"This book looks back at three of the biggest groups of new members to enter the United States House of Representatives in the last half century: the classes of 1974, 1994, and 2018. Members of these classes looked different from their more senior counterparts. They were younger, less experienced, and came from diverse backgrounds. Almost all of them campaigned with promises to reform the institution and enact change. Through the stories of these three classes, this book shows what changemaking looks like in Congress and how forces such as violence, money, and technology such as social media have altered the landscape for incoming lawmakers and made it difficulty to bring about change in the federal legislature"-- Provided by publisher."Why fifty years of changemaking and reform havent fixed Congress-and what that reveals about American democracy.Congress, the central democratic institution in the United States, is hanging on by a thread. On January 6, 2021, a violent attack on the Capitol Building left five people dead, and threats and attacks against politicians are on the rise.

In Stuck, Maya Kornberg chronicles the efforts of congressional reformers over the last fifty years and documents the mounting forces that have kept their reforms from creating meaningful change. The "Watergate babies" of 1974, the Contract with America conservatives of 1994, and the historic 2018 class fueled by backlash to Donald Trump all represent younger, more diverse, and less entrenched members who arrived in Washington energized and idealistic. Kornberg reveals the ways Congress has become increasingly inhospitable to change. Political violence, astronomical campaign costs, relentless fundraising demands, shrinking staff, and centralized party leadership all constrain the ability of new members to legislate and represent their constituents. Social media, while offering new platforms for political expression, has also heightened harassment and fueled a performative culture that rewards spectacle over substance. Bolstered by dozens of interviews, congressional records, and the voices of lawmakers past and present-including Henry Waxman, Toby Moffett, Phil English, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Lauren Underwood-Stuck offers a sobering portrait of a legislative body paralyzed by its own internal dynamics. Kornberg also outlines tangible reforms that could restore Congresss capacity to function and amplify the power of its newest members. At a time when Americans are losing faith in democracys most representative institution, Stuck makes the case for how it could be saved"-- Provided by publisher.