Warring Factions Interest Groups, Money, Senate Confirmation

Warring Factions focuses on the United States Senate&;s confirmation process, the constitutional process the Senate uses to approve or reject the president&;s choices to fill federal government positions. It is a book about history, the evolution, and, arguably, the decline of the process. Most significantly, it is a book that demonstrates the extent to which interest groups and money have transformed the Senate&;s confirmation process into a virtual circus.

Based on in-depth research, including two dozen original interviews with United States senators, former senators and Senate staff members and interest group leaders, this volume demonstrates that today&;s confirmation process is nothing more than an extension of the Senate&;s legislative work. Changes to internal Senate norms in the 1960s and 1970s, coupled with changes to the external political environment, have allowed interest groups to dominate the Senate confirmation process.