AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: The Almanac of American Politics, 2004: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts (Almanac of American Politics, 2004) by Michael Barone, Richard E. Cohen ISBN: 0-89234-106-8 Publisher: National Journal Group Pub. Date: September, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $59.95

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: What a Great Resource!
Comment: As a self-confessed political junkie and political science/history major, I cannot be without this book. This book gives great information on each member of Congress and all 50 governors. There is also a wealth of statistics in this book from voting stats to demographic information that is incredibly useful. Since the last edition of this book, the editors have added many new features to this almanac, such as prior winning percentages for long-serving members of Congress and a more in-depth break down of a state/district's demographic information. For those who love politics as much as I do, this book is truly indispensable, especially in an election year.

Rating: 5
Summary: The book that brought us Newt Gingrich
Comment: Before The Almanac of American Politics came along in the late 1960's, Congress was widely seen as either an impenetrable series of arcane rules, procedures, rituals, and conflicts which only experts could understand in detail--the prevailing view of political scientists--or a bunch of oddball characters who occasionally hindered or unjustly attracted attention from the great men serving as President--the prevailing view of journalists.
The Alamanac of American Politics created a new and more accurate paradigm. The workings of Congress, it said, were comprehensible to informed and intelligent people. The personalities of Members of Congress, while occasionally idiosyncratic, were generally integrated with the purposeful actions members of Congress were taking on behalf of their geographical constituencies, their supporters, and their visions of local and national interests.
In short, Members of Congress were rational actors acting within both a geographic and national context. Tip O'Neill's famous saying--"All politics are local"--was only partly true. All politics was also national. Citizens with national goals only had to find citizens with local sensitivites who shared their national goals to oppose incumbent Members of Congress.
Congress is a far more competitive and short-tenured organization than it was before this series was written.
Without The Almanac of American Politics, there would have been far fewer anti-war and pro-enviroment challenges in the early 1970's. The Democratic gains of 1974 and 1976 would have been far less sweeping. So would the Republican gains of 1980, 1994, and 2002. Had this series never been written, you never would have heard of Newt Gingrich.
The compilation of information can be a profoundly political act. If you are at all interested in politics, you should read this book. You should not read it as a compilation of interesting trivia. You should read it knowing that people who count see it a guide to action.

Rating: 3
Summary: Biased, but worthy
Comment: As he's done for the past 30 years, Mr Barone & company give us a decent snapshot of each district, member of Congress and Governor. His conservative bias shines through, but he still does a fairly good job. Congressional Quarterly's equivalent does a better job of describing each district and seems unbiased, yet the Almanacs of American Politics are a bit less dry.
It's a good reference point for C-SPAN junkies or anyone else interested in the workings of our government.

Similar Books:

	Title: Cq's Politics in America 2004: The 108th Congress (Politics in America, 2004) by David Hawkings, Brian Nutting, Inc Congressional Quarterly, H. Amy Stern ISBN: 1568028148 Publisher: CQ Press Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $88.75
	Title: The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004 by Editors of World Almanac ISBN: 0886879108 Publisher: World Almanac Pub. Date: 05 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $11.95
	Title: The Almanac of American Politics 2002 by Michael Barone, Richard E. Cohen, Charles E., Jr. Cook ISBN: 0892341009 Publisher: National Journal Group Pub. Date: August, 2001 List Price(USD): $56.95
	Title: The New Americans by Michael Barone ISBN: 0895262029 Publisher: Regnery Publishing Pub. Date: 29 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $27.95
	Title: Washington Information Directory, 2003-2004 (Washington Information Directory, 2003 2004) by Cq Press, Congresional Quarterly, CQ Press Editors ISBN: 1568025017 Publisher: CQ Press Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $150.00