MARC Record from harvard_bibliographic_metadata

LEADER: 04866cam a22003858a 4500
001 013398747-7
005 20121218144317.0
008 120716s2013 nyua b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2012028783
020 $a9780199931989 (hardback)
020 $a0199931984 (hardback)
035 0 $aocn798617180
040 $aDLC$beng$cDLC$dBTCTA$dYDXCP$dBDX
042 $apcc
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050 00 $aJK275$b.A55 2013
050 4 $aJK275$b.A42 2013
082 00 $a328.73$223
084 $aPOL006000$2bisacsh
100 1 $aAllen, Thomas H.$q(Thomas Hodge),$d1945-
245 10 $aDangerous convictions :$bwhat's really wrong with the U.S. Congress /$cTom Allen.
260 $aNew York, NY :$bOxford University Press, USA,$c2013.
300 $axi, 236 p. :$bill. ;$c24 cm.
520 $a"The debt-ceiling debacle of 2011 was clear evidence of the dangerous polarization of American politics. Heedless of the warnings of economists, a majority of Republicans in the House refused to allow the Treasury to borrow enough money to pay for spending already ordered by Congress. The government avoided a catastrophic default only by unprecedented legislative contortions. The debt ceiling fight also showed that the two parties simply don't understand each other. In Dangerous Convictions, former Democratic Congressman Tom Allen, explains how beneath the surface of our political debates, the incompatible world views of the two parties have turned Congress into a dysfunctional body. "Years of listening to what seemed to me to be preposterous arguments in committee, on the House floor, or in private conversations," he writes, "changed my mind about our capacity to find bipartisan agreement on the most fundamental topics." Likewise, most Republican Members of Congress gave no credence to Democratic arguments on budget and tax issues, health care, and climate change. Allen argues that "smaller government, lower taxes" in all times and circumstances is not an economic policy, but an ideological barrier to meaningful debate and the simplest compromises. In the last thirty years, he suggests, Republicans and Democrats have been speaking different languages; GOP Members increasingly see government as a threat to personal liberty, while Democrats continue to believe it can be a vehicle to expand opportunity and serve the common good. Combining personal experience with the insights of George Lakoff, Norman Ornstein, Robert Bellah, Isaiah Berlin, and many others, Allen explains why we need to understand the ideological conflict and escape its grip--and allow Congress to work productively on our 21st century challenges"--$cProvided by publisher.
520 $a"In Dangerous Convictions, former Democratic Congressman Tom Allen, explains how beneath the surface of our political debates, the incompatible world views of the two parties have turned Congress into a dysfunctional body. "Years of listening to what seemed to me to be preposterous arguments in committee, on the House floor, or in private conversations," he writes, "changed my mind about our capacity to find bipartisan agreement on the most fundamental topics." Likewise, most Republican Members of Congress gave no credence to Democratic arguments on budget and tax issues, health care, and climate change. Allen argues that "smaller government, lower taxes" in all times and circumstances is not an economic policy, but an ideological barrier to meaningful debate and the simplest compromises. In the last thirty years, he suggests, Republicans and Democrats have been speaking different languages; GOP Members increasingly see government as a threat to personal liberty, while Democrats continue to believe it can be a vehicle to expand opportunity and serve the common good. Combining personal experience with the insights of George Lakoff, Norman Ornstein, Robert Bellah, Isaiah Berlin, and many others, Allen explains why we need to understand the ideological conflict and escape its grip--and allow Congress to work productively on our 21st century challenges. "--$cProvided by publisher.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
505 8 $aMachine generated contents note: -- Chapter One: Early Lessons in Congress -- Chapter Two: The Federal Budget: Faith-Based Economics -- Chapter Three: Iraq: Evidence Doesn't Matter -- Chapter Four: Health Care: Taking Care of Business -- Chapter Five: Climate Change and the Environment -- Chapter Six: The Sources of Polarization -- Chapter Seven: Finding a Path to Recovery.
650 7 $aPOLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Legislative Branch.$2bisacsh
651 0 $aUnited States$xPolitics and government$y2009-
651 0 $aUnited States$xEconomic policy$y2009-
610 10 $aUnited States. Congress$xHistory$y21st century.
899 $a415_565717
988 $a20121027
049 $aKSGG
906 $0DLC