Congress from the Inside: Observations from the Majority and the Minority - Hardcover

Brown, Sherrod

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0873386302 ISBN 13: 9780873386302

Publisher: Kent State Univ Pr, 1999

Synopsis

This work takes freshman Congressman Brown through the halls of the Capitol as he learns his job; depicts the inner-working and deal-making of Congress; shows how legislation is crafted; and visits the offices of the other members and small meetings where much of the work of Congress is done.

About this title

Review:

Congress From the Inside is just what the name suggests: a member's-eye view of Congress by Sherrod Brown, a fourth-term, liberal Democratic member of the House of Representatives from Ohio. Brown writes about campaigning in his home district, serving on committees, voting on the floor, and answering constituent mail, as well as presenting his perspective on NAFTA, Bill Clinton's first budget and tax increase, and the effects of the "Republican Revolution" of the 1994 congressional elections. Brown's inside description of the Democratic Party's struggle to deal with their loss of a congressional majority is one of the most vivid and candid sections in the book. Also of note is his reaction to President Bill Clinton's subsequent "snuggling up to (then-Speaker of the House Newt) Gingrich," as the "triangulation" theory espoused by controversial presidential advisor Dick Morris moved Clinton further to the right, creating a rift between the president and congressional Democrats. (It was Brown who quipped at the time, in a remark made in a closed Democratic meeting but reported nationally, that maybe the street in front of the White House, which had been closed to traffic for security purposes, should be reopened.)

While there are no bombshells in Congress from the Inside, Brown's book is reasonably candid for a sitting member of Congress, and he wisely resists the temptation to puff himself up too heavily. But it is a strongly partisan story told from a liberal's perspective, in which the Democrats are always right on the issues. The only time Republicans are right, according to Brown, is when they act like Democrats (as in passing a minimum wage increase or enacting health insurance reform in 1996). Democratic readers will appreciate this book, along with the tantalizing possibility on which it closes--that the congressional elections in 2000 will see the Democrats take back the House, making Brown an influential subcommittee chairman.

About the Author:

Congressman Sherrod Brown has represented Ohio's 13th Congressional District since 1992 and serves on the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. He is the author of Congress from the Inside. He lives in Washington, D.C., and Cleveland, Ohio.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kent State Univ Pr
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0873386302
• ISBN 13: 9780873386302
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 248