Politics In America 2006 Hardbound Edition

Ignore the rants of the left. If you have to buy just 1 get the Almanac. That being said this is very good and I will be getting both 2008 issues in a week. Why is it that a moderate conserveative writer (Barone certainly not Cohen) is viewed as being incapable of objective reporting but those on the left are oh so neutral. Here's a thought I watch Fox, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Russia Today and the English German news. I wonder who has a wider world view, me- a libertarian con.- or the liberal who would never think of listening to a different view. Long live cable TV and diversity in reading material

CQ's "Politics in America" is certainly still a very helpful tool, not only for Beltway insiders, political junkies, and Congressional scholars - via biography, it presents a panorama of the American political landscape as it really is, and it traces the most recent history as well as quite current events. There are two handbooks like that; this is supposed to be the more "liberal", and also the more objective, as compared to the "Almanac of American Politics", which however is not out yet (the last edn. is for 2004). The GQ 2006 version is certainly up to date, quite well written, and with a lot of good information. This is the rare case of an encyclopedia-like book that one actually might want to read, rather than only use for reference.

That said, there are some flaws with this edition, especially if compared to the Almanac and to earlier editions of CQ. After all, this is the kind of ressource that today would be typically found on the internet or CD-ROM. Because of the reading quality, it's good to have the book, but publishers and editors must make most of typical book advantages.

The list of deficiencies of GQ 2006 includes, then, a very small font, confusing maps, and a generally convoluted layout. Contents-wise, there is no description of governors, or of states; in the personal profiles, there is no general indication of subcommittee chairships/ranking position anymore; and the general introduction is also a bit brief.

That said, CQ 2006 would rank *** within the context of handbooks as they can be and have been, and ***** as such, especially seeing that right now at least there is no alternative (and one has to admit that the Almanac likewise has the similar technical problems).

CQ's Politics in America is a very good guide to Congress. The writers go into detail about where the members stand on issues and what they do in Washington. Compare that to the Almanac of American politics which is more interested in election results (which can be good) and as a forum for Michael Barone's conservative views, which is fine for conservatives but can irritate those just looking for the facts. Also what CQ does is treat members equally (except the leaders) unlike the Barone practice of playing favorites.

"Congressional Quarterly's Politics in America" is one of two well-known (to political geeks, at least) registers of congressional facts. I considered the other, National Journal's "The Almanac of American Politics" prior to deciding on CQ. Both versions appear to contain the same basic information: district maps, congressional bios, voting proclivities, and basic state information. However, the editing of "The Almanac of American Politics" by Michael Barone elicited concern that Barone couldn't withhold his ultra-conservative views and edit an unbiased guide. All other things being equal, I went with the version which I felt comfortable would leave out the partisan slant. In CQ's "Politics in America", every returning member of the 109th Congress gets two pages of biography, history, key votes and election results. Those serving their first term in the 109th still get one page. In addition, there's a state info page, a congressional district map (my one disappointment: the maps could be more detailed) and pages of interesting facts about the 109th (did you know that the Utah 3rd--encompassing suburban Salt Lake City, south through Provo and the southern part of the state to the Nevada border--is, by over 2 years average, the youngest congressional district with an average age of 24.5 years?). Not to mention a race-by-race 2004 campaign finance report. Politics in America weighs in at a hefty 1218 pages. For any political junkie, it's a great bi-annual investment.