Thursday, December 1, 2011

Finished reading "Broken Branch"


This book wasn't what I wanted.  Too much of it was the authors quoting their own columns in Roll Call.  Ugh…  I came away knowing not much more then I did going in.  Newt Gingrich is responsible for a lot of bad things, the level of centralization within the house has changed over time.

Ok, why did the house trend toward decentralization for most of the 20th century?  Why did incoming Democratic freshmen demand more of a voice, while incoming Republican freshmen gave it up?  Why are congressmen less likely to stay in DC and why in an age of ever-present telecommunication does it matter?  Why does the south seem to dominate national politics through whichever party it leans towards?

Questions for another day (and a different book).

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