Practicing American Politics An Introduction to Government

Throughout the book, [the authors] analyze politics in terms of three questions: What is? What's right? and What works? [This] book puts the basics of American politics into the normative as well as the descriptive context of political practice. [It] show[s] that all people, groups, and institutions - including government - affect the political process, either by engaging in politics actively and intentionally or by leaving it to others, and that all are therefore responsible for the quality of American democracy. The book encourages students to practice politics in ways that accord with their beliefs, values, talents, and expanding body of knowledge. It does so by equipping them with nonideological methods for understanding and evaluating political processes and issues and by giving them tools and information to help them practice politics in a variety of ways throughout their lives. -Pref.