Contemporary members of Congress routinely use the media to advance their professional goals. Today, virtually every aspect of their professional legislative life unfolds in front of cameras and microphones and, increasingly, online. The Public Congress explores how the media moved from being a peripheral to a central force in U.S. congressional politics. The authors show that understanding why this happened allows us to see the constellation of forces that combined over the last fifty years to transform the American political order. Malecha and Reagan's keen analysis links the new "public" Congress and the forces that are shaping political parties, the Presidency, interest groups, and the media. They conclude by asking whether the kind of discourse that this "new media" environment fosters encourages Congress to make its distinctive deliberative contribution to the American polity. This text brings historical depth as well as coverage of the most current cutting edge trends in new media environment and provides an exhaustive treatment of how the U.S. Congress uses the media in the governing process today.

This work will provide an authoritative and illuminating overview of the U.S. Congress, from the history of the Senate and the House of Representatives to the rules, procedures, and traditions that govern its operations and lawmaking. This volume provides a comprehensive survey of the history and inner workings of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It will explain its relationship to the other two branches of government (executive and judicial), detail the unique structures, responsibilities, and procedures of both houses of Congress, discuss major historical events and controversies, highlight particularly influential leaders in Congress from the earliest days of the Republic to the present, and show readers how the priorities of the U.S. Congress shift depending on whether it is held by the Democratic or Republican party. This book is part of ABC-CLIO's Student Guides to American Government and Politics series. Each volume in the series provides a student-friendly introduction to a distinct component of American governmental institutions and processes and shows how it pertains to American politics and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Offers a complete and authoritative overview of how Congress works, from distinct responsibilities of the Senate and House of Representatives to how committee assignments are distributed Explains how Congress functions in the wider world of American politics, including in campaigns and elections Details important events and developments in the history of Congress in a chronology Includes a bibliography of valuable and student-friendly resources for further study

Contemporary members of Congress routinely use the media to advance their professional goals. Today, virtually every aspect of their professional legislative life unfolds in front of cameras and microphones and, increasingly, online. The Public Congress explores how the media moved from being a peripheral to a central force in U.S. congressional politics. The authors show that understanding why this happened allows us to see the constellation of forces that combined over the last fifty years to transform the American political order. Malecha and Reagan's keen analysis links the new "public" Congress and the forces that are shaping political parties, the Presidency, interest groups, and the media. They conclude by asking whether the kind of discourse that this "new media" environment fosters encourages Congress to make its distinctive deliberative contribution to the American polity. This text brings historical depth as well as coverage of the most current cutting edge trends in new media environment and provides an exhaustive treatment of how the U.S. Congress uses the media in the governing process today.