Brought up to the minute in this new edition, How Washington Really Works exposes the Washington insiders know and hope you don’t find out about. From the lobbyist and the bureaucrat straight up to the Congress and the President, Peters turns his sharp eye and ironic wit on the foibles and follies of the people running our country, and uncovers one basic fact: The present system is designed to protect those within it, not to serve those outside. This book will not only explain this system of make-believe—it will make you want to change it.
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See Charles Peters's 10 Books to Read on Washington, D.C., and browse through dozens more expert reading lists from your favorite authors in Grownup School.
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About the Author
Charles Petersis editor in chief of The Washington Monthly, which:”Covers its subject, politics and government, better than any magazine around”--The Washington Post”Holds up a deadly accurate mirror to the Washington political culture, exposing its hypocrisies, stupidities, and unexpected triumphs.”--The Chicago Tribune”(Is) an indispensable decoder and deconstructor of the men and myths governing our nation’s capital.”--The Nation
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A dark but honest portrayal of our democracy,
This review is from: How Washington Really Works (Paperback)
I've talked about this book with other people who have read it and the consensus is that it is a cynical book that doesn't educate the reader. But personally, I would rather read a book that is skeptical and willing to explain the problems of Washington to the reader than pretend that everything is fine and dandy while the problems fester. I agree with Mr. Peters that the bottom line is that there is a lack of accountability in the nation's capital. Mr. Peters understands that human beings are rational, intuitive creatures. The thing that was so crucial to the constitution and its success was its ability to get people to work in their own interests but channel that energy into constructive ends. What struck me after reading this book was that our current institutions act in the same rational manner but they have been misdesigned to reward unconstructive ends. America doesn't face a crisis, mind you. I dislike it when people raise alarm needlessly. But I feel that without an intelligent discussion about what our government can an should be, we face the prospect of national stagnation or worse.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Emperor Has No Clothes!,
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This review is from: How Washington Really Works (Paperback)
Forget the Constitution, the idealist views from high school textbooks, and what politicians tell you. This book tells how politics works and how things get done in Washington, D.C. It is an expose on the day-to-day operations in government. The information is honest and backed up with numerous examples.I was so impressed with the material that I used the volume in my high school American Government classes.
3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A great book for people who are synics of our Government.,
By jeff.dennison@sen.ca.gov (Salinas, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How Washington Really Works (Paperback)
Mr. Peters goes through many of his experiences in civil service and how Washingtonians perpetuate a system that does not work for the common man. This book brings insight for those who have not ever been or worked in our Nations capitol.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The first key to understanding Washington is "make" Washington is like the Winter Palace under Nich and Alexandra, where earnest discussions of the lot of the poor went on continually but the discussions were sel accompanied by effective action. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
survival network Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
White House, State Department, Washington Post, United States, George Bush, The Washington Monthly, New York Times, Gulf War, Capitol Hill, Colin Powell, San Francisco, West Point, District of Columbia, Peace Corps, West Virginia, Dick Cheney, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Flag Day, Judge Walsh, New York City, Bay of Pigs, Larry Speakes, Postal Service, Ronald Reagan New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The first key to understanding Washington is "make" Washington is like the Winter Palace under Nich and Alexandra, where earnest discussions of the lot of the poor went on continually but the discussions were sel accompanied by effective action. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
survival network Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
White House, State Department, Washington Post, United States, George Bush, The Washington Monthly, New York Times, Gulf War, Capitol Hill, Colin Powell, San Francisco, West Point, District of Columbia, Peace Corps, West Virginia, Dick Cheney, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Flag Day, Judge Walsh, New York City, Bay of Pigs, Larry Speakes, Postal Service, Ronald Reagan New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 55
books:
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15
books
cite this book:
See all 15 books citing this book
- Inside the System by Charles Peters in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Decent Interval by Frank Snepp on page 74, and Back Matter
- Culture of Bureaucracy by Charles Peters in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Wild Blue Yonder: Money, Politics, and the B-1 Bomber by Nick Kotz in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Peace Corps (International Organizations) by Celeste A. Peters in Front Matter, and page 50
See all 55 books this book cites
- A Christian Manifesto by Francis A. Schaeffer on page 60, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Decision Making for Technology Executives (Artech House Technology Management and Professional Developm) by Harold A. Linstone on page 109, and page 148
- Quixote's Ghost: The Right, the Liberati, and the Future of Social Policy by David Stoesz in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Politics and Process: New Essays in Democratic Thought by H. G. Brennan on page 173
- Impersonal Influence: How Perceptions of Mass Collectives Affect Political Attitudes (Cambridge Studies in Political Psychology and Public Opinion) by Diana C. Mutz in Back Matter
See all 15 books citing this book
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