Rate this book

Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside The U.S. House Of Representatives (2012)

by Robert Draper(Favorite Author)

3.87 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1451642083 (ISBN13: 9781451642087)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Free Press

review 1: An excellent read about the 111th and 112th Congresses. The author takes a look at that particular session through the eyes of various players in House such as Allen West and John Dingell. Other well-known names appear such as Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, etc. although not to such a great extent. The book also looks at particular events, such as town halls, voting on healthcare reform, the shooting of colleague and former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, etc. The book is not quite fully chronological--in the general sense it goes from Obama's inauguration in 2009 to a new afterward (2013 paperback edition), but does jump back and forth, including some historical anecdotes that often explain the origins of things or somehow relate to the chapter, although sometimes they're ... morerather boring to read.I was drawn to the title and premise, when it was initially called 'Do Not Ask What Good We do', which is derived from a quote about Congress. I am glad to report the book lived up to my expectations, especially in the aftermath of the government shutdown. However, I have been unable to ascertain exactly why the name change occurred, as it seems to imply things suddenly changed with the rise of the Tea Party. Perhaps it did, but I would imagine we'd find lots of drama in previous Congressional sessions too. The title really should not have changed and doesn't quite reflect what the author set out to do.The new title also quite reflect the chaos and drama that occurs on the Democratic side. Draper dedicates a section to Anthony Weiner's rise and fall as a Congressman. But he reveals a darker side to Weiner's behavior, outside the lewd pictures. He seems to be a terrible boss that had no trouble screaming at his staff, has hidden things from his wife and clearly has ambitions for mayor of NYC. The book is really well researched in things like this, which hint at future problems, especially in Weiner's case. Draper also refers to the former Senator Jim DeMint as the godfather of various South Carolina politicians and the standard by which other conservative Republicans have to measure themselves by. It's *really* interesting to compare where many people in this book are at the time of the writing vs. October of 2013.The book does a good job describing the budget drama in 2011 and a reader could see why there'd be trouble again in the future. Tea Party or not, Congressmembers are beholden to their constituents, as Blake Farenthold finds. But the freshman Republican would also find that hard, tough rhetoric that their constituents love don't add up in Congress where compromise is in order. Which of course makes it difficult to explain back home as to why their Representative isn't bringing in the funds promised or why cuts are being made. I thought the author did an excellent job in showing with Farenthold how difficult it can be to walk a line with your fellow Congresspeople and walk another with your constituents.This was a genuinely interesting book that took more meaning for me in the aftermath of the shutdown. A reader will likely appreciate the occasional dry commentary on things and shake their heads at the Congresswoman's perk of getting a black Mercedes while driving in a foreign country or read about Allen West railing on a Muslim who came to defend other Muslims at a town hall (only to be shouted down by West and most of the others around him). And if a reader expects to see the "big" names such as Pelosi, Biden, Boehner, Cantor, Obama, etc., they'll be disappointed, because the story's not really about them and these names get a lesser focus or just cameos.The book is also generally not "happy", as there's not a lot the author sees that is positive, other than Gifford's survival and return to the House (only to resign). It represents too brief of a moment of bipartisanship and camaraderie that disappears all too quickly as implied by the author. But political junkies and people looking for more information about how Congress does (does not?) work, this is a great read.
review 2: For anyone who wants to know why congress is a dysfunctional confab of plutocrats and zealots will want to read this book. Every four if lucky eight years a new president is sworn in to office. Democrat or Republican each new administration must find a commonality with the opposing political party to effectively govern for the good of the people. Robert Draper’s treatise exposes the shenanigans the Republicans orchestrated to do whatever necessary to sabotage the Obama’s presidency. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was not being trite when he spoke that the Republican Party’s “number 1 priority is to make this president a one-term president …” less

Download links for: Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives

Advertising