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About the Authors

Scott Frisch is Professor of Political Science at California State University Channel Islands. He was a Presidential Management Fellow in the Department of Treasury between 1988 and 1990 with rotations in the Office of Management and Budget and the office of Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).  A graduate of Lafayette College Frisch holds a Masters in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and earned his PhD from the Claremont Graduate University.

Sean Kelly is Professor of Political Science at California State University Channel Islands.  As an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow (1993-1994) he worked for the Senate Democratic Leadership in the Democratic Policy Committee—then under co-chairs George Mitchell (ME) and Tom Daschle (SD)—as a health policy analyst.  A graduate of Seattle University Kelly earned his PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Long-time collaborators Frisch and Kelly are coauthors of scholarly articles and three books Committee Assignment Politics in the U.S. House of Representatives (University of Oklahoma Press 2006), Jimmy Carter and the Water Wars: Presidential Influence and the Politics of Pork (Cambria Press 2008), and Cheese Factories on the Moon: Why Earmarks are Good for American Democracy (Paradigm Press, forthcoming 2010).  In addition they are co-editors (with Douglas Harris) of Doing Archival Research: A Practical Guide for Political Scientists (Cambria Press, forthcoming 2010).

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge financial support for our research from the Dirksen Congressional Center, the California State University Channel Islands Faculty Development mini-grant program and the Center for Integrative Studies, and a William Jennings Bryant Dorn grant from the University of South Carolina.

Mickey Edwards, Les Francis, and Jim Free provided support and advice at every turn.

We were fortunate to work with many helpful and talented archivists including Kate Cruikshank (University of Indiana), Herb Hartsook (University of South Carolina), and Jeff Thomas (Ohio State University).

Sheen Rajmaira not only read the book manuscript and provided valuable feedback, but she also played a large role in the development of this web site.

We are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some great students. Brandon Dowling, Kaitlynn Hennessy, Katrina Newcomb, Melissa White, and Doug Whitesell provided feedback, asked thoughtful questions, and generally provided the challenge we needed to refine our arguments.

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