While many books detail how senators and representatives operate
in Washington, this one describes how they stay in power. The
congressional elections of 1998 were the most expensive in history.
Incumbency reelection rates were 98.3 percent in the House and 89.7
percent in the Senate, and this was a typical outcome after
Watergate-era campaign reforms supposedly "reduced" the influence
of money in politics. From the unique vantage of credible
citizen-candidates who ran against congressional incumbents from
Massachusetts to Hawaii during the 1990s, "Against Long Odds"
tackles the question of why incumbents nearly always win.
These citizen-challengers learned that the system is rigged
against them. Incumbents prevail through a virtual monopoly on
campaign cash, lavish congressional perks, local media and business
backing, intimidation of their challengers' supporters, and
sometimes outright dirty tricks. This is true for Republicans and
Democrats; for conservatives, moderates, and liberals alike. This
account details, as no other book has, how representatives and
senators are zealous participants in a system that threatens to
overturn the American traditions of free elections and the free
exchange of ideas. Frustrated voters often complain that, no matter
which party controls Congress, nothing ever really seems to change.
Merriner and Senter explain why.
General
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