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Stuck

How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress

Maya Kornberg

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Why fifty years of changemaking and reform haven't fixed Congress—and what that reveals about American democracy.

Congress, the central democratic institution in the United States, is hanging on by a thread. On January 6, 2021, a violent attack on the Capitol Building left five people dead, and threats and attacks against politicians are on the rise. In Stuck, Maya Kornberg chronicles the efforts of congressional reformers over the last fifty years and documents the mounting forces that have kept their reforms from creating meaningful change.

The "Watergate babies" of 1974, the Contract with...

Why fifty years of changemaking and reform haven't fixed Congress—and what that reveals about American democracy.

Congress, the central democratic institution in the United States, is hanging on by a thread. On January 6, 2021, a violent attack on the Capitol Building left five people dead, and threats and attacks against politicians are on the rise. In Stuck, Maya Kornberg chronicles the efforts of congressional reformers over the last fifty years and documents the mounting forces that have kept their reforms from creating meaningful change.

The "Watergate babies" of 1974, the Contract with America conservatives of 1994, and the historic 2018 class fueled by backlash to Donald Trump all represent younger, more diverse, and less entrenched members who arrived in Washington energized and idealistic. Kornberg reveals the ways Congress has become increasingly inhospitable to change. Political violence, astronomical campaign costs, relentless fundraising demands, shrinking staff, and centralized party leadership all constrain the ability of new members to legislate and represent their constituents. Social media, while offering new platforms for political expression, has also heightened harassment and fueled a performative culture that rewards spectacle over substance.

Bolstered by dozens of interviews, congressional records, and the voices of lawmakers past and present—including Henry Waxman, Toby Moffett, Phil English, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Lauren Underwood—Stuck offers a sobering portrait of a legislative body paralyzed by its own internal dynamics. Kornberg also outlines tangible reforms that could restore Congress's capacity to function and amplify the power of its newest members. At a time when Americans are losing faith in democracy's most representative institution, Stuck makes the case for how it could be saved.

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Book Details

Release Date
Publication Date
Status
Preorder
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
272
ISBN
9781421454580
Illustration Description
3 b&w photos, 2 b&w illus.
Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Winds of Change Reach Congress: The Class of 1974
2. Building and Reshaping Power
3. "The Bumblebee Flies Because He Never Studied Engineering": The Class of 1994
4

Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Winds of Change Reach Congress: The Class of 1974
2. Building and Reshaping Power
3. "The Bumblebee Flies Because He Never Studied Engineering": The Class of 1994
4. Shifting Tides
5. "No One Else Looked Like Me": The Class of 2018
6. Prophets and Kings
7. A Post-January 6th World
8. A Smooth Landing
9. Changemaking in Trump's America
10. The Path to Changing Congress and Protecting Democracy

Author Bio