The Dance of Legislation: An Insider's Account of the Workings of the United States Senate - Softcover

Redman, Eric

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0295980230 ISBN 13: 9780295980232

Publisher: University of Washington Press, 2001

Synopsis

The Dance of Legislation has long been considered a classic description of the legislative process. In it, Eric Redman draws on his two years as a member of Senator Warren Magnuson’s staff to trace the drafting and passing of a piece of legislation ― S.4106, the National Health Service Bill ― with all the maneuvers, plots, counterplots, frustrations, triumphs, and sheer work and dedication involved. He provides a vivid picture of the bureaucratic infighting, political prerogatives, and Congressional courtesies necessary to make something happen on Capitol Hill. In a Postscript to the 2000 edition, Redman reflects on how that process has, and has not, changed in the thirty years since the book was first published.

About this title

Review:

What Redman has written about the evolution of a health bill could be written about comparable constellations of personalities and pressures affecting an education or a housing or farm or tax bill. But few writers have actually produced a book that has such a useful blend of information, self-deprecatory humor, and keen rendering of the distinctive atmosphere of Congress.

Source: New York Times Book Review

An outstanding book for undergraduates interested in politics.

Source: Choice

From the Author:

Eric Redman was a logger, longshoreman, Rhodes Scholar, and writing teacher, as well as a legislative aide. Today he is a Seattle attorney specializing in public policy and energy law. Richard E. Neustadt is Douglas Dillon Professor of Government emeritus, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0295980230
• ISBN 13: 9780295980232
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320