects. Although no one likes taxes, the U. S. is one of the least taxed countries in the western worl...
The First Branch: Motivation to Run for Public Office
What motivates a person to run for public office? Three people who have served in the House of Representatives--Mickey Edwards, Jim McDermott, and Loretta Sanchez--talk about the factors that caused them to compete for a Congressional seat. Fifty ye...
Pressure Politics: Strategies to Enlist Government Support
Interest groups use a number of approaches to solicit support from government officials. They hire professional lobbyists to provide information to and fundraising support for members of Congress. The Institute for Policy Studies uses films, books, ...
Frames of Reference: Influence of Religion on Political Values
Political values that children acquire at home and in school are supported by other forces in their lives. One of the major influences is religion, as Representative Jim McDermott and Constance Horner, former director of the U. S. Office of Personne...
The First Branch: House of Representatives--A Majority-Rule Chamber, The
The House of Representatives is a majority rule chamber. With a reasonably cohesive majority, the leadership can control the agenda and everything that happens. Many observers of the Washington scene rate the Speaker of the House second only in powe...
The First Branch: How Does It Feel to Be a New Member of Congress?
Mickey Edwards, Jim McDermott, and Loretta Sanchez tell what it is like to walk into the House chambers for the first time as a newly elected members of Congress. Congress, like most national legislatures, has been dominated by men and moneyed inter...
The First Branch: Challenges of Freshmen Congressmen
The challenges of the first few months in Congress can be daunting. It helps to have a mentor who can explain the hierarchy and the bewildering array of procedures and protocol. It is also important to fill staff positions with people who are experi...
Frames of Reference: Dividing Lines
We are united as a country by certain common ideals, but we are divided by ideologies and group priorities that push us in different directions. The philosophical battle is often between individual and social solutions to problems.