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Rhetoric & Public Affairs 5.1 (2002) 195-197



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Book Review

Politics and Constitutionalism:
The Louis Fisher Connection


Politics and Constitutionalism: The Louis Fisher Connection. Ed. Robert J. Spitzer. New York: State University of New York Press, 2000; pp. x + 276. $18.95.

So what is this book about? To be sure it is not a critical evaluation of Louis Fisher's work. In fact, it is far from an objective analysis of the Fisher literature. The whole idea for the book came about as a result of a 1997 American Political Science Association panel created to "honor" Fisher's work. The essays are all written, as one might expect, by admirers of Fisher, writing either about his work or in the style of his work.

Having said this, however, don't expect this book to include a blindly deferential collection of essays, with such contributors as David Gray Adler, Dean Alfange Jr., and Loch K. Johnson, among others, having contributed them. These essays were all written by professionals who point to Fisher's lasting contributions to increasing our knowledge of politics.

So what is this book review about? Like the book, this review is not a particularly objective look at Fisher's work either; rather, it is written by a person who also respects what Fisher has done for political science. For me, in fact, the integrity of Fisher's contributions to the discipline can best be found hidden in his own commentary in the following statements from his concluding essay in this book. Regarding his unique perspective to political science, it can be found in phrases where he illustrates his own writing style and analysis:

With words we can sculpt, creating what was not there before (228).

Think for yourself. Do your own homework. Don't rely on secondary sources. Go to the original. (232)

Never assume that experts know what they are talking about. Never. (232)

I hope in my work I have been consistent in warning against reliance on experts, including me. ( 232)

His willingness to tackle political problems in his research is captured in his reflections on why he chose political science in the first place:

If a chemist [as he once was] could study political science, why not law? I didn't see any prohibitive boundaries. (234) [End Page 195]

As far as his ever-present interest in examining the entire political process, he states:

The linkages [between institutions] fascinate me. (231)

Separation of powers became an umbrella to cover a multitude of interests. (231)

Even the need to take on the political process as a whole can be seen in his statement that follows:

the claim that constitutional . . . rights and liberties are decided solely by the courts seemed to me, on its face, preposterous. (235)

His penetrating analysis is captured in this phrase:

What keeps the branches together? What do they share, and what remains exclusive to one branch? When do they reach an accommodation, and when is it time to fight? (231)

And his sense of history is suggested by the following question he asks:

How do things change over time? ( 231-32)

Finally, his area of focus in looking at politics is suggested by the following thoughts:

My topics reflect the value I place on the individual, free to grow and fulfill one's potential. (232)

I wanted to open the door to citizens to give them a stake in their system, to make it less alien, to join government more closely to the public. (232)

Those excerpts paint quite an insightful picture of Louis Fisher and his contributions to the discipline. His broad reach and perspective, beyond what he says himself, were captured in the words of the editor, Robert Spitzer, who suggested of Fisher's work: "Fisher's distinctive mark has come not only from his versatility with all of these subfields [constitutional law, Congress, the presidency, the courts, public law, and other related subfields], but with his integrative study of their intermix, interaction, and balance" (1).

Among the other contributors that I found most insightful in giving the reader...

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