Candidates and Campaigns: Contrast Between Early Congressmen and Today's Legislators
We need politicians; it is the way our democracy works. At the beginning of the republic people went to Congress with the idea of serving one term and then going home. This self-imposed term limit may seem admirable, but it did not allow people the ...
Frames of Reference: Continuity of Political Attitudes
Although political attitudes formed early in life seldom change dramatically, the basic framework is refined by life experiences. Student activists in the 1960s tend to remain active although their causes may be more moderate than they were as colle...
The Fourth Estate: Controlling the Message
A free press is essential to a democratic society. It alerts citizens to events that will affect their lives and provides a channel through which political leaders can reach the public. Congress received as much press attention as the President in t...
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...
Struggle for Equality, The: Impact of Affirmative Action, The
Very few minority students would have been admitted to college or into professional programs without the assistance of affirmative action. In recent years, however, Supreme Court rulings "have been hard" on such programs, critics expressing concern ...
Frames of Reference: Impact of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender on Public Opinion
Race, says Sydney Verba, "is the single most important divide in American politics." People with common ethnic identities often have similar class positions and income levels as well as common issues and problems that need to be addressed. Social po...