Homo Politicus: The Strange and Scary Tribes that Run Our Government [Hardcover]

Dana Milbank (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2007

Washington’s most acerbic (and feared) columnist, the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, skewers the peculiar and alien tribal culture of politics.

Deep within the forbidding land encircled by the Washington Beltway lives the tribe known as Homo politicus. Their ways are strange, even repulsive, to civilized human beings; their arcane rites often impenetrable; their language coded and obscure. Violating their complex taboos can lead to sudden, harsh, and irrevocable punishment. Normal Americans have long feared Homo politicus, with good reason. But fearless anthropologist Dana Milbank has spent many years immersed in the dark heart of Washington, D.C., and has produced this indispensable portrait of a bizarre culture whose tribal ways are as hilarious as they are outrageous.
Milbank’s anthropological lens is highly illuminating, whether examining the mating rituals of Homo politicus (which have little to do with traditional concepts of romantic love), demonstrating how status is displayed in the Beltway’s rigid caste system (such as displaying a wooden egg from the White House Easter Egg Roll) or detailing the precise ritual sequence of human sacrifice whenever a scandal erupts (the human sacrificed does not have to be the guiltiest party, just the lower ranked).
Milbank’s lacerating wit mows down the pompous, the stupid, and the corrupt among Democrats, Republicans, reporters, and bureaucrats by naming names. Every appalling anecdote in this book is, alas, true.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This amusing and shrewd look at Washington politicians, bureaucrats and even Milbank's fellow reporters is endlessly entertaining, and Johnny Heller is in on the joke. He has a familiarity with the material as if he wrote it himself, allowing him to capture the true intent of every moment, be it comedy, melodrama or purely informational. His pace is swift and his average guy tone makes this reading work. His conversation is engaging and enjoyable; he seems to know when you're laughing and when you simply can't believe how inane politics can really be, and he's right there with you every step of the way for this fun, charming and true tale of Washington politics.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

How Homo Politicus Sees Dana Milbank:

“The (Bush) Administration’s least favorite journalist. And it’s not hard to see why.”
—The American Prospect

“Taking trash journalism to new heights.”
—Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

“Many of us do believe Dana is rabid…there is probably nothing human, at least, that could balance Dana. I have suggested a close examination of various reptiles, and it may be that we need to go to the Galapagos Islands to find something appropriate.”
—Tom Edsall, former Washington Post colleague

“The most anti-Bush reporter currently assigned to the White House by a major news organization.”
—National Review

“Washington PR folks, who would normally auction off their right arm to get the Washington Post to cover their boss’ press conference, know by now that having Dana Milbank show up is probably more of a curse than a blessing.”
—potomacflacks.com

“A wonder at the anthropology of this town and understanding the way the sociology of Washington works today.”
—Chris Matthews, host of Hardball

Wonkette poll—Dana Milbank is…
…emblematic of the deterioration of the American media. 12.1%
…the savior of American journalism. 13.5%
…a publicity whore. 74.4%

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition edition (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385517505
• ISBN-13: 978-0385517508
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,006,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Congress on steroid-assisted egos, December 29, 2007

By 

Theodore A. Rushton (PHOENIX, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Homo Politicus: The Strange and Scary Tribes that Run Our Government (Hardcover)

Politics is the art of the ego, with Congressional egos like an exercise in finger painting by kiddies run amok in the absence of grownups.

Every politician knows at least one thing: "I was elected by a majority." (Some know more than one thing.) One fact that never goes away is their "majority" vindication, proof enough of their superiority to all. Their ultimate answer to every argument is, "I was elected, you weren't."

In Washington, as in London, Ottawa, Berlin and any place where democracy has taken root, politics is the chaos of hundreds of self-righteous steroid-enhanced egos. Sorry folks, it's a fact. Normally, reporters cover only the results of such mayhem; this book is a rare first-hand insight into the messy process. Milbank is a gem, exposing the folly of egos without restraint or common sense. (Trust me. I've been there. He might have been at least mildly amused, if not somewhat delighted, in some examples of what I wrote, said or did. At least, I hope so.)

The first advice in covering politics is, "Don't foul your own nest." In other words, don't write about follies that embarass our esteemed elected representatives of the people. Write about results. Politicians thrive on stories about bills passed (or blocked), provided such stories have some of their wise or witty "cleaned up" quotes. The bulk of "political reporting" is duly sanitized to explain results, instead of the uncleaned mess. Think of potty-training or 'TidyBowl' at work, and you get the idea.

It's Prince Otto von Bismarck's "sausage" example; people don't want to know the greasy details of making sausage (or laws), they want to know only if it tastes good and is safe (or if the law won't hurt them too much). It's always been like this; it's rarely exposed as skilfully as in this book.

This book comes at an unusual time; public confidence in the presidency and Congress is at depressing lows. Thoughtful Americans are looking for reasons. It makes this intelligent and thus devastating look at the "greasy details" of politics very appropriate for 2008.

As for egos in politics, they'll never disappear. However, this book may persuade at least some politicians to think a little before they speak a lot. This beautiful insight into politics could only be improved by a new compilation every two years to ask voters, "Do you really intend to vote for this egomaniac again?"

A beautiful book.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth is Funnier than Fiction, January 13, 2008

By 

Jan Lincoln (Yuma AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homo Politicus: The Strange and Scary Tribes that Run Our Government (Hardcover)

I laughed right out loud as I read this book on an airplane. Loud enough for stares. I loved the creative approach of using an anthropological lens to look at the workings of Washington's government and its hangers-on. Creative. I'm not sure what the negative reviewers were expecting. Just reflecting our up-tight cultural world, I guess. If you want a funny, insightful analysis of the DC power relations that rings all to true, this is it. Relax. Enjoy. Come away enlightened. (Caveat: I am an anthropologist.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wait for the paperback, February 23, 2008

By 

a reader "a reader" (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homo Politicus: The Strange and Scary Tribes that Run Our Government (Hardcover)

This book just barely gets three stars. It's not bad; but it could have been better.

I knew before I bought it that this was more of a political humor than a political science book. That's regrettable because Homo's anthropological conceit is worth a closer look.

What you get here, instead, is an extended series of personality sketches and vignettes describing all the flaps, gaffs, spats, scandals and outrages our "leaders" in Washington have subjected us to over the last eight years, give or take. Milbank attempts to group these into an absurdist pseudo-academic study of Beltway culture, but there's no real insight here, no attempt to see the forest through the trees. The chapters breeze by, and I got some yuks, but by the end, I wasn't satisfied.

And most, if not all, the stories and personalities are well known, or at least have been written about elsewhere. The few that haven't aren't interesting. Does anyone really care what pubs Democrats frequent and what restaurants Republicans dine at?

It feels like a rush job for Milbank. (My fingers keep wanting to type "Milkbank" for some reason.) Had he taken more time for research, he might have come up with something more memorable. At the very least, he would have been able to devote a section to Larry Craig.

Finally, is that Dick Cheney on the cover?