Publication from Cambria Press: Seeking Bipartisanship by Ray LaHood with Frank H. Mackaman. This highly anticipated book chronicles the political career of Ray LaHood, former Secretary of Transportation. As the only elected Republican selected for President Obama’s Cabinet, LaHood sought to bridge the partisan divide between the new Democratic administration and Republicans on Capitol Hill. He is one of the few individuals who has served both in Congress and in a presidential Cabinet during the tumultuous times of the last decades. This book provides insight on events such as the “Gingrich Revolution,” the decline of civility in the House, President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, and Congress’s investigation of 9/11. SEEKING BIPARTISANSHIP has already earned accolades from Rahm Emanuel (Mayor, City of Chicago), Robert H. Michel (US House of Representatives, 1957-1995), Norman J. Ornstein (Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research), Doris Kearns Goodwin (Historian), and John Dingell (US House of Representatives, 1955-2015). Rahm Emanuel has described SEEKING BIPARTISANSHIP as a "much-needed book—not only for American politics but also for the American people and all who believe in democracy—is a brilliant account of how we can and should seek bipartisanship. It presents an important part of American history—when Democrats and Republicans reached across the aisle.” Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin praised the accessible style of writing because the book makes "the reader feel as if he is in the midst of the battles on the floor and in the cloakroom,” adding that “this is a thoroughly entertaining memoir as well as an important one." Practitioners will be pleased to note that US House Rep John Dingell said that "To understand Washington today," one should "read this book" and that LaHood’s “insight helps explain what must change in our politics today.” True to the title of the book, LaHood worked hard in seeking bipartisanship. As Robert H. Michel (US House of Representatives, 1957–1995) put it, LaHood “earned the respect of Democrats and Republicans by the way he conducted himself and by his efforts to foster good will among members.” More details on the book at http://www.cambriapress.com/books/9781604979053.cfm About the authors: Ray LaHood joined Barack Obama’s Cabinet as U.S. secretary of transportation in January 2009, retiring in July 2013. In the president’s words: “Years ago, we were drawn together by a shared belief that those of us in public service owe an allegiance not to party or faction, but to the people we were elected to represent. And Ray has never wavered in that belief.” Previously, LaHood served in the Illinois House of Representatives, as a staff member to U.S. representative Thomas F. Railsback (R-IL) and to House Republican leader Robert H. Michel (R-IL). LaHood won the first of seven elections as a Republican from central Illinois to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 (He did not run in 2008). He holds a BS in education and sociology from Bradley University. In January 2014, LaHood joined DLA Piper, a global business law firm, as a senior policy advisor. Frank H. Mackaman directs the work of The Dirksen Congressional Center (Pekin, Illinois), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. Previously director of the Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum, he holds a PhD and an MA in American history from the University of Missouri and a BA from Drake University. Mackaman’s publications include Understanding Congressional Leadership, Gerald R. Ford: Presidential Perspectives from the National Archives, and The Education of a Senator: Everett McKinley Dirksen. He has taught courses on the presidency and Congress at the University of Michigan and Bradley University. Mackaman is past president of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress. This book is part of the Cambria Politics, Institutions, and Public Policy in America (PIPPA) Series, headed by Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q. Kelly. See https://vimeo.com/137205745

• published: 26 Aug 2015
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