Customer Reviews

The Corruption of American Politics: What Went Wrong and Why

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

The book is a compelling argument for campaign finance reform, and a sobering portrait of the petty bickering, hypocrisy, and corruption inherent in the current system of federal elections. The reviewer from Washington, D.C., is not to be trusted; he or she misrepresents the First Amendment issues that hypocrits like Mitch McConnell use to scuttle reform bills. Drew devotes a whole chapter to the First Amendment, shining light on how soft money is used to fund "issue ads" that aren't about issues at all but are designed to target specific candidates. In the end, the current system favors incumbents or wealthy individuals, and leads to bribery of elected officials. Despite their rhetoric, people opposed to campaign finance reform are not defending the First Amendment; they are simply using any means possible to stay in power and thwart true representation in government.

Elizabeth Drew wrote this book about campaign finance reform in 1999, but unfortunately itŐs still relevant. For years, Drew has been one of the most level headed and non-partisan political writers around. ThereŐs not a bit of "spin" in her work. So when someone as calm and reasonable as this writer says that the politicians we have to day are less intelligent, less thoughtful and less ethical than the politicians of a generation ago, I take her very seriously. We all love to complain about politicians, but Drew obviously has a lot of respect for government and the people who once served in it. She doesnŐt engage in idle rhetoric. Drew argues that we have lousy people representing us because the need to constantly raise money has driven out of politics all but a handful of the best people, leaving us nothing but the dregs. Both houses of Congress are now stuffed with men (and a handful of women) who know more about money grubbing than they do about history, economics or public policy. And money influences not only the quality of the legislators, but the kind of issues that come before congress. Like John McCain, she insists that we canŐt use government to help solve any of our problems until we get control of the power money has over politicians. Right now "our" government simply doesnŐt belong to us. I wish there were more solutions offered here. Drew ends by reminding the reader of the importance of voting and writing to representatives. That doesnŐt seem to me nearly strong enough. There must be more we can do. But as a chronicle of the influence of money in contemporary politics, this book canŐt be beat.

I didn't vote for Nader and LaDuke this last election, but I understand why there were lots of voters who did. There may be differences between the Democratic and Republican "visions," but one thing both parties see clearly enough is $$$$ galor, soft, hard and in the shades of grey between. This, plus the eroding of even a modicum of civility and decorum in the House and Senate (I worked on Capitol Hill during the Seventies and, yes, both chambers USED to be civilized; thanks for nothing, Newt!) and the other ways in which our governing branches have fallen apart, are examined by Elizabeth Drew in detail and with a great deal of (warranted) dismay and disgust. And contrary to the folks here who've complained of Drew's so-called liberal bias, damned few current senators or representatives of any political stripe come out of this book without smelling. Senator Fred Thompson is one of the few who does emerge unscathed, hardly a "fiery liberal spirit," to paraphrase Tom Lehrer. This book may or may not be revelatory overall, but, more likely, it'll confirm what you've suspected all along---the system'll stay broke so long as money and special interests call the tune. Slick Willie's latest post-presidency revelations certainly indicate that this much is true and Mitch McConnell's only allegiance has been to the almighty dollar, anyway, so....but enough. A good, provocative book that should boil your blood.

Though the title, "The Corruption of American Politics" would lead you to believe the book concerns bribery and graft, the contents are more disheartening. Ms. Drew has laid bare the hypocracy of Washington politics on both sides of the aisle. The common voter has no understanding of the continuous exchange of money in Washington. The voter has a perception that something is amiss but is unable to separate political rhetoric from fact. I have been in Washington, durring session, and attended Congressional fundraisers. The sight of seeing your elected Congressman pandering to the well healed and well influenced, while at the same time considering issues directly affecting their interests, is sickening. Fundraisers on the eve of significant votes, while not bribery, is political bribery. Ms. Drew has drawn a bead on the most significant issue facing our Republic.

I have enjoyed reading this authors work in the past so I was interested to see what she did with this topic. I was not disappointed with the book, but I felt that the title and dust jacket description was misleading. The book is presented as going to be a history sense Nixon as to the steady decline in American politics. What the book delivered is some history, but basically a complete review of the Fred Thompson 1996 campaign financing hearings and the President Clinton Impeachment process. With this said I was not disappointed because the author is great at adding interesting insights into the personalities of the House and Senate members she talks about. Many descriptions could be called biting, she does not side step comments that could be considered non-politically correct. She also goes after everyone involved, I have heard that some people think she is a bit liberal in her views but judging by the comments she makes on Clinton et all I was hard pressed to find the liberal soft spot.

Overall she gives a very good analysis of the current state of American politics, which comes down to one thing - it takes lots of money to win. Unfortunately that means that the politicians we have spend a great amount of their time asking, begging and anything else to get money. I also found the discussion on the increase levels of partisan tactics to be very concerning. How can anything worth while get done in the current environment? Lastly she also dropped into the book interesting details of the rules of the House and Senate. Overall the book was interesting and well written.

The theme of this book - that political favor can be bought with hard currency in Washington - is neither surprising nor really the point. Rather, one main reason that Drew's book is recommended is the insider access to the banality of it all; how Republicans and Democrats alike feed at the trough of private political contributions, and refuse to reform the system because any such reform will, almost by definition, reduce the power of those who hold it. This is really the key, although often unstated, theme of the book: power. In Washington, money = power, and, as noted, the most interesting aspect of the book is that no one really denies this. They just try to keep it bottled up in committee.

Drew is sometimes charged with that dogmatic descriptor "liberal bias," but her heroes in this book are two Republicans: Fred Thompson and John McCain. So I don't think said "bias" influences this book one way or another (anyone can find bias if looking for it). Rather, the heroes of the book are those who try to "do something" for the public good, and the villians are those who manipulate the policital process to block the do-gooders.

Drew can be a bit pithy and spiteful, but isn't that part of her charm? Any hack can report the facts of a Senate floor debate, but very few (1) have access to the much more important behind the scenes deal-brokering and (2) have the integrity and journalistic chops to gossip about it. Reading her describe a Senator that you've always suspected of being an idiot as an idiot shoud be part of the fun, regardless of your political preference.

In sum, if you follow politics with any sort of a balanced view, you should enjoy The Corruption of American Politics. It's an insider account of how Congress slowly works for the public good, but only to a point. Good stuff.

Campaign finance reform finally passed, and this book may have been a factor. I have been reading Elizabeth Drew since the Nixon years, and am happy to report that she still writes as well as ever and still offers a trenchant analysis of issues that most of the public, regrettably, doesn't give a damn about. Since a campaign finance reform bill finally passed, much of what Drew writes about here will soon be obsolete, and she would probably be happier about that than anyone. But, if history is a guide, some way will be found around the new laws, and Drew will be writing another book about corruption in years hence.

The corruption, she writes, is endemic to the system itself. Its' very simple--it takes money to win an election, and those with a lot of money have an inherent advantage. Those who don't have money need to get it somehow, and this book will tell you how that's done, sometimes legally, sometimes quasi-legally, and sometimes downright illegally. Drew spares no one. Although it is clear that Drew leans to the liberal side on issues, she is equally scathing in her laceration those whose machinations perpetuate the current system. Probably the one person she treats most mercifully is Bill Clinton, deservedly so for what he has done to demean the presidency. She also deplores the intense partisanship and lack of civility that have pervaded Washington in the past decade.

If the book has a hero, it is Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who, regrettably, just announced he will not be seeking reelection. Other reformers like McCain, Feingold, Shays, and Meehan come off well at least insofar as being principled, if not especially keen legislative tactitians. It is essential, however, for any conscientious citizen to be informed about the issues with which this book deals.

Overall, I like Drew's book, but you have to take it for what it is. She is a mainstream Beltway journalist, so her notions of "reform" are, frankly, lacking -- too little, too late. The problems of the American government run far deeper than Drew and others like her can probably comprehend. If you believe McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform will reform campaign finance, then prepare to be awed by this book; if you don't, then you won't.

That said, Drew does a fantastic job portraying the culture of cash and corruption in the government, particularly Congress. Her writing is clear, entertaining, and informative. What's more, what she portrays is all the more alarming because of her mainstream background. Reading this book, it doesn't take much imagination to realize that things are truly running amok in Washington, to an extent most Americans cannot dream of.

So, read this book to get a vivid sense of what is going wrong, but not as a guidebook for how to bring democracy back to America.

Elizabeth Drew has an knack for revealing the intricacies of life in Washington in a way that DC outsiders can understand. The book reads like a novel and it's packed with all sorts of characters (some of which you'll wish were fictional). The uniquely distinguishing thing about this book is that despite the "corruption" Ms. Drew uncovers she manages to remain optimistic. She discusses what ordinary citizens can do to change the politically corrupting forces in America. It's refreshing to know there's hope! READ THIS BOOK!

Ms. Drew has done it again. Her new book is so timely that you can use it as a reference when stories of how money is influencing politics appear, as they do so often, in your daily newspaper. The China influence in politics? It's there. How the FBI and Justice fouled up the Thompson hearings? It's in the book. How did we careen from the high hopes after the Nixon resignation to the depths of sleeze and influence -peddling? It is in the book. Wonderfully written, The Corruption of American Politics should be read by every thinking American...but that might be too small an audience.