​Divided Parties, Strong Leaders 

It has become a truism in congressional politics that the more divided a party, the weaker its leader will be.  But careful scrutiny of our legislative history makes clear that party divisions are not inherently limiting.  Divided Parties, Strong Leaders (under advance contract, University of Chicago Press) explains why this is so.  Drawing on nearly a dozen case studies from the postwar Congress, the book explores how and why House and Senate leaders have sometimes been able to overcome — and even draw strength — from their divided ranks.