POLITICS AT THE GRASSROOTS

Political scientist Richard F. Fenno, Jr. finds the relationship between elected representatives and their constituents far more telling than battles between politicians.

Fenno's latest book, Congress at the Grassroots: Representational Change in the South, 1970-1998, explores how these relationships change by contrasting the political life and style of two Georgia congressmen, Jack Flynt and Mac Collins. They served the same district--but 25 years apart--with starkly different styles and ideologies.

"The book puts a human face on one of the most profound changes in American politics in the South," says Fenno, Distinguished University Professor and Kenan Professor of Political Science.

"It represents a sea change in the South."

Since the 1970s, this district in west-central Georgia has changed from rural to suburban. Along with it, the voting majority has moved from solidly Democratic to solidly Republican. That reality has contributed to making Congress "the very ideological and partisan place it is today," Fenno says.

And just how does a member of Congress interact with constituents at the grassroots? In the case of Jack Flynt, who served from 1954 to 1978, a person-intensive strategy, as Fenno calls it, was his hallmark. The member's time and energy were focused on individual constituents, their lives and their problems. If they could call him by his first name, he was assured of their vote.

The essence of Mac Collins's style is just the opposite. It is built on a policy-intensive strategy, which is centered on policy dialogue and policy cooperation. Collins, who has held the seat since the early 1990s, connects with voters on identified issues important to them and their party.

Fenno points out that all successful members of Congress need both strategies to get elected, but that one will dominate.

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