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The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works (2009)

by Henry Waxman(Favorite Author)

3.44 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0446519251 (ISBN13: 9780446519250)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Twelve

review 1: An interesting look into the legislative process from the perspective of a career politician. I enjoyed the glimpse behind the scenes of how laws are written and passed. I've had a lot of respect for Henry Waxman for a long time and I believe he's one of the honest good guys in Washington. Although a little dry at times and definitely not a "must read," I was still engaged throughout the book and found the overall message to be both interesting and compelling.
review 2: Rep. Waxman is disgustingly upbeat for a cynic like me - but the thought can't be avoided that maybe that's why he got so much done! His fellow politicians probably would have hated him if he had thought they were sleazes desperate to keep their campaign-money sources happy, instead of decen... moret, honest people just doing the best they can.The main lesson I came away with, of use mainly to political leaders who want to pass good laws that offend powerful special interests, is that it can take a lot of relentless perseverance. You have to treat it as a war that will probably take years and could even take decades. But if the facts are on your side, and you are effective at getting those facts in front of the public so the villains of the story (polluters, pesticide companies, tobacco companies, punitive right-wingers who want to punish homosexuals by letting them all die of AIDS - oops, guess Ryan White is just collateral damage) are clear as day, you will win in the end.His discussion of the uses of Congressional hearings made me wish for better ones than we've had lately.This book prompted the thought that maybe Obama - and Hillary before him - is getting ahead of himself on healthcare reform, and should have started by pushing for factfinding laws to collect the data that would show where the money flows through the healthcare system and what it is buying us. Some of that research does exist today, but it's obviously the very first trickle, still just scratching the surface. less

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