Customer Reviews

Fire-Breathing Liberal: How I Learned to Survive (and Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress

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Frankly, I had some doubts about this book, before starting it. There are lots of congressmen out there. I didn't have to do much more than open the book though to realize that the title's not quite right. It should be Fire Breathing Liberal HERO.

There aren't many progressive, liberal members of congress (Dennis Kucinich is the first that just about any progressive will think of) and there are even less who have taken stands and less who have actually made things happen. I love the work he's written about and is still working on regarding impeachment. He's done fabulous work on election integrity-- and tells some interesting tales, being the congressman from the center of "chad county" during the 2000 Florida election disaster.

Wexler is the real deal. His book gave me, a political junkie who publishes a major liberal website reaching over half a million visitors a month, incredibly MORE new information than I expected.

In 2005, at least 16 months out from the 2006 election, my current congressman was just getting started on the campaign trail, with a number of primary opponents. He contacted me because he'd heard I was a local activist worth talking to. By the following summer, he was the democratic candidate and I was hosting house party for him and getting to know him and many of his staff pretty well. It was a learning experience and I got a much, much better picture of what members of congress do to run for office and get started. But I still had a lot of questions.

Wexler's book does a fascinating job detailing what happens when a new member of congress is elected. Then he tells us all about how he gets things done, not just in congress, but with his state's governor.

There's a reason that this book's rollout included Wexler appearing on the Keith Olbermann show, the COlbert Report, CNN and more. He's the real deal-- a fire breathing liberal who takes stands, faces tough questions and actually does things that make liberals and progressives happy.

Bottom line, this is a very solid, informative, entertaining read you won't regret investing your money or time in.

I am a Liberal.

One who believes the Founding Fathers were Liberal.

A person described as a "Liberal" is someone who cares about the individuality of every human being and the country, along with the planet.

I use John F Kennedy's quote as a signature in all my outgoing emails;

"....if by a liberal they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties.. If that is what they mean by a "liberal" then I am proud to be a liberal. "~ John F. Kennedy

I was happy to see this in Robert Wexler's book also.

It is apparent to me that, there are less and less Liberals in Congress, and because of this, the Bush administration, and all other administrations back to Reagan, have truly ruined this country.

I do not reside in Representative Wexler's home state; this does not mean I cannot support a man I find to be very important in opening the eyes of the American people, so they can see, there IS a better way.

When I first started reading "Fire-Breathing Liberal", I could not put it down. Once I did, I emailed everyone I knew and suggested they get one for themselves.

The book is easy to read for both a "lay person" and someone who may be a "political junkie".'

I hope all Liberals read this, and take back the right to call themselves, proudly a "Liberal"....maybe even a "Fire-breathing Liberal".

Corey Mondello
Boston, Massachusetts
www.CoreyMondello.com

We all assume that there is some inherent corruption in politics. However,I didn't realize how naive I was about our system until I read this book. Filled with real life events and a Congressman's own moral dilemnas, this book makes you realize that we must actively monitor what our government is doing or they will destroy our democracy. The book is extremely well written and will keep you intrigued cover to cover.

Lew Atlanta

Jews are often seen as taking over and making it impossible for non-Jews to succeed in "their league". Wexler is understanding of and sympathetic toward Christians, Muslims, and everybody else. And like the rest of us, Wexler has had to fight plenty of losing battles. God help Robert Wexler because Robert Wexler is definitely there to help us! KEEP ON DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING, ROBERT!

This is the 2nd copy I've purchased. My original intention was to purchase a copy to support Robert Wexler's representation of citizens like myself that believe in the Constitution and the rule of law. It was also a way to support [...] which featured "Fire-breathing Liberal" in the Book Salon with a link to Amazon for purchase.

I had planned on giving Representative Wexler's book to a friend {83} who had gotten me to listen to AM940, South Florida's progressive talk radio, over a year ago. That led to my becoming a fan of the Randi Rhodes Show {page 7 of this book} and the opportunity to listen to live talks with Mr. Wexler.

I started to "glance through" the introduction and first few pages ... and inserted a stickit on p.7 as I didn't want to mark "her book." Three hours or so later -- the book looked like a porcupine. Hence, my second copy for her and this review.

I was particularly interested to confirm that congressional representatives can and do have the power to help individual constituents with the various federal agencies, and it is an excellent reason to find and vote for people-oriented candidates. In addition to helping citizens, I learned that individuals like Congressman Wexler have been one of the few contacts in the United States to whom leaders of other nations could express their views of the "real" world and be heard.

Can you name the country with the largest Muslim population in the world? Neither could I until I read this book. I found the "potholders" very amusing, the delivery of "soccer balls" illuminating, and the methods the GOP has used to remove members of their own party absolutely despicable. This "insider's view" of stolen elections, Clinton's impeachment, the dead-of-night passage of the Medicare drug bill, Katrina, anthrax and more is one of the few non-fiction books that reads like a fast-paced thriller taking us along from naive and starry-eyed patriotism to a more experienced and realistic world view.

Wexler and Fisher have created an excellent book that may eventually become a text for students of history and government that wish to learn about our congressional representatives and the work they can do for us.

I've read a few political books in my time and a few biographies, but Fire Breathing Liberal was more fun to read than all of those. From the first chapter I found I had a hard time putting Wexler's book down. Page after page, it never dulled. I learned a lot from FBL, but perhaps the most important thing I got out of the book was that (despite never making headlines) our congress men and women really are doing an awful lot on our behalf, which I found both fascinating and reassuring. FBL leaves one with a plethora of entertaining, interesting, and fun information about the inner workings of congress to share with others. Highly recommended for all, even those that are not "Fire Breathing Liberals."

Congressman Wexler writes fast and in fine strokes, giving one an intimate view of politics on the Hill. His Florida re-hashing of the "re-count" was even more shocking than I had observed, probably because I watched CNN too much and needed to switch channels more. (The author was very disenchanted with CNN at that time.)

On his attitude toward Bill Clinton, I felt he was somewhat Puritan, whereas he talked to the President frequently and gave him vast support. A MAJOR U.S. newspaper had reported that only three presidents (Lincoln, Truman and Carter) most probably did not deviate sexually while in the White House. I say, give Clinton a break! Afterall, Gandi and Jefferson were on the list. But I'll give Wexler credit for being a brave and outspoken fighter against the impeachment.

Incidentally, the author says he's a Liberal, not a "Progressive" like some are using now to "soften" the blow. Don't they know that Liberal is a word from Regency England that started in the early 1800s and included mostly the very wealthy? I'm proud of him for being a Liberal.

If one reads this book, one will probably want to go back to college and study poly sci, after reading Wexler's explanation of Washington politics in laymen's terms. A totally fascinating read!

By the time I reached Wexler's account of the 2000 election (the 'butterfly-and-chad' troubles occurred right in Wexler's South Florida district) and to the Supreme Court's subsequent installation of George W. Bush as President (a crime carried out by political appointees of W's father, who cautioned -- if you can believe this! -- that their ruling should not be used as a precedent!), I was literally feverish with rage. This section brought back to me all the dismay and gut-wrenching anger we citizens suffered through while we stood by and watched a coup take place -- on our cowardly watch! How we can look ourselves in our mirrors eight years later...? It's enough to make one sick!

Up until that point (the section on the 2000 election thievery comes near the end), this book was an entertaining and, for me, educational look at the workings of Congress, and how a rookie representative might experience DC. By the end of the book I felt renewed admiration for Wexler -- if Congress was filled by people as outspoken as he is, I might even proudly call myself a Democrat.

My one complaint about the book is that Wexler goes easy on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; he repeatedly goes after Bush and Cheney for violating the Constitution and their sworn oaths to defend it, but Wexler never points out that Nancy Pelosi also took such an oath and violated it by taking impeachment "off the table." I am dying to have someone ask Pelosi in public, "Under exactly what authority did you do that?" -- but Wexler lets her off the hook here. Still, now that my fever is subsiding, I am very glad to have read this book. And I'd love to see Wexler become Obama's vice-presidential pick.

For anyone who wants insight into the inner workings of Congress, but is put to sleep by C-SPAN, this book is a must-read.
It's witty, funny, and loaded with excitement and dramatic true stories. I devoured it on one 4-hour flight, and when I reached the end I was sad because I wanted more.
The title is an exaggeration -- Wexler isn't nearly as liberal as the extreme right-wing nut jobs accuse him of being. Nor does he breathe fire, or even make unfair or untrue statements. Actually, he makes more level-headed sense than 90% of the politicians in office today.

Great book. Informative and a fun read. Expect to get mad but get up and do something about it!