| Chapter : | Introduction |
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of data to opening up this world by providing the outsider hints and clues about the documented parts of that verbal world. With a solid review of the archival record for glimpses of that verbal world, the researcher will be better informed for interviews with political participants, who can then shed additional light on discussions and actions that are not well documented but only hinted at in the physical archival record. The verbal aspect of politics is hard to fully capture after the fact, and there is no denying it. The only real way to capture this fully is through the method of participant observation, which methodologically has its own challenges, drawbacks, and opportunity costs.
Reason Three: Political Actors Manipulate the Record
Another criticism of relying on archival research that is occasionally offered is that staff and members might purposely put documents into the records that portray themselves in the best possible light. This argument is reminiscent of a scene from the first Back to the Future movie. Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) is transported back into the past in his time-traveling DeLorean. In the scene, he seeks to change the future (thus ensuring his future existence) by sending a letter to his future self through the mail.
Setting aside the dubious assumptions of time-travel plots, Marty McFly had a benefit that the generators of political papers do not: perfect information about future outcomes. McFly knew exactly which events were critical to produce a desired future outcome. Members of Congress, political staff, and the like hardly enjoy the same luxury (if they did, Congress would do nothing but produce perfect public policy). In the flow of the congressional workload, and absent the relative omniscience of Marty McFly, it is difficult for members and staff—as it would be for anyone—to know which of their actions, decisions, and related documents will come under the scrutiny of researchers years or decades in the future. Such machinations would also require knowledge of how researchers use their records to study topics; most of the politicians and staff that we have interviewed seemed completely mystified by our interest in their papers