In praise of deadlock

by W. Lee Rawls

In this portable supplementary text, Rawls (Thomas Jefferson School of Public Policy, College of William and Mary) examines the nature of the American legislative machine and how well it functions for American democracy. Chief of staff to the director of the FBI, with 14 years of experience as chief of staff to various US senators, Rawls offers an insider's perspective on the partisan struggle, which he sees as essential to advancing new policy and generating consensus. Such grappling, he concludes, results in better laws that have benefited from minority input.