Barred By Congress

In Barred by Congress: How a Mormon, a Socialist, and an African American Elected by the People Were Excluded from Office Robert M. Lichtman provides a definitive history of congressional exclusion and expulsion cases. Lichtman offers a timely investigation of the vital constitutional issues, debated since the nation’s founding, concerning permissible and impermissible grounds for excluding a member-elect or expelling a member from Congress. Barred by Congress begins with an exhaustive review of the numerous congressional exclusion and expulsion cases in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries before focusing on the stories of the last three members-elect to be excluded from Congress: a Mormon, a Socialist, and an African American—each an outsider in American politics—excluded notwithstanding election by the voters. Lichtman illuminates each of these three remarkable individuals with a detailed biographical sketch. Brigham H. Roberts was a Utah Mormon whose exclusion from the House of Representatives in 1900 was fueled by a nationwide anti-Mormon campaign waged by William Randolph Hearst and his newspaper empire, a controversy centered on the issue of polygamy. Victor L. Berger, a Socialist Party leader and editor of an antiwar Milwaukee newspaper during World War I, was elected to the House despite the efforts of the Wilson administration to derail his campaign by indicting him under the Espionage Act; he was excluded in 1919 and again in 1920. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights advocate who represented the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the House of Representatives from 1945 until his exclusion in 1967. In Powell v. McCormack, the Supreme Court ruled that Powell’s exclusion by the House violated the Constitution, a decision that, a half century later, remains established law but still does not provide complete assurance that the people will be able to (in Alexander Hamilton’s words) “choose whom they please to govern them.”

The new edition of this comprehensive, two-volume reference has been thoroughly revised and expanded by expert CQ Press writers—with years of experience covering Congress—to offer a complete institutional history of Congress along with updated insight and analysis on the 2008 and 2010 shifts in power of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Dhirubhai Ambani's life is a rags-to-riches story, from Bombay's crowded pavements and bazaars to the city's extravagantly wealthy social circles where business tycoons, stockmarket speculators, smugglers, politicians and Hindi film stars mingle, make money, make and break marriages and carry out prolonged feuds. This is the story of a rising capitalist group in post-independence India. Until the arrival of Ambani, and now more like him, India's big business scene was dominated by a few industrial houses from British times. Ambani's Reliance group has risen to rival these houses in just 26 years since its foundation. By 1995, the group had 2.6 million investors, one in every eight Indian sharemarket investors, and is now so large that it has to hold its annual general meetings in football stadiums. Along with expansion, however, have come the intricate political connections, a whole raft of corruption charges and a rollercoaster of booms and crashes for Ambani and his company. This study shows how capitalism emerges by fair means and foul in the new industrial countries of the Third World and explores the life of an Asian tycoon.

A ready-reference encyclopedia, now in its Third Edition, detailing the workings and personalities of the U.S. Congress, written in language that will be comprehensible to any level of researcher. 250 entries provide in-depth coverage of how Congress functions. Entries range from short definitions to a series of core essays exploring the legislative process, the seniority system, the committee system, the budget process, and other broad areas.

Congress A to Z provides ready-reference insight into the national legislature, its organization, processes, major legislation, and history. No other volume so clearly and concisely explains every key aspect of the national legislature. The Seventh Edition of this classic, easy-to-use reference is updated with new entries covering the dramatic congressional events of recent years, including a demographically younger Congress, the urban-rural divide, and climate change. Each of the more than 250 entries, arranged in encyclopedic A-to-Z format, provides insight into the key questions readers have about the U.S. Congress and helps them make sense of the continued division between Republicans and Democrats, the methods members use to advance their agendas, the influence of lobby groups, the role of committees and strong-willed leaders, and much more. Key Features: Available in both electronic and print formats Quick answers to questions as well as in-depth background on the U.S. Congress Detailed tables and index Entries now include cross-references and lists of further readings to help readers continue the research journey

In recent decades, political scientists have produced an enormous body of scholarship dealing with the U.S. Congress, and in particular congressional organization. However, most of this research has focused on Congress in the twentieth century—especially the post-New Deal era—and the long history of Congress has been largely neglected. The contributors to this book demonstrate that this inattention to congressional history has denied us many rich opportunities to more fully understand the evolution and functioning of the modern Congress. In striking contrast to the modern era, which is marked by only modest partisan realignment and institutional change, the period preceding the New Deal was a time of rapid and substantial change in Congress. During the nation’s first 150 years, parties emerged, developed, and realigned; the standing rules of the House and Senate expanded and underwent profound changes; the workload of Congress increased dramatically; and both houses grew considerably in size. Studying history is valuable in large part because it allows scholars to observe greater variation in many of the parameters of their theories, and to test their core assumptions. A historical approach pushes scholars to recognize and confront the limits of their theories, resulting in theories that have increased validity and broader applicability. Thus, incorporating history into political science gives us a more dynamic view of Congress than the relatively static picture that emerges from a strict focus on recent periods. Each contributor engages one of three general questions that have animated the literature on congressional politics in recent years: What is the role of party organizations in policy making? In what ways have congressional process and procedure changed over the years? How does congressional process and procedure affect congressional politics and policy?

Congress A to Z provides ready-reference insight into the national legislature, its organization, processes, personalities, major legislation, and history. No other volume so clearly and concisely explains every key aspect of the national legislature. The Sixth Edition of this classic, easy-to-use reference is updated with new entries covering the dramatic congressional events of recent years, including social media usage by members of Congress, the politics of recent debt ceiling and deficit spending showdowns with the executive branch, new floor leaders in both chambers, and campaign finance patterns. Each of the more than 250 entries, arranged in encyclopedic A-to-Z format, provides insight into the key questions readers have about the U.S. Congress and helps them make sense of the narrow power division between Republicans and Democrats, the methods members use to advance their agendas, the influence of lobby groups, the key role of committees and strong-willed leaders, and much more. Key Features: Available in both electronic and print formats Quick answers to questions as well as in-depth background on the U.S. Congress Historical and contemporary photos Detailed appendices, tables, internet addresses, and index