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Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power | 
| Authors: John Harwood, Gerald F. Seib
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $12.94
You Save: $13.06 (50%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 128398
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 1400065542
Dewey Decimal Number: 320.9730922
EAN: 9781400065547
ASIN: 1400065542
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Prizewinning journalists John Harwood and Gerald F. Seib show how today’s Washington power game really works, through stories of people who are making a difference on Pennsylvania Avenue, America’s power street. These new power brokers, some of whom are rarely seen and are largley unknown, have figured out how to make their voices heard, and how to get things done, amid the complexities of today’s gridlocked Washington. With unprecedented access to Washington insiders, and with deep insight into the unspoken rules of the road in the capital, Harwood and Seib explain why progress is so difficult and illuminate what it takes to succeed in the high stakes game of politics.
Pennsylvania Avenue, the 1.2-mile stretch between the White House and the Capitol, is where the influential and ambitious congregate. Through stories of party strategists, money men, policy-makers, fixers, socialites, lobbyists, spinners, deal-makers, and more, Harwood and Seib explore the great political transformations that have altered in a fundamental way the relationship between Americans and their government. A new class of politician and radically different ways of conducting business now exist in Washington. Harwood and Seib showcase such master players as Ken Duberstein (the Fixer), a onetime aide to President Ronald Reagan turned superlobbyist, whose contacts and insider knowledge help clients sidestep Avenue jam-ups; Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein (the Businessman), a new breed of power broker who pioneered the age of “big money” in Washington; Rahm Emanuel
(the Democratic Strategist), whose aggressive fundraising and crisis-room campaign enabled the Democrats to retake Congress in 2006; Debbie Wasserman Schultz (the Rising Star), a first-term Democratic representative from Florida whose meteoric ascent in the House has earned her influential allies as well as critics; Hilary Rosen (the Advocate), a former entertainment industry lobbyist who skillfully reframed the debate about same-sex marriage; and more.
Inspiring and wonderfully written, Pennsylvania Avenue takes us inside America’s center of influence to show how our government really functions, and the insiders who make things happen.
"Through a series of sharp vignettes and character sketches, the authors of "Pennsylvania Avenue," John Harwood and Gerald F. Seib, take the reader behind some of the more imposing facades along the refurbished road, introducing the famous and not-so-famous, and explaining how business gets done in the new Washington. Though they accept the common view that the old rules have changed, their analysis is fresh and stimulating."
--The New York Times
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| Customer Reviews:
 fair July 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was looking forward to reading this book but was rather disappointed by the content and found it to be somewhat dull. It covers the likes of Debbie Wasserman Schultz to the founder of the Carlysle Group. It is basically a series of biographical short essays about Washington's power brokers.
 Those other Pennsylvania Avenue addresses May 29, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
For those of us of a certain age who remember the Everett Dirksens and Mike Mansfields of Washington in years gone by, John Harwood and Gerald Seib have put together a compact and informative work regarding where at least some of the power rests in Washington these days. With an increase of coverage by the networks and cable of the major players, the co-authors have compiled a list of powerbrokers who run more of the show than we know. Our nation's capital is like no place else and Harwood and Seib remind us that history is always being made on that far from lonely stretch of road known as Pennsylvania Avenue.
While the narratives are short, the book succeeds in a comprehensive way. We all know Karl Rove and many more know Charlie Rangel. Indeed, white men are more represented here than others, but people like Hilary Rosen and Lea Berman, not to mention Debbie Wasserman Schultz appear as major players...some in highly competitive political ways and some in more coalition-building endeavors. If one ever had any hopes for Washington, this book might just give you a hint of a glimmer.
It would be great to see Harwood and Seib write a sequel that broadens a look at the next group of insiders to appear, given the nature of a political climate that's bound to see some major changes after November. As for now, this is a good start and I highly recommend "Pennsylvania Avenue" for its introduction to the incumbent powers that be and the rising stars that will surely follow.
 Power 101 May 15, 2008
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
Washington is about power and access to power. We're simultaneously attracted and repulsed by the audacity of those plying their trade in quiet darken anterooms. John Harwood and Gerald Seib, in their book, "Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power", shined a spot light on those who work and play in the shadows of Washington politics.
Through great background research and first hand interviews with key players such as Karl Rove, Ed Rogers, Ken Duberstein, this is an excellent book for those wanting to know how deals are made, and how the wheels of power are greased".
"Pulling Back the Curtain" May 14, 2008
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
In an era of 24-hour cable news, endless political blogs and an infinite number of political talk shows, it was refreshing to get beyond the noise and meet the people who really pull the levers. Newscasts are filled with commentary about "Washington gridlock" and "Washington insiders," without ever getting to the root causes of the issues or ever understanding the people beyond the headlines. This book gives texture and shape to these vague labels.
Pennsylvania Avenue, Profiles in Backroom Power offers a series of profiles of people that most Americans probably see quoted in mainstream media everyday, but have no idea why they are opinion leaders.
The book is interesting if just for the profiles, but it also ties together how many of these players on the chessboard interact. These power brokers either succeed or fail in a way that creates the headlines we all read.
I think this book should be mandatory reading for all aspiring political science students or anyone who wants a better understanding of how the most famous Avenue in the United States really works.
I look forward to a sequel in 2009 when a new wave of deal makers ride into town.
Very Disappointing! May 13, 2008
16 out of 37 found this review helpful
The authors assert that the rise of partisan media (eg. Fox, Limbaugh, blogs that go for their partisan side or the most outrageous comments), jet travel (making it easy for Congressmen to travel home on weekends, instead of associating with each other as they formerly did), gerrymandering (Congressmen select those they represent, and needn't be concerned with compromise) have largely eliminated Washington's history of seeking compromise in the middle. Instead, with the help of lobbyists, they rely on their base supporters.
The bulk of "Pennsylvania Avenue" consists of short stories (including where they were born - who cares?) of various high-leverage lobbyists, fund-raisers, and representatives. The predominant theme is nothing new - it's all about who you know (assuming you are competent in other dimensions).
Basic assertions are not tested, supported with data, or explained in terms of causation. Probably the most important one being that parties today are more extreme than before. (If so, I am wondering why the Republicans did so poorly in the last election, and the vast majority of Americans recently polled do not agree with Republican positions.) The book also asserts that conservative Democrats in the South became Republicans, and liberal Republicans in the North became Democrats, but offers no explanation. The book also lacks a summary or integrative chapter.
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