Underdog Politics: The Minority Party in the U.S. House of Representatives

by Matthew N. Green

Overview

In the first comprehensive study of the subject in decades, political scholar Matthew Green disputes the conventional belief that the minority party in the U.S. House of Representatives is an unimportant political player. Examining the record of the House minority party from 1970 to the present, and drawing from a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data, Green shows how and why the minority seeks to influence legislative and political outcomes and demonstrates that the party’s efforts can succeed. The result is a fascinating appreciation of what the House minority can do and why it does it, providing readers with new insights into the workings of this famously contentious legislative chamber.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300182262
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	01/28/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Matthew N. Green is associate professor of politics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

1 The Politics of the Minority Party 1

2 Electioneering 34

3 Messaging 71

4 Obstructing 113

5 Legislating 142

6 The Minority Party and American Politics 179

Notes 191

Bibliography 237

Index 267

Editorial Reviews

"Most studies of legislative parties focus, understandably, on the majority, which has most of the power to shape the chamber and its outcomes. Green reminds us that this is only part of the story, and that history is occasionally determined by the strength and creativity of the party with fewer seats." - Seth Masket, author of No Middle Ground: How Informal Party Organizations Control Nominations and Polarize Legislatures

Seth Masket

Finalist for the 29th D.B. Hardeman Prize presented by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation.

D.B. Hardeman Prize - The Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation

"This book is an excellent and thoughtful examination of the role of the minority party in the House.  With absolutely sound scholarship, Matthew Green makes entertaining and intriguing use of existing literature on Congress, as well as the literature on campaigns, elections, parties, and the media." - William F. Connelly Jr., author of James Madison Rules America

William Connelly