Politics, Professionalism, and Power: Modern Party Organization and the Legacy of Ray C. Bliss - Tapa dura

These essays contain a wealth of significant information and perceptive analysis relating to national political organizations with emphasis on the Republican experience. The special virtue of the volume is the fact that the authors are people with first-hand knowledge of their subjects drawn from personal involvement and close observation. The book will reward not only students of the party system but also any citizen who, like Ross Perot, wants a look 'under the hood' at a part of the engine of government. -- William B. Pendergast, Former Research Director, Republican National Committee These essays contain a wealth of significant information and perceptive analysis relating to national political organizations with emphasis on the Republican experience. The special virtue of the volume is the fact that the authors are people with first-hand knowledge of their subjects drawn from personal involvement and close observation. The book will reward not only students of the party system but also any citizen who, like Ross Perot, wants a look 'under the hood' at a part of the engine of government. -- William B. Pendergast, Former Research Director, Republican National Committee

This book examines the role of increased professionalism in the growth of both the Republican and Democratic national parties, beginning with Republican National Committee Chairman Ray C. Bliss in the 1960s. It analyzes how an increased application of professional values has contributed to the continued growth of national party organizations, despite recurring constraints in party policymaking. Contributors: John F. Bibby, Stephen H. Frantzich, John C. Green, James L. Guth, Jon F. Hale, Tim Hames, Paul S. Herrnson, Robert J. Huckshorn, John H. Kessel, Philip A. Klinkner, Joseph I. Lieberman, David Menefee-Libey, Lawrence F. O'Brien, Arthur L. Peterson, John J. Pitney, Jr., George C. Roberts, Frederick M. Wirt. Co-published with the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.