Congress Turns Rightward

Reform, once seen as the vehicle to free the House of Representatives from the constraints of conservative leadership, is now serving increasingly to weaken the power of a liberal leadership at a time when pressures on the younger members come from the right. Working in tandem with basic shifts in the substance and style of district politics and with the growing perception that the country may face an economy of scarcity, the reform movement in the House has in part returned to one of the roo...