House Rules: A Freshman Congressman's Initiation to the Backslapping, Backpedaling, and Backstabbing Ways of Washington

Discusses Democratic Representative Peter Hoagland of Nebraska's initiation into the U.S. Congress

YA-- Cwiklik's very readable narrative follows the first year (1989) in office of Nebraska Democrat Peter Hoagland and effectively introduces readers to the real world of Congress at work. Like the proverbial fly on the wall, they see all aspects of congressional life from the election campaign, meetings with high-powered lobbyists, and political wheeling and dealing to wrestling with the intricacies of complex legislation and mind-numbing committee meetings. YAs will be left alternately feeling outraged, sympathetic, and astounded at the workings of the legislative process and the politics of the larger governmental system. Cwiklik does an excellent job of providing insight into many of the issues Hoagland must master, especially in regard to the savings and loan crisis. True governmental reform will only occur when citizens can go beyond textbooks and daily newspapers to understand what is happening; this invaluable resource can begin that process.
- Jay Lamb, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In 1988 Peter Hoagland of Omaha, a Democrat, was elected to his first term in the House of Representatives by a narrow margin. He had previously served in the Nebraska legislature and was familiar with the way such bodies operate and with the politician's philosophy of "to get along, go along." As a Capitol Hill freshman he was deferential to those with seniority and cast few votes that might upset the leaders. He was named to the Banking Committee and immediately had to wrestle with the complex S & L bailout, explained thoroughly by Cwiklik, ex-editor for the D.C. bureau of Ottaway News Service. Readers watch Hoagland as he realizes that he cannot vote his conscience on every issue but must "weigh the amount of political capital he could afford to spend." That he succeeded is verified by his landslide reelection. The impression of Congress received here is disturbing, with elected representatives concerned almost exclusively with staying in office. Hoagland, unfortunately, is shown to fit the profile.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bismarck once said that the public should never see how sausages or laws are made. In an entertaining but troubling look at neophyte Nebraska Democrat Peter Hoagland's first term in the US House of Representatives, Cwiklik, a former editor of the Ottoway News Service, shows why. Cwiklik portrays Congress less as a deliberative body than as a chaotic political commodity exchange in which expediency and favor-trading determine the course of legislation. For reasons of political survival, Hoagland (depicted here as a somewhat pragmatic version of Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) is compelled to placate powerful lobbying groups he despises, express opinions with which he disagrees, and vote for legislation to which he privately objects. Hoagland's principal legislative activity was as a member of the Banking Committee, where he was instrumental in drafting legislation enacted to bail out failed S&Ls. Cwiklik portrays this legislation as an unnecessarily costly pastiche of compromise that primarily served the local interests of the districts of the members who created it. The author also shows that, above all, congressmen are constantly concerned with perpetuating their tenure in office, and spend an inordinate amount of time building ``war chests,'' creating favorable publicity, and establishing powerful political alliances. Cwiklik does not preach, but quietly describes the many absurdities of a congressman's life in a tongue-in-cheek tone that underscores the irrationality of congressional decision-making. In his diverting manner, Cwiklik strips away the mythology of American democracy to paint an amusing but disturbing picture of what really goes on atop Capitol Hill. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

This inside look at the first few years in the career of freshman congressman Peter Hoagland (D-Neb.) is marked by a smooth, breezy writing style that makes for interesting reading. Journalist Cwiklik follows Hoagland from his 1988 campaign, which was financed by a $293,000 loan of his own money, and election. Showing an accurate grasp of subtle and not-so-subtle political processes, Cwiklik reveals the congressional deals, maneuvers, and calculations confronting Hoagland as he works as a member of the House Banking Committee on the savings and loan bailout bill. While the book's narrow focus limits its usefulness to academics and students interested in a general overview of the legislative process, it will appeal to general readers. Recommended for large popular politics collections.
- Mark Guyer, Stark Cty. Dist. Lib., Canton, Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.