The Handy American Government Answer Book: How Washington, Politics and Elections Work

The stakes have never been higher: national security, civil liberties, the economy, the future of the republic. Yet few outside Washington—and it’s interlocking world veiled in power brokering, bureaucracy, and big money—actually understand how our government and political system should work or operates.

Understanding how modern America is governed and answering basic questions about how our very complex government operates and what it promises, The Handy American Government Answer Book: How Washington, Politics, and Elections Work takes a comprehensive look at the history, systems, people, and policies that comprise American democracy through well-researched answers to nearly 800 questions, including Why is America’s democratic system considered so precious? What does “checks and balances” mean? Where do the party symbols of the donkey and the elephant come from? What is electoral realignment? What does it mean to lobby? Who pays for the campaigns of candidates?