The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works

The Congress has become the punching bag of the U.S. Government. It's ratings are in the tank, and it appears, on the surface, to most citizens, that nothing is ever accomplished in the legislative branch. However, Representative Henry Waxman's new and incredibly insightful book on the inner workings of Congress show how issues are addressed, and eventually accomplished. Rep. Waxman's book is part memoir, part recounting of his experiences serving the people of California for the past thirty years. His thesis, stated early n the book, is that government is a help, not a hinderance, when coming to the aid of its citizens. Waxman recounts several events that led to successful government intervention: Don't like smoking in planes? Thank Congress. Don't think apples should be covered with pesticides? Thank Congress. Think that drug companies should try to find medications for all diseases? Thank Congress. Worried that people with HIV/AIDS would lose their jobs? Thank Congress. Think cigarette makers shouldn't market their products to children? Thank Congress. Like food packaging labels? Thank Congress. To be fair, Democratic Waxman does take shots at Republicans from time to time, but mostly its to show that even the minority party can be effective from time to time. One of Waxman's points, which caused me to think seriously about the current health care bill, is that no significant legislation gets passed without bipartisan support. Does this bode well for our health care? Another interesting thing to note in the book is that corporations usually will do anything to get legislation weakened or eliminated if it's going to mean regulation on their end. In his "tobacco" chapter, it's clear how much the industry fought for years on end to delay/dismantle any governmental attempts to regulate it. It seems to me that many corporations have similar tactics to dissuade the legislation from happening; bad effects, raised costs, etc. When all is side and written, this book is a great primer on how things can, and often do, get done in Congress. I highly recommend this.

I noticed this book at a book store and bought it on impulse. I actually expected it to be dry, maybe even dull, but hoped it would shed some light on how Congress functions. I did not expect it to be especially entertaining, compelling, or enjoyable; to my surprise, it turned out to be all of these, and I found it a very good read. A fair share of credit for this presumably belongs to Congressman Waxman's co-writer, Joshua Green. The subtitle of the book is somewhat (but not entirely) misleading. Rather than giving us an overview of Congressional committees, subcommittees, and parliamentarian rules, Waxman has written a political autobiography that follows his career from the California Young Democrats Club to the California State Assembly to the U.S. House of Representatives. At first, I felt a bit cheated since the jacket cover had not described the book as an autobiography; however, the early material about Waxman's early career in California ultimately does become relevant when he compares how Congress functioned under different Speakers (such as Tip O'Neill and Newt Gingrich) with how the California State Assembly functioned under the top-down rule of Speaker Jesse Unruh. In the end, Waxman does convey a lot of information about how Congress works, even if this is done in the context of an autobiography. Of course, Waxman writes a lot more about the House than the Senate. Waxman spins out his narrative in a dramatic fashion, describing how he and other members of Congress managed to pass each of the major laws that he has been most connected to. In some cases, he and his allies were able to focus attention on issues with public hearings, obtaining enough support to pass laws against the wishes of lobbyists and the majority party. In other cases, he engaged in horse trading (something that he has also done since writing the book on climate legislation). In others, he relied upon legislative tricks. The most interesting of these was done in connection with the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 in which his staff very carefully focused the legislation on "nutrients" rather than on "ingredients", allowing Waxman to challenge the germaneness of a proposed amendment about carcinogens on the ground that carcinogens are not nutrients. Very sly. Given the unfortunate political partisanship that currently infects our country, many readers might expect any book by a politician to be one-sided and confrontational. That is not the case with Waxman's book. While much of the legislation he focuses on was primarily promoted by Democrats, Waxman acknowledges the contributions of various Republicans. Also, when he does describe the opposition of Republicans, he is never bitter or nasty. I believe that most readers of any political persuasion could enjoy this book if they focus on the drama and legislative craftsmanship involved in each chapter irrespective of their agreement with the actual laws that Waxman helped pass.

Waxman tells us from his perspective how government is supposed to help people, and what a congressperson has to do to get things done. Each chapter focuses on a particular issue where Waxman has pushed legislation or other means of effecting change. Waxman uses these examples to show us how the rules for bringing issues into laws have changed over the years, and how bipartisan alliances come and go depending on the issue. A great read for liberals and conservatives alike, because ideology is incidental in this revealing work of how a successful congressperson operates. The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works

One of the first things that struck me about this book is its lucidity. The prose is swift and penetrating, and a pleasure. The importance of this is that it supports such a very important message, that the US government actually can work, and it is persons of intellect, drive, and caring that are the ones who can make it work. The problem is the ever present corruption and cynicism of many of those in power, both in government and industry, and Waxman/Green do a thoroughly compelling job of spelling out how one can triumph in a cesspool. What I also find so interesting about all this, is that Waxman is called a liberal by everyone (conservatives generally despise him), but his agenda is to make government serve the people, make the lives of Americans better, and to make government, its elected officials, and industry executives accountable for their actions. So then what does the other side of the aisle want?

- Why did we ever believe cigarettes were safe, and when did that fallacious idea end? - How did we end up with nutritional facts on food labels? - What ever happen to the problem of acid rain? - When did research and private sector creation of drugs for orphan diseases like Huntington's Disease begin to flourish? - Why is there less smog over cities today than there was in the 1970s? Many of these answers, to some extent or another, can be traced back to the work of Henry Waxman. In this tour de force book about Congress, Henry Waxman seeks not to celebrate personal success, but to highlight that government can be a source of good. Not to celebrate government generally, but to set out examples where government played its role effectively. Not to push a liberal agenda, but to show how many bipartisan ideas that were once controversial, are no longer considered twice. If you are a policy wonk, a legislative watcher, or a political junkie this book is for you, but most of all this book is for citizens who want to actively understand and take part in their democracy. That is the major point of my review, but let me illustrate it with an example. In the early 1980s Waxman's Congressional office received a call from a constituent who had a son with Tourette's Syndrome. The drug he needed was available in Canada, but not available in the United States because it was not profitable enough. As Waxman's staff received other calls and sought out other folks who were sick, they realized there were ten's if not hundreds of other "orphan diseases" that were affecting many people but were not profitable enough. Waxman responded with legislation that credit a 50% tax credit for research costs (I could be a little off on this exact detail), that streamlined and reformed the expensive FDA approval process because of the small research pool, and expanded grants for research for these diseases. From this legislation hundreds of drugs have come forth, many many small biotechnology companies have been created, and countless lives have been saved. Was this all because of Henry Waxman and government action? No, but their actions substantially moved efforts in the right direction. And as someone who has a Father with one of those "Orphan Diseases" - Huntington's Disease, - I am thankful that this action was taken. The moral of the story and the reason to read the book is that all of our voices matter, and that if we speak up and if we speak loud enough with enough voices, we will be heard.