The Price of Politics

Sep 29, 2012 Kent rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished Bob Woodward's latest book today. “The Price of Politics” was aptly named. I was not disappointed in Woodward. This is the story of the debt ceiling negotiations of the summer of 2011 and the subsequent move to sequestration of huge chunks of spending on both sides of a wall between security and everything else... The creation of the fiscal cliff of January 1, 2013. Of course, it is timed after the November elections. Woodward tells his story from interviews of the players. Often he w...more

like 3 likes · see review

Oct 30, 2012 Josh rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Price of Politics is a comprehensive account of DC’s failed budget negotiations in 2011. To his credit, Bob Woodward created a thorough description of the closed door meetings and statements from political leaders about the fiscal-related debate that seized the center of attention a year ago. His work is probably the best historical record to be put forward of these budget dealings, a frustrating episode that yielded little compromise and no long-term solutions.

Unfortunately, the book is nea...more

like 3 likes · see review

Dec 11, 2012 Mary rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Mary by: Eric Tipton

Shelves: political

This book is amazing; it makes you feel like you are a fly on the wall during the stimulus bill deliberations. Bob Woodward has a way of describing the action as if you are in the room. This is amazing so far.

Combine arrogance and inexperience and you have a recipe for disaster which is exactly what we have in the White House right now. An arrogant liberal progressive that knows he's right no matter how wrong he is. Wrong for the country and wrong for the economy and no one has the hutzpah to te...more

like 4 likes · see review

May 05, 2013 T Fool rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-books

Going into this, one has friends and foes. Journalism seeks hot topics for shock value, for story value. They write to their constituencies. This is not that.

The meat of this is economics, budgeting, international financial trust, big money. Much that I simply don't know. All that is being handled by USA decision-makers within its Constitutional political system. That system I know fairly well.

What has to hit a reader expecting either economic analysis or mano-a-mano political grit is somethin...more Going into this, one has friends and foes. Journalism seeks hot topics for shock value, for story value. They write to their constituencies. This is not that.

The meat of this is economics, budgeting, international financial trust, big money. Much that I simply don't know. All that is being handled by USA decision-makers within its Constitutional political system. That system I know fairly well.

What has to hit a reader expecting either economic analysis or mano-a-mano political grit is something entirely different. The POP shows that over a period of -- I don't know -- maybe a year, key people meet, people who do know these things and who have the obligation to conclude deals.

True, because of party affiliation, branch of government, and leadership placement, those deals don't come easily. As a matter of fact, agreement over the US debt ceiling in 2011 and budgetary issues and 'triggers' -- that agreement -- only clumsily hobbles onto signed paper. And, basically, the end result puts off any real decision concerning expenditures and where American budgetary priorities should be.

The magnificence of this book (I did it on audio) comes not with the political 'thrill' or with an insider view of major figures, but with the realization that everyone involved was actually doing what he or she was supposed to be doing. That every one of the figures -- even the ones you are prepared to dislike -- was aiming to do the right thing.

Perhaps that's tragedy. A collision of 'right doing' in a 'right system' that balances power and prevents dictatorial fiat. The system -- as it plays out -- cancels one interest against the other, leaving nothing but stasis. And failure.

Read this with a desire to watch character. At many, many points, there seem to be accommodating gestures that should work, trust building between particular players. They all seem to know that 'in the room' good faith might yield good result. Once out, however, broader constituencies -- either a room or two away, a Congressional House two blocks distant, in a newsroom across town, or thousands of mob-howling miles away -- yell 'no quarter'.

There's a point when determination becomes bullheadedness, when principle falls second to political tactics, when aim subverts possible victory, when personal ambition sours good sense. Woodward shows this happening. It's not the ideas that endanger our project. It's human frailty.(less)

like · see review

Feb 16, 2013 John Harms rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Political Junkies

Shelves: politics-current-events

When reading this book, you sort of get the feeling that Bob Woodward is continually in the process of researching and writing a book about politics. It is as though he picks a random thirty-six month span of time and then works to craft those events into a narrative. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of the in-depth reporting on events and Woodward's unsparing criticism where he deems it necessary. Most of all, I enjoyed Woodward's character descriptions of the key players in th...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 09, 2013 Don Weidinger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

: transparency, no media to check, resignation due to lack of informed voters vs what’s in it for me, 20+ year congressional jobs not as founders envisioned, Cantor limit spending and small business focus, Keynesian spending of 30’s vs cuts, Emmanuel-we have the votes f…em, buying votes for HB1, blue dogs limit spending, Conrad bickers for self vs country, ear marks of Reid, extending unemployment discouraged people, unelected commission of Simpson, CEO’s 47 pages for less regs taxes spending de...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 18, 2012 Jay Connor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished this book just before the election.

Having read most of Woodward's books beginning with "All the President's Men," it is fairly easy to deconstruct how he gets to the last page. His style is kinda TMZ meets Face the Nation. You are often as caught up in identifying his sources as you are in the main story. Going all the way back to Deep Throat, once you can identify the source you can identify the motivation.

Said another way, Woodward is as concerned about keeping his sources talking...more

like 1 like · see review

Nov 11, 2012 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics

I've never really been one to purchase books on modern day politics, but I stumbled upon mention of The Price of Politics (TPoP) in a Wall Street Journal article and decided to give it a try. In this book, we obtain a picture of the first three years of the Obama Presidency, including the Obamacare and Debt Ceiling negotiations. What Mr. Woodward has accomplished here is a highly readable work that should be reviewed by any American voter who wants a picture of our current political atmosphere--...more

like 1 like · see review

Nov 07, 2012 Adam Mahlum rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Bob Woodward can flat out write. Who knew that a 380 page book about failed number crunching could be such a white knuckle, edge of your seat thriller. The book is about the failed debt ceiling negotiations of 2011 that almost caused America to go over a fiscal cliff. Woodward does a good job of relaying the complexity of the politics and in the process shows how lackluster many of our leaders (including President Obama and Speaker of the House Boehner) were at negotiations. Ironically enough, t...more

like 1 like · see review

Nov 02, 2012 Frank Stein rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another great glimpse inside Washington politics by the doyen of Washington journalists. This time Woodward focuses on the labyrinthine debates over raising the debt-ceiling in 2011.

The first takeaway here is that Obama doesn't come off well. Woodward starts the book with an anecdote from a Washington Gridiron press dinner that seems to show Obama at his slickest and most substanceless, and that tone carries throughout. Not that anyone comes off like a saint, but Obama seems largely like a well-...more
Another great glimpse inside Washington politics by the doyen of Washington journalists. This time Woodward focuses on the labyrinthine debates over raising the debt-ceiling in 2011.

The first takeaway here is that Obama doesn't come off well. Woodward starts the book with an anecdote from a Washington Gridiron press dinner that seems to show Obama at his slickest and most substanceless, and that tone carries throughout. Not that anyone comes off like a saint, but Obama seems largely like a well-intentioned and charismatic naif, who doesn't understand how to run his office or negotiate. Boehner complained after the debt-ceiling negotiations that "Nobody is in charge" at the White House and even Obama's own Rahm Emanuel, the man, Woodward notes, who was supposed to be in charge, screamed earlier that "Our internal process is a fucking debating society." Congressional leaders on both sides rued how they were constantly dragged to the White House for unproductive discussion and debate sessions when most previous congressional negotiations were carried out in small groups or by staff over the phone. It seems as if Obama's sincere hope for understanding through dialogue didn't work well when negotiating trillion dollar deals.

Also, as Woodward notes, Rahm's statement about the Republicans in the stimulus debate, including "We've got the votes. Fuck 'em," exemplified the White House's attitudes toward Republicans in Congress, and this didn't serve them well when they captured the House. Obama's team had so little contact with the House Republicans that they didn't even have Boehner's phone number so they could call him after the election and make the traditional congratulations. They had to ask a friend of a friend.

Overall, Woodward tries to be even-handed about the ideological background of the debt-ceiling discussion, and he doesn't point fingers as to why it broke down, except to show that there simply was an ideological gulf between the two sides. Still, one takeaway here is that the administration's lack of contact with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress made it difficult to cement a deal. He cites the time when the President called Reid and Pelosi to discuss the stimulus they were writing in 2009, and he speechified so long that they put him on mute so they could get work done. It seems like the President and his staff simply didn't know how to deal with legislators, which is especially odd considering that one of Obama's advantages coming into office was that he spent so much time in legislatures and supposedly knew how to negotiate. Unflattering comparisons between Obama's out-of-touch staff and Clinton or Reagan's congressional liaisons, who were known for prowling the halls to round up every last vote, are legion. In the end, the debt-ceiling deal was achieved only when Boehner, Reid and others left to negotiate on their own.

There's plenty of both on and off the record stuff here, as is typical for Woodward books, and obviously he talked to everybody involved. What surprised me more though, and I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else, is that Woodward seems to have gotten written transcripts or even recordings of many meetings between Obama and the Congressional leaders. Example, at one point he quotes Obama saying "and we could use the revenue to offset extension [of the] payroll tax holiday," with the brackets. Now, typically, in writing second-hand reported dialogue one doesn't bother to add prepositions or other bagatelles, because they're reconstructed anyway, but there are a bunch of points where Woodward does so. Even the structure of the dialogues, convoluted and complicated and often filled with non sequitors, seems to indicate that nobody could remember the precise details enough to report them like this. Not to speculate too much, but getting a hold of these transcripts may have even inspired Woodward to delve into the otherwise undramatic world of budget politics.

In any case, this book, like so many of his others, and despite the minutiae and tedium, is a must read for understanding how Washington works today. It isn't pretty.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 29, 2012 Benni rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You've probably heard about the comparisons between lawmaking and sausage making. If you think you've got the stomach to handle it, this book sheds light on how deals get made (or not made) on Capitol Hill.

Woodward details the negotiations during the debt crisis of 2011, and how we barely managed to avert default. While there's a 2-3 page commentary at the conclusion of the book and a few observations throughout, this book is mostly fact-driven; thankfully, this isn't another liberal or conserv...more

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 21, 2012 Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics, audiobooks

To review this book a reviewer has to separate out the writing from the characters: Woodward again does a magnificent job of getting the key players to tell him their thoughts, motivations and actions creating another amazingly inside perspective, but the characters, perhaps even more so that his Watergate books, are incompetent and badly flawed. The temptation is to rate this book on the character’s actions; however Woodward, unlike a novelist, had no control over that aspect.

The majority of th...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Jerry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics

An even handed account of the less that satisfactory workings of the White House and Congress dealing with economic and debt problems during the Obama term. I was left with the impression that there was failure on both sides, White House and Congress. But the buck stops at the Oval Office.

Obama promised bipartisanship, but then let the Democrat leadership in Congress bulldoze through the stimulus bill and ObamaCare ignoring all input from the Republicans.
Regarding the $800 billion stimulus bil...more An even handed account of the less that satisfactory workings of the White House and Congress dealing with economic and debt problems during the Obama term. I was left with the impression that there was failure on both sides, White House and Congress. But the buck stops at the Oval Office.

Obama promised bipartisanship, but then let the Democrat leadership in Congress bulldoze through the stimulus bill and ObamaCare ignoring all input from the Republicans.
Regarding the $800 billion stimulus bill: “The bill was drafted by the Democrats and whenever any Republican tried to make changes, Emanuel's response was, more often that not, 'We have the votes, F--- 'em.'” The one Republican, Joseph Cao, who had stated his intent to vote for the bill, changed his mind when he learned that his district would only get 20% of the funds of the average district. All 177 House Republicans voted against it.

Sam Palmisano, CEO of IBM was representative of business leaders who were largely ignored by the administration. “Palmisano believed the Obama White House had a bigger problem. Obama had no chief operating officer, no COO to implement decisions. He had people like Emanual whose primary focus was Congress. And Obama had Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod but they were advisers, and in Palmisano's view 'political hacks' and 'B or C players' who did not know how to get serious about fixing problems and following through. There was no implementer. Thus the country was adrift and was not serious about its most fixable problem – becoming and staying competitive.”

Boehner, speaking about the White House, after the failure to reach a grand deal:
“There was no outreach when we were in the minority. These is no outreach in a majority. You look at both Bush administrations, Clinton's administration, they had a congressional affairs team that was plugged in keeping people up to date. No outreach. Go talk to the Democrats. Because they get treated the same way. There's no outreach. The place [White House] is dysfunctional. I don't know whether it's him or it's him versus his staff or whoever's calling the shots. You've got a bunch of people down there, well-meaning people, who have never done anything. Never run anything. Organizational structure. When you don't know what you don't know, it gets you in big trouble.”

Obama, concerning the failure to reach a grand deal with Speaker Boehner, ever ready to blame someone else: “I could have done a deal with Bob Dole. I could have even done a deal with Newt Gingrich.” They had more control of their caucus. (less)

like 1 like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 Andrew McBurney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would really like to give this book a better review. It was based on dozens of interviews of the participants, is well-written, and reveals certain facts that haven't really come out before -- at least, not in a way that presents them as part of a whole picture. The treatment of both Democrats and Republicans seems even-handed, and I even find my respect increasing for several of the Republicans, including Representatives Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan, and Speaker Boehner, who came out of the debt...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 15, 2012 Phillip rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was "okay." I always take his books for what they are worth -- well-sourced political gossip. They may be 100% true or not. Overall, it bogs down in the last 1/3 because it is just back-and-forth negotiations between President Obama and congressional leaders. I got a bit lost in some of the financial minutiae because it's not my forte (I'm not a Medicaid expert by any means ... I always get lost in talk of "provider payments").

President Obama comes across as having a disorganized White House...more

like 2 likes · see review

Sep 13, 2012 Jorge rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics-economics

The Price of Politics by Bob Woodward

"The Price of Politics" is an even-handed book about the handling of the economic crisis under the Obama administration. It examines the struggle between President Obama and the U.S. Congress to manage federal spending and tax policy during his tenure. Associate editor at the Washington Post for 41 years and author extraordinaire, Bob Woodward has provided the reader with a forthright, blunt examination of this administration's handling of the economy. This i...more

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Holly Morrow added it · review of another edition

Woodward’s new book is his usual fly-on-the-wall insider account, this time about the Obama administration’s deliberations with Congress over the stimulus, Obamacare, and most centrally, the debt-ceiling fiasco. I would not be surprised if this ends up being taught in PoliSci 101 classes – it’s a very, very detailed look at the way sausage is made in Washington, and the total dysfunction that our system has fallen into.

Who comes out looking good in this book? Noone. Actually – I take that back...more Woodward’s new book is his usual fly-on-the-wall insider account, this time about the Obama administration’s deliberations with Congress over the stimulus, Obamacare, and most centrally, the debt-ceiling fiasco. I would not be surprised if this ends up being taught in PoliSci 101 classes – it’s a very, very detailed look at the way sausage is made in Washington, and the total dysfunction that our system has fallen into.

Who comes out looking good in this book? Noone. Actually – I take that back – oddly, Joe Biden does. I finally understand his role in the Administration. Joey B is an old school Washington type, which I mean here as a compliment. Not hyper-partisan, hes a deal-maker and compromiser, who, rather than getting locked into fixed ideological positions, is looking for the mutually-agreeable solution where the pain and the benefits are equally distributed. Within the White House, he is called “the McConnell whisperer,” and amazingly, he and Cantor had a great and very constructive working relationship through these negotiations. Actually, the whole book got me thinking about how unhelpful the current vogue for “outsiders” who “hate Washington” is – what Washington needs is people who love Washington. We’ve now had two Presidents (Bush and Obama) who disdain politics and consider it beneath them, and I think the country is worse for it. I was thinking about this during Clinton’s DNC speech as well – there is a man who loves politics, enjoys it. And you get better outcomes with people like that, because those are the people who relish rolling up their sleeves and getting things done, not just spewing talking points and feeling good about their ideological purity.

Anyway, back to “The Price of Politics” – the main characters are Obama, Biden, Boehner, Cantor, Pelosi, Reid, and the White House team negotiating the debt ceiling deal. The entire problem boils down to one thing – Rs and Ds aren’t coming to these negotiations thinking about what needs to be done, whats the right solution, whats good for the country. They’re thinking about their fixed positions (Rs = no taxes, ever), their bases (Ds = don’t touch Medicare), and who is going to come out looking like a winner. And that’s not even including some of the other cats and dogs in Congress – the guys with defense contractors in their district who won’t agree to defense cuts, the guys from farm states who see nothing wrong with bloated agriculture subsidies, the wingnuts who think that default would be “cleansing” for the country. Another thing the book makes clear – in today’s context, you cant be both an anti-tax ideologue AND a deficit hawk. You can be one but not the other.

And because they cant do everything (a grand bargain), they don’t do anything. So, for example, while Ds identify billions in Medicare cuts theyd be willing to make, they wont enact them until Rs agree to tax increases. Part of me understands this – you don’t unilaterally disarm and give up leverage in a negotiation, but part of me says – if it’s the right thing to do, do it! Don’t worry about what the other side is doing!

This was known at the time, but Boehner and Obama came 98% of the way to a really good deal over the debt ceiling crisis – basically entitlement cuts for tax increases. The deal was on the table, and the country would be better if it had gone through. A big part of the problem was how disconnected both men were from their parties – Boehner (another old school, cigarette-smoking, wine-drinking country club pol) doesn’t have the support of the rabid Tea Party wing of the House Republicans, and Obama doesn’t even bother consulting with Reid and Pelosi for the most part. And hell hath no fury like a snubbed Congressman! One of the interesting things is how cordial and for the most part constructive the negotiations were. Which gets at another problem - these guys leave a meeting where they’re chumming around and trading scalps, and then hold press conferences where they disembowel one another – and it makes their constituents and the less senior members of Congress who aren’t prvy to the negotiations more hateful, more partisan, and less willing to compromise and to understand that compromise is a necessary and not shameful part of governing in a country that is basically divided down the middle. Particularly for Tea Party republicans, a deal that satisfies both sides, or hurts equally, isn’t enough – they want Obama humiliated, destroyed.

Well, we all know how it turns out – Simpson-Bowles isn’t adopted, the Boehner/Obama deal falls apart, the Super Committee whiffs, and we end up with sequestration looming over our heads, and the promise of another debacle the next time the debt ceiling gets increased. Oh, and the deficit continues its merry march upwards. In other words, America gets screwed!

You will have to wade through some complex and extremely detailed minutiae on the budget to get through this book, but “The Price of Politics,” I have to admit, is a really, really good and informative look at how things get done (or don’t) in Washington.
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Sep 27, 2012 DougInNC rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the civics textbook for our time! Every voter who wants to understand how Washington is working (or is not) should definitely read this Bob Woodward compilation centered around the debt ceiling negotiations of 2011 as well as the personalities and procedures in play.

Detailed and name-dropping, it brings you into the crazy world where D.C. debates policy and funding as though they really matter (yes, they truly do!) then acts (must act?) according to the vote tallies they can muster from...more

like 2 likes · see review

Nov 15, 2012 Scott Zuke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

It's a book about fiscal negotiations, so yes, it gets tedious even with Woodward's characteristically easy to read style. Nevertheless, it's an important read for anyone gearing up for the Fiscal Cliff negotiations. The main reason to recommend this book is to gain insight into the key players in Congress and at the White House, especially since the main cast was virtually unchanged by the 2012 Election. Boehner and Cantor especially come off more sympathetically than they did in most media acc...more It's a book about fiscal negotiations, so yes, it gets tedious even with Woodward's characteristically easy to read style. Nevertheless, it's an important read for anyone gearing up for the Fiscal Cliff negotiations. The main reason to recommend this book is to gain insight into the key players in Congress and at the White House, especially since the main cast was virtually unchanged by the 2012 Election. Boehner and Cantor especially come off more sympathetically than they did in most media accounts at the time. Yes, they frequently lied about their activities to the public, but at least this in-depth account gives them a chance to explain their strategies and the limitations of their positions in the negotiation process.

A key player always standing off screen is the group of freshman Tea Party congressmen in the House who, despite the shortcomings displayed by Obama and Boehner, are the real culprit in the debacle. The book's title refers to the political restraints that kept Congress and the White House from coming to an agreement that accomplished much of anything of value to the American people. Woodward does his best to show the impossibility of navigating around each side's redlines, but he refrains from passing judgement on whether those redlines were sensible to begin with. To me, it all comes down to the fact that raising the debt ceiling is a routine procedure that does not, in and of itself, increase the nation's debt. So it's wrong to conclude that this showdown was unavoidable. It was a crisis consciously--and recklessly--chosen by the extreme right wing of the Republican party, and so the bulk of the blame must rest on their shoulders.

And lest one make the error of thinking the GOP was simply fighting for its principles, not just political advantage, this quote, repeated a couple times in different formulations, stands out as a sickening explanation for why none of this was allowed to be resolved earlier, and why we're already staring down the Fiscal Cliff before President Obama even begins his second term:

"…There were very prominent Republicans in the caucus who told me—to my face—that the view in the caucus was that getting a deal with me would ensure my reelection. Very reliable and prominent Republicans say to me, the view among many in our caucus is if we give you a deal, you have taken a major issue away from us. You are seen as the bipartisan leader, and you are a lock for reelection." -President Obama(less)

like 1 like · see review

Mar 11, 2013 Michael Locklear rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

If you plan to read "The Price of Politics" have several pencils, a couple of legal pads and a calculator that can crunch large figures nearby. I just can't seem to grasp the numbers (hundreds of billions or the trillions)thrown around in this book. I usually enjoy reading books about the inter-workings of our government - current and past. But this one, not as much.
The author, Bob Woodward sums up his conclusion in these paragraphs (some of which I question):
'The monster federal debt and ann...more

like · see review

Sep 20, 2012 Bobbi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Woodward does a surprisingly evenhanded assessment of the current administration and Congress during the recent debt ceiling crisis. I've read many of his other books and always felt his bias was obvious. Not in this book. He seems extremely concerned by the lack of leadership, the arrogance and the Chicago style politics that was being practiced by the White House. On the other hand, he also seems surprised by the lack of leadership from some in the House and Senate, while noting that many of t...more

like 2 likes · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Monnie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hate politics. There, I've said it. A registered Republican (following in the footsteps of my late parents) much of my life, I switched to Democrat several years ago simply because I wanted to vote for a friend in the primary election who was running for office in the city where I lived at the time. Since then, I stayed that way - but only because in this neck of the woods, primary elections aren't much fun since hardly anybody ever runs on the Republican ticket.

In any event, however, at no ti...more

like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 thewanderingjew rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book begins with a description of a dinner speech by then Senator Barack Obama, at a “right of passage” dinner for politicians, in 2006. In a self-deprecating manner, the handsome, smiling man delivers a speech essentially describing himself as an “empty suit”. The media and the politicians immediately fall in love. This love affair continues through his Presidential campaign in 2008, essentially helping elect this naïve and inexperienced “empty suit”, to the highest office in the land. This...more The book begins with a description of a dinner speech by then Senator Barack Obama, at a “right of passage” dinner for politicians, in 2006. In a self-deprecating manner, the handsome, smiling man delivers a speech essentially describing himself as an “empty suit”. The media and the politicians immediately fall in love. This love affair continues through his Presidential campaign in 2008, essentially helping elect this naïve and inexperienced “empty suit”, to the highest office in the land. This love affair has continued today.
The government is truly broken. Woodward takes us to meeting after meeting in the White House and halls of Congress and we witness a complete breakdown of our political system. Each group vies for position and power, putting one or another on the offensive so the work of the moment is never accomplished in a timely fashion but is maneuvered into position for the future benefit of the party or the elected official, be it a Senator, Representative or even the President. I think dysfunction is a rather benign description of what is taking place. Disastrous is a more accurate description.
When Obama moved into the White House, he brought with him inexperienced advisors and created a rather chaotic environment in which foul language and rising tempers were the norm. He brought Chicago politics into the White House and with it the demise of the gentlemanly way business used to be done. It may not have always worked, but it was civilized and things did get accomplished. Although Obama remained above the fray most of the time, protected by his cohorts, civility was often in short supply elsewhere in his White House. Trust between the different negotiators disappeared from the picture, and an all too eager media, acting on leaks that were put out to gain political advantage rather than solve the problem, was happy to stir the mix and create issues where sometimes there were none, essentially, causing the failure in the system to become even broader.
When Obama’s economic consultants came to him with budget recommendations for 2010, they were filled with gimmicks, their word, rather than actual fixes for the problems, and Obama went along with it thinking it was a game so he might as well play along. Orszag, Summers and Geithner, were scholars, ill prepared to play any political game, but they sure were prepared to play the games that would pull the wool over the eyes of the public, in the interest of the party, rather than all of the people. Every action, they and others took, was designed with a political motive at its heart, rather than a humanitarian or economic driver. Their methods escalated the divisions between the parties and caused more strife than necessary in the negotiations for the budget and all other issues. The widespread theme seemed to be my way or the highway and Obama believed in his omnipotence and ability to prevail. Obama’s administration was not the transparent administration he had claimed it would be; it was an administration of obfuscation, misdirection and propaganda dissemination. Obama doesn’t reach out, he acts alone, seems to play all ends against the middle and is overly confident in his own power. Neither he nor any member of his team could accept failure, so they artfully and expertly created artificial successes.
They were all playing a game of tit for tat, each trying to take advantage of the other. The GOP couldn’t do much on the tax front even though it was necessary, because their constituency and party would not abide any major changes that would increase taxes. The Progressives would not move on entitlement spending, even though they knew that it was the major cause of the problems, because their constituency and party would loudly object. Obama and his advisers often presented one face to one group, and another to the next, depending on their particular agenda, so the idea of trusting what was said or offered as a plan, quickly evaporated into thin air. If they abused the truth and were so adept at spinning a story to protect themselves and the party, what could be believed?
Who was the real Barack Obama? It was impossible to know who was in charge! There was simply too much in fighting and back stabbing. The GOP could not fight that kind of a machine. They were blindsided by the very nature of the fight. It was very underhanded, and it was a new game they had not played before in such a manipulative way. Who committed the greatest sins in all the conversations about health care, deficit reduction, the debt ceiling, budget discussions, entitlement and tax reform, is simply not important. What is important is that the system broke down because of these new tactics and it ceased to operate properly any longer. Compromise meant pulling the wool over the other guy’s eyes in order to get the upper hand. When using words as weapons, the message often became garbled. Hardliners blocked progress, and the hypocrites said whatever they wanted to achieve their own ends. The larger picture got compromised in petty party politics. They were all winging it because the playing field had altered and the GOP did not have the new rules. No one seemed to be doing what was expected of them, since no one knew what to do! There were power plays between the chiefs of staff, between Pelosi and Reid and Obama, Obama and Boehner, Cantor and Boehner, Lew and Geithner, Orszag and Summers, etc. Everyone wanted something, but it seemed that whatever the Democrats offered, to further the process, they quickly took off the table the next day, therefore raising the bar and setting the process back. When agreements were reached, both parties had to devise manipulative deceptive ways to present it, to please their cohorts. Party hacks that disagreed with the plans, manipulated from the inside, and leaks were given to the media to throw in a monkey wrench. No wonder nothing got done. Obama had brought change to the White House but it did not seem to be working out that well because of the gutter politics that also came with him.
Our representatives have lost their perspective. Instead of working to solve the problems of the people, they work to create stopgap measures simply to postpone the inevitable failure of their negotiations and preserve and secure their own positions and the positions of the party they represent, for the moment, and for future elections.
President Obama often says one thing and means another, playing with his words, saying what the person he is addressing wants to hear and then going on to say something else, about the same issue, to someone else, telling them what they want to hear. He covers all his bases and straddles the fence, trying to please everyone and as a result, pleases none of the people negotiating. The picture painted of him and his staff by the media is vastly different than the one painted by Woodward. Yes, he is cool and calm, most times, yes he can lose his temper and his anger is palpable, yes he is impressed with his own power and confident that he can save the day like a superhero, but now, he cannot do this, he needs the cooperation of the rest of the government. He is not a despot. His associates are all power hungry. They maneuver all the players on the board without real honesty and communication. No one seems to really say what is on their minds. There is no give and take. All the players are positioned to get as much as they can, rather than to solve the problem at hand. I am not saying that Congress is better, but the White House is in charge and is in the position of the utmost power and the one at the risk of abusing it the most. If the blame game and damage control have become the most important jobs of our government officials, is it any wonder we are no longer working to the best of our ability?
The infighting is distracting and destructive, the constant leaks are threatening the process, the rumors running around the White House and the Congress intimidate the parties involved and there is a rush to judgment which is often incorrect and nonconstructive, the media fans the flames and rather than cover the reality, they cover sound bites for ratings, sound bites that are not beneficial, nor are they moving the country into a better position, but instead, the media is bullying each and all, waiting for gotcha moments, not waiting to keep the public better informed, as they did once upon a time.
The negotiations were really about only a few things of which two were revenue and entitlements. After the health care bill conundrum was jammed through in a very unorthodox manner, the fiscal cliff facing America loomed larger. The Democrats were concerned about taking money from the rich and giving it away to the poor, with entitlements and at higher rates of taxation for the rich (but who gets to define rich?), and the Republicans were concerned about making sure the people who work hard for their money, taking all the risks in business, can keep the bulk of it. They were not opposed to revenue, regarding tax reform, but their idea of paying one’s fair share, meant not only for the very rich. They believed everyone needed skin in the game to have a stake in it and care about the outcome while the Democrats were enamored with the idea of redistribution because it bought them a larger constituency and more votes. Who is opposed to getting something for nothing? Once these ill gotten gains are received, who will give them back? They have a very clever and successful approach for garnering votes, but it may very well destroy the country as we know it, or rather, as we used to know it.
The Democrats have more control over their party; they vote more as a block and can be counted on, even when they disagree with the plan. The Republicans are defined as being in disarray because they do not have that consistency, and yet, I think I would rather have a representative who thinks for himself and is not a rubber stamp, especially when there is disagreement. It is important to come to a consensus, though, on policy, and the GOP is having a tougher time. They represent a different constituency. Most of their voters are not in favor of a nanny state with socialist principles, but they are the ones being asked to kick in for those who do believe in that. It is a conundrum, perhaps a challenge that cannot be met.
All the negotiators seem to be concerned with grabbing the spotlight first, protecting their bosses, and winning, not necessarily solving the problems. Woodward highlights certain people as sincere in their desire to solve the problems, as well as those that were constantly throwing in a monkey wrench to derail the process. Part of the problem, to me, seemed to be that these elected officials delegated too much responsibility to others, so they were never fully aware of the entire process, and by its very nature, the process kept them blindsided anyway, so it was really important for them to be fully informed. They relied on others to explain the procedure which was fine, but then they didn’t involve themselves in the whole process completely, so they were inclined to go off in tangential directions, making incorrect assumptions and completely derailing whatever progress had been made. Sadly, honesty was not a component of this process, or this really would not have been the case. No one wanted to put anything on paper, no one wanted to commit and give the other party any advantage, so the game goes round and round in circles and there is never any safe exit point.

The President either delegates too much or seems to take on too much, assuming he has more power than he does, and therefore he comes into conflict with the other branches of the government, but his administration is adept at finding ways around all obstacles. Their ranks are, after all, filled with many lawyers and professorial types who do not know how to work the halls of Congress or the government, but they do know how to get around corners and contest the ways we normally operate. They know how to create success from failure and seem to be doing a good job of it.
The book is repetitive by the very nature of the dysfunction we witness, but it is very easy to read. It clearly illustrated that nothing much ever seems to really get done. Infighting, backstabbing, backroom deals, clandestine meetings, each working against the efforts of the other, is a recipe for failure. There is enough blame to go all around, but the consensus is that the atmosphere in this White House has changed with this Presidency. There is a presumption of too much power in certain places, even rising to the very pinnacle. There is a sense of arrogance and perhaps, even thuggery, at times. Foul language and bad tempers seem to be the mainstay of many of the participants. The sense of the give and take of the old days is no longer in evidence. Rather, the sense of omnipotence is pervasive, (which may have germinated at the time that Obama first uttered the words, “I won” and then continued to threaten to go it alone), and although one would surely hope that at some point these officials would wake up and stop considering political advantage and power, and instead, consider the future of the country and the American people, we seem to continue our fast slide into oblivion and lowered credit ratings.

(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 26, 2012 Mike Horton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First, I get it: Woodward has won more awards for his journalism than most writers know exist, and he probably has earned each and every one. He didn't do it here. This entire book felt very Dickensian, meaning that it seemed as if he were being paid by the page. Woodward can command his price for a book, especially one whose topic and insight can prove especially scandalous. Had he edited somewhere between 75-150 pages from the final version, this book would have been fantastic. Instead, it fel...more

like · see review

Oct 10, 2012 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, I have been trying to hold off commenting on this book until I finished. I'm done.

As for the book itself, it is a difficult read. The subject is incredibly complex. It went back and forth and back and forth for ages and Woodward retells most of the meetings and details from multiple viewpoints. It makes for an exhausting read.

As for the topic, Woodward did elicit a small moment or two of sympathy for Boehner, who he detailed as an old-fashioned Country Club Republican faced with a rather lar...more

like 2 likes · see review

Sep 20, 2012 Manny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unbelievable; Absolutely unbelievable. This book covers the mind-numbing collusion by both parties to come to some agreement on spending. The content of this book tears the covers off of the stalemate in D.C. today. Bob Woodward has a reputation for being a straight shooter although, this is my first book by him.

Throughout this daunting read, words like (B)illions and (T)rillions were being thrown around as if there were talking about Monopoly money, sadly that statement is very much NOT and ex...more

like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Joseph Serwach rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you wanted to know exactly how the 2012-13 Fiscal Cliff negotiations would have played out and how subsequent deals are likely to go between now and 2015, simply read Bob Woodward's "The Price of Politics.''

Woodward is able to do what few journalists can: have warm relations allowing him to get a good understanding of the major players in Washington today. He's also one of the few journalists and perhaps one of the few Americans able to see and understand both sides without reporting a story...more

like 1 like · see review

Oct 07, 2012 Sagar Jethani rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finance, history

In "The Price of Politics", Bob Woodward presents a blow-by-blow account of the negotiations which precipitated the debt ceiling crisis of 2011. Woodward shows how the image of an unreasonable Republican caucus led by the Tea Party does not accurately describe why negotiations fell apart. Even figures as deeply partisan as Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell are shown as figures willing to work in partnership with the administration-- if only behind closed doors, away from the cameras.

The reason the...more In "The Price of Politics", Bob Woodward presents a blow-by-blow account of the negotiations which precipitated the debt ceiling crisis of 2011. Woodward shows how the image of an unreasonable Republican caucus led by the Tea Party does not accurately describe why negotiations fell apart. Even figures as deeply partisan as Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell are shown as figures willing to work in partnership with the administration-- if only behind closed doors, away from the cameras.

The reason the economy nearly fell off the fiscal cliff was because of a lack of leadership from the Obama White House. Unversed with the realities of managing complex negotiations, Obama assumed that his endless rounds of private meetings with John Boehner, accompanied with copious amounts of Merlot, cigarettes, and Nicorette, would generate sufficient bonhomie to enable fruitful dialogue. When it came to the crucial moments of actually hashing-out a deal, however, the president offloaded the work to staffers, who were not empowered to make decisions. Members of both the Republican and Democratic sides have gone on record to attest to the dysfunctional nature of the White House.

Woodward shows how the much-observed conflict between Obama and the Tea Party was really a politically-expedient cover story to mask a deeper divide: that between Obama and Congress. The gulf which separated Obama from the likes of John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and Eric Cantor was comparable to the one which separated him from his own party leaders on the Hill-- chiefly Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Pelosi and Reid were deeply disappointed in Obama's amateur performance as president, and took pains to pointedly express their dissatisfaction.

Historians will one day portray Obama as Technocrat-in-Chief: someone who delights in philosophical debates about policy, while delegating the actual work of hashing out agreements down the political food chain. His presidency is defined by his insecurities, which have led him to make disastrous appointments, including Timothy Geithner, Rahm Emanuel, and Larry Summers. These yes-men shadow-managed Obama in a manner reminiscent of Ronald Reagan's political lieutenants.

The conclusion reached by Woodward are succinct:

"It is a fact that President Obama was handed a miserable, faltering economy and faced a recalcitrant Republican opposition.

But presidents work their will-- or should work their will-- on the important matters of national business. There is occasional discussion in this book about Presidents Reagan and Clinton, what they did or would have done. Open as both are to serious criticism, they nonetheless largely worked their will.

Obama has not."
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Nov 05, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Bob Woodward's books give you an inside look to the day to day operations within our government. There are always fascinating, but you never feel better about your country after reading one of his books. I always believed that teen-aged girls were the cattiest group in our culture...I now know they are the second cattiest group in our culture...politicians have taken over the lead.

"I can go it alone." "The polls are pretty good for me right now." "Elections have consequences. And, Eric, I won."...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 16, 2013 Brett rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Starts out a bit slowly, but ultimately becomes thoroughly engrossing. Set during Obama's first term in what is described as a financial Cuban Missile Crisis, Woodward has assembled an extremely bipartisan account of how government works, or doesn't work, when face-to-face with disaster.

I suspect the book will be a great read for those people who want to learn more about how the Legislative and Executive branches check each other, as our founders intended, while also illustrating how they must...more

like · see review

title link	preview: The Price of Politics
avg rating	preview: The Price of Politics Goodreads rating: 3.57 (926 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15801026-the-price-of-politics?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347606843l/15801026.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15801026-the-price-of-politics?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Price of Politics by Bob Woodward[/url]

The Price of Politics

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (6)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Bob Woodward

Books by Bob Woodward

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Price of Poli...