[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 29 (Thursday, February 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E355-E356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             A FRIEND LOST

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2007

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam. Speaker, in the February 14 
edition of Roll Call, one of the most accomplished authorities on the 
workings of Congress pays a heartfelt and well-deserved tribute to 
another authority on our workings--Nelson Polsby. Sadly, Nelson Polsby 
died recently. He was an extraordinary intellect, who paid this 
institution the enormous compliment of taking it very seriously and 
helping both the general public and those of us who serve here 
understand our workings. Norman Ornstein was a colleague of Nelson 
Polsby in this important work, and in today's edition of Roll Call, in 
a few short paragraphs, he does a great deal to capture the essence of 
Nelson Polsby and to help people understand why so many of us will miss 
him. Madam Speaker, self knowledge is always important, and I ask that 
Mr. Ornstein's words be inserted here, both in tribute to one of the 
great scholars of our time, and in the hope that Members of Congress 
will, if they have not already done so, discover the works of Nelson 
Polsby and learn from them.

                             A Friend Lost

       Three topics of discussion this week beginning with this: 
     Congress lost a true friend and one of the all-time great 
     scholars of its history and dynamics last week with the death 
     of Nelson Polsby.
       Polsby was a larger-than-life figure in every respect (The 
     Times in London, in its wonderful obituary, described him as 
     ``a mountain of a man; he looked like an American footballer 
     gone to seed.'') His imposing physical presence was matched 
     by an even more imposing intellect. His tongue, and pen, 
     could be withering, but legions of students and colleagues, 
     me included, could not have a better friend and mentor. 
     Polsby's scholarship spanned many areas, but Congress was his 
     true love and the subject of his best work.
       His article ``The Institutionalization of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives'' is among the most cited scholarly pieces 
     ever published in the American Political Science Review. His 
     last book, ``How Congress Evolves: Social Bases of 
     Institutional Change,'' is typically elegant and deep, a huge 
     contribution to the scholarly literature but written so that 
     a nonprofessional reader can learn mightily from its 
     insights. It is a must-read for every Member of Congress who 
     wants to understand his or her institution in a historical 
     and political context--which should be every Member of 
     Congress.

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