Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings

Combining timeless readings with cutting-edge, current selections, authors Samuel Kernell and Steven S. Smith bring judicious editing and important context for students learning the ropes of American government. This collection effectively examines the strategic behavior of key players in U.S. politics, showing that although they are motivated by their own interests, political actors are influenced by the strategies of others, and are governed by the Constitution, the law, and institutional rules.

The Sixth Edition features 11 new readings, including 6 pieces written specifically for this volume. True to form, each and every selection is artfully framed by Kernell and Smith’s headnotes, providing students with a valuable introduction to the topic.

Samuel Kernell is distinguished emeritus professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, where he has taught since 1977. Kernell’s research interests focus on the presidency, political communication, and American political history. His books include Veto Rhetoric: A Leadership Strategy for Divided Government; Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership, 4th edition; Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections, 2nd edition (with Gary C. Jacobson); and Party Ballots, Reform, and the Transformation of America’s Electoral System (with Erik J. Engstrom). He has also edited Parallel Politics: Economic Policymaking in Japan and the United States; The Politics of Divided Government (with Gary W. Cox); and James Madison: The Theory and Practice of Republican Government. He is presently writing an intellectual biography of James H. Rowe.

Steven S. Smith is professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. He also is the Kate M. Gregg Emeritus Professor of Social Sciences and former Director of the Weidenbaum Center at Washington University. In addition to Wash U, he has been on the faculties of the University of Minnesota, George Washington University, and Northwestern University, and was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.  He is the author or coauthor of Politics Over Process: Partisan Conflict and Post-Passage Processes in the U.S. Congress (2017), The American Congress (10 editions, 1995-2019), The Senate Syndrome: The Evolution of Parliamentary Warfare in the Modern U.S. Senate (2014), Party Influence in Congress (2007), The Politics of Institutional Choice: The Formation of the Russian State Duma (2001), Politics or Principle: Filibustering in the United States Senate (1997), Call to Order: Floor Politics in the House and Senate (1989), Managing Uncertainty in the House of Representatives: Adaptation and Innovation in Special Rules (1988), Committees in Congress (1984, 1990, 1997).