Texas Politics 2015-2016 (Book Only)

TEXAS POLITICS: IDEAL AND REALITY critically compares Texas government and politics to the concepts of democratic theory by raising three main themes: democratic ideals, conservatism, and conflict. Lively presentation of material encourages students to consider controversial issues and debates. In the 2015-2016 Edition, new policy coverage, updates reflecting the Texas legislative session that ended in June 2014, and new “Texas Politics and You” features that ask students to become directly involved in current and contentious issues, often through social media, keep this book cutting edge.

Charldean Newell was Richard Kraemer's co-author for the first edition of this textbook in 1979 and continued as the lead author when Dr. Kraemer retired from the project in 1992. Dr. Newell died in 2014 at the age of 75. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, she earned her doctorate in Government at the University of Texas at Austin in 1965. In addition to textbook writing, she was the author of THE EFFECTIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGER (ICMA Press, 2004) and CITY EXECUTIVES (SUNY Press, 1989) and editor of MANAGING LOCAL GOVERNMENT: CASES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT EFFECTIVENESS (ICMA Press, 2009). In her 37-year career at the University of North Texas she won awards from students, colleagues and alumni, as well as prizes from national public-administration organizations. Despite her ferocious work ethic, Dr. Newell was a cheerful and generous writing partner. Phone conversations about the next edition of this textbook were conducted amid laughter, often including her continuing critiques of the travails of her beloved Texas Rangers baseball team. She always beat her deadlines and provided acute but respectful commentary on the chapter first-drafts of her co-authors. Although she is no longer contributing new information to this book, many of her sentences and paragraphs continue to adorn its prose, and its continuing themes reflect her passion for the subject matter. Her co-authors are pleased that her name is still on the cover.

David Prindle is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he earned a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1970, an M.A. from UCLA in 1972 and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977. He joined UT's government department in 1976 and has since won six teaching awards. Dr. Prindle is the author of PETROLEUM POLITICS AND THE TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION (University of Texas Press, 1981), THE POLITICS OF GLAMOUR: IDEOLOGY AND DEMOCRACY IN THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD (University of Wisconsin Press, 1987), RISKY BUSINESS: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF HOLLYWOOD (Westview Press, 1993), THE PARADOX OF DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM: POLITICS AND ECONOMICS IN AMERICAN THOUGHT (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005), STEPHEN JAY GOULD AND THE POLITICS OF EVOLUTION (Prometheus Books, 2009) and THE POLITICS OF EVOLUTION (Routledge/Taylor and Francis, 2015). His hobbies include fly-fishing, reading detective novels and getting lost in beautiful places.

James W. Riddlesperger Jr. is a professor of political science at Texas Christian University. A native of Denton, Texas, he has taught as TCU since 1982. His interest is in American politics, with an emphasis in Texas politics, Congress and the presidency. He received the Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Creative Teacher and Scholar and the Honor's Professor of the Year award at TCU. Dr. Riddlesperger's publications include THE AUSTIN-BOSTON CONNECTION: FIVE DECADES OF HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP, 1937-1989 (Texas A&M University Press, 2009) and LONE STAR LEADERS (TCU Press, 2011). He also co-edited THE WRIGHT STUFF (TCU Press, 2013), a collection of the writings of former House Speaker Jim Wright, and REFLECTIONS ON RAYBURN (TCU Press, 2017). A former president of the Southwestern Political Science Association and chief reader for the U.S. Government Advanced Placement exam (2011-2015), Dr. Riddlesperger enjoys reading, baseball and walking. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.