Experiencing Politics: A Legislator's Stories of Government and Health Care (California/Milbank Books on Health and the Public Book 2)

John E. McDonough affords a rare glimpse into the practice of state politics in this insider's account of the fascinating interface between political science and real-life politics. A member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for thirteen years and a skilled storyteller, McDonough eloquently weaves together stories of politics and policy with engaging theoretical models in a way that illuminates both the theory and the practice. By providing a link between scholarship and the world of experience, he communicates much about the essence of representative democracy. In the process, he demonstrates how politics extend beyond the public sphere into many aspects of life involving diverse values and interests. McDonough describes the nature of conflict, the role of interests, agenda setting, the nature and pace of change, the use of language, and more. Accessible, insightful, and original, his stories touch on a broad range of issues—including health care politics, campaigns, and elections; a street gang called the X-men; the death penalty; campaign finance reform, and tenants versus landlords. To the author, politics is everywhere and political dynamics are universal. While the setting for this book is one legislature, the lessons and insights are intended for everyone. John E. McDonough affords a rare glimpse into the practice of state politics in this insider's account of the fascinating interface between political science and real-life politics. A skilled storyteller and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for thirteen years, McDonough cloquently weaves together stories of politics and policy with engaging theoretical models in a way that illuminates both the theory and the practice. By providing a link between scholarship and the world of experience, he communicates much about the essence of representative democracy. In the process, he demonstrates how politics extends beyond the public sphere into many aspects of life, involving diverse values and interests.

To the author, politics are everywhere, and political dynamics are universal. While the setting for this book is one legislature, the lessons and insights are intended for everyone.

Contents Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction: Seeing Politics through Different Lenses Part One: Basics 1. Politics Is . . . and Debating Points 2. The Stories We Tell and the X-Men Part Two: Themes 3. Landlords, Tenants, and Conflict 4. Interests and a Fiscal Crisis 5. Representation, Relationships, and Campaign Warchests Part Three: Models 6. Punctuated Equilibrium and the Fate of Hospital Rate Setting 7. Agendas and Children’s Health Care Part Four: Endings 8. Conversations, Games, and the Death Penalty 9. Concluding Remarks Notes Select Bibliography Index When speaking with groups, I often begin by asking if anyone can give me a definition for the word politics.