Introduction

While more than a million e-mails clog the inboxes of Congress each day, some legislators can''t even find their own websites without the help of their staffers. In fact, laptops aren''t even allowed on the floor of the House or Senate.

But, as Dennis W. Johnson demonstrates in Congress Online, there are some savvy legislators who are taking advantage of new media to expand their power and influence—and the Congressional communications revolution is just beginning. Born out of a Pew Charitable Trusts research project of the same name, Congress Online is the definitive guide to electronic politics, pointing the way to a system that could forge a new and more immediate connection between legislators and the American people.