CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title!

“This book adds broadly to the dynamics of presidential leadership in Congress and makes a real contribution to the literature on presidential influence in Congress.”
–Lance T. LeLoup, Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Washington State University

“Do you want to know how Washington really works? Read Frisch and Kelly’s Jimmy Carter and the Water Wars. They bring to life the events surrounding a critical turning point in the Carter Presidency. This is required reading for anyone interested in presidential leadership in Congress.”
–Representative Butler Derrick (D-South Carolina, retired)

“Frisch and Kelly not only tell a great story, but also systematically analyze the effect of Carter administration efforts to lobby members of Congress. The result is an important study of presidential influence in Congress.”
–John Anthony Maltese, Albert Berry Saye Professor of Political Science, University of Georgia

Scott Frisch is Professor and Chair of the Political Science program at California State University Channel Islands. A native of New Jersey Scott received his BA from Lafayette College, a Masters in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Political Science from the Claremont Graduate School. Scott served as a Presidential Management Intern in the Department of Treasury and as a Legislative Assistant in the Office of Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey. He joined the faculty at CSUCI in 2003 after several years teaching at California State University, Bakersfield, and at East Carolina University. Scott's primary research interests are Congress, and the budgetary process. He is coauthor (with Sean Kelly) of Committee Assignment Politics in the U.S. House of Representatives; his book The Politics of Pork was published by Garland Press in 1998.

About Sean Kelly

Sean Q Kelly is Professor of Political Science at California State University Channel Islands. Sean is a native of Seattle, Washington. He received his BA from Seattle University, and his PhD in Political Science from the University of Colorado. Sean is a former American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow (1993-1994), during which he worked for the Senate Democratic Leadership. He joined the political science faculty at CSUCI in 2007 after teaching at Niagara University, and before that at East Carolina University. Sean's primary research interests are American political institutions, political parties and leadership, and public policy. He is coauthor (with Scott Frisch) of Committee Assignment Politics in the U.S. House of Representatives; and authored or coauthored articles in several scholarly journals and edited volumes.

Acknowledgments

Foreword: Jimmy Carter and the Price of Political Courage

Introduction: A Shot Across the Bow

Research Design, Methodology, and Data

Organization of the Book

Chapter 1: The Veto and Presidential Influence

Veto Politics

Presidential Influence

Chapter 2: Mr. Carter Goes to Washington

Water Subsystems Politics

The Outsider: The 1976 Election

The Outsider: Transitioning to Power

The Outsider: Cabinet Government

Changes in Congress

Chapter 3: Water Projects and the Evolution of the Veto Strategy

The Water Wars: Round One 1977

Round One: Decision and Fallout

Round Two: The Veto Strategy

Working to Sustain the Veto

Chapter 4: Presidential Influence in Congress

Building Coalitions in Congress: A Framework

Results

The Override Battle from the Inside

The Tools of Influence

Presidential Influence in Congress: A Summary

Chapter 5: Presidential Influence and the Politics of Pork

Presidential Influence in Congress

The Water Projects Veto as Strategy

The Water Wars and the Politics of Pork

Afterword: The Pork Barrel and Beyond

The Current Problem

Advice for the Next Administration and Congress

Appendix A: Full Model of Presidential Influence on the Veto Override

Bibliography

About the Authors