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Showing posts from April, 2012

Why Does This Blog Exist?

Another blog? Seriously? That’s probably a rational response upon finding another political blog. So why does this blog exist and what justifies its existence? The inspiration for this blog is Samuel P. Huntington, former professor of government at Harvard University and, more importantly, the author of American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony . Professor Huntington explains the origins of his book in the preface. He notes that at the start of his Ph.D. oral examination, Samuel Beer asked him: “Mr. Huntington, what is the relation between political thought and political institutions?” Huntington explains that he has been grappling with the question since that oral examination in 1949. The result of that “grappling” is American Politics , which was published in 1981. My interest in the relationship between political ideas and political institutions dates from my search for a framework for the study of Texas politics and government. What is unique about Texas politics that sep...