Power Game: How Washington Works

by Hedrick Smith

Pulitzer Prize winner Hedrick Smith goes inside America's power center in Washington, DC to reveal how the game of governing was played in the 1980s.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, American History, Political Science, Public Policy, The United States Of America

793 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Hedrick Smith is a journalist who has been a reporter and editor for The New York Times, a producer/correspondent for the PBS show Frontline, and author of several books.

Reviews

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating study, a response to C. Wright Mills', the Power Elite, on the way in which the levers of power shifted during the Reagan years from the institutional to the much more fluid and media-driven 'rhetorical'. A must read.

[Chris Gleck]

This book was copyrighted in 1988 and my paperback version was printed in 1989. I'm sure I picked up a used copy due to my interest in the topic. This was comprehensive treatment (700+ pages!), thoroughly researched and well written. Smith was a Washington reporter for the New York Times for 25 years, forming the basis of this book. As I was reading this book I kept thinking this would make an excellent text for a college course on how Washington works. With that said, it was a bit of a slog to get through - nearly two months reading time (excluding 3 weeks of vacation during that time). And of course it is somewhat dated by now with its examples and anecdotes although most of it still is relevant. I also couldn't help but wonder what the author (who is still alive) thinks about the current status in Washington. Plus many of his proposed solutions to the problems would scare me to death under the current president had they been implemented. For better or worse, our politics of the past 25+ years hasn't been about reforms and making things work better. I will be recycling this old style paperback.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about politics in a specific time period (The Reagan presidency). But it doesn't feel dated at all. Smith uses examples that were comtemporary to him to illustrate principles that are still vital in today's political world. I learned more about the dynamics of American politics from this book than from some entire classes. A great read.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this book three times over the years. Once it was required reading in my Congress and the President course during my undergraduate work. Once I read it on my own, and most recently I referred back to it as I prepare for the Spring semester of 2015 as a college government teacher.

I find Smith's work to still be relevant and a compelling read.

[Wade McReynolds]

Dated, with lots of inside-baseball crap about the Reagan administration. Too long. The author is depressingly complacent about the sleaziness of national politics, and it doesn't help that he doesn't have much sense of humor about it, either.

[Michael Rushnak]

Powerbrokers rule. Be one or lose if you're in the political arena! As they say, it's not beanball.

[Frank Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some senses this book is a testimony to how much more aware and sophisticated Americans are about politics since this was written in 1989. It aims at savvy readers but feels the need to tell them what "inside the Beltway" means, and that "in the loop" means to be aware.

At it's best the books offers insightful looks by a long-time Washington correspondent on Washington power-players that have since been forgotten, such as the Democratic millionaire Ohio Senator Howard Metzenbaum, who was said to embody "porcupine politics" who used his generally ornery behavior to win fights on special giveaways (Senator Ed Muskie was said to be a master of this too, never leaving negotiating rooms, smoking terrible cigars in small rooms, and thus winning conference committees). One could add some of the anonymous staffers who shaped history, sch as Stephen Bell, the budget committee chief of staff who revived the idea of "reconciliation" to push Reagan's budget plan. Or it describes dramas that have faded with time, such as Rockwell International's attempt to override Carter's decision in 1977 against B-1 production, which nearly won in Congress (it won over such doves as California Senator Alan Cranston since the prime contractor was based in his state and got revived by Reagan). Or issues that have faded with time, such as the power of the franking privilege, which hit almost 1 billion pieces of mail and $100 million in costs in 1984, more than double what it was in 1980. Some subjects have increased in interest with time. In 1981 when Strom Thurmond became head of the Senate Judiciary, Joe Biden went to him with a draft crime bill and asked him to become its main sponsor and then hammered out final details until late one night before the final Senate vote. It mentions that Thurmond speaks with Biden with the affection of a father for his son. Chris Matthews, then just a Tip O'Neil staffer, is a prominent and often funny explainer ("The problem with Washington is it's all an input town... You can't measure outputs." He was not talking about government programs but about the need to appear busy.)

At it's most tedious it either rehashes political bromides (explaining how power depends on access to the powerful) or recounts the innumerable power plays inside the Reagan administration, that are often discussed elsewhere chronologically, but here are discussed as examples of such bromides (SecDef Caspar Weinberger had long been under SecState George Schultz, during the Nixon's OMB and later at Betchel, and they both worked for access to the President, surprisingly often for the diplomatic Schultz to push for force as a means of diplomacy.) It's overlong, but will remain an important look at the Reagan years, if not an impressive work of political theorizing or investigation.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an undergrad in Washington, D.C., I had many experiences working in the game Smith describes throughout his lengthy examination of Swampy Politics. Smith is spot-on. Too often politics is told from one point of view or another, or else looking at politics through a historical lens. None of that is here, Smith only concerns himself with political strategies and relationships that have worked and not worked over the years, specifically the late 70's-80's. Smith will provide great analysis of individual Congressmember's behavior, relationships, constituents, and own personal philosophies and how they work in the grand scheme of Washington. It's an interesting read.

My qualms come not from the content or style of Smith's writing, but more the irrelevance of his observations today. It simply isn't worth reading appx. 700 pages of Washington politics taking place in the 80's in today's world. Many tactics and lessons applicable back then have changed and would be totally ineffective in modern day. The most outdated of Smith's observations is the downplaying of partisanship and the effect of the media. Those are two forces that are incredibly strong in modern politics, and they don't have much of a presence in Smith's book.

Smith is a great writer, and should he have written this kind of book today, it would absolutely be worth reading. As it is, though, this book is largely something to skim or else read if you would like some really niche history lessons.

[Z-12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars + Excellent !!! I Loved it !!! The author came to Washington in 1962 and ends in 1988 (no mention is made of #41). This is an excellent book to help the reader understand the foundation to the current, pre-24/7 news cycle, zero sum game of politics. Well written and lays out many areas of natural conflict, dysfunction and the processes that both create stability and frustration. For the younger readers this is ancient (but interesting) history. For the more seasoned, who may remember those times, this will bring back memories of that period. I found this to be fair and well researched. Many of the interviews done by the author himself. EXCELLENT !!! If you are interested buy a cheap copy for yourself and enjoy !!

[Ali Nourbakhsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

اینجا کتاب بازی قدرت از رابرت گرین اضافه نشده به ناچار کتابی شبیه به اون رو ادد کردم و نظرم رو می‌نویسم. کتاب بازی قدرت از رابرت گرین رو حتما بخونید یکی از مفیدترین کتاب‌هاییه که می‌تونید مطالعه کنید، حالو هوای متفاوتی نسبت به ۴۸ قانون و... داره اما مطالب جالبی رو ارائه می‌ده. رابرت گرین قلم پرباری داره و روان می‌نویسه برای همین می‌شه خیلی سریع خوند کتاب‌هاشو و لذت برد.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the fundamental books on the inner workings of Washington, it makes for fascinating reading.

Either edition is worth having.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything I learned about Washington I learned from reading this. Ok, so that's not true, but when I read this book, back in Mr. Patchet's AP Government class senior year, it really opened my eyes and helped lay the foundation of skepticism towards government. It remains on my bookshelf after all these years because I think it's probably still somewhat relevant today.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written at the end of the Reagan era, the book is dated in the literal sense. But the problems that plagued the federal government in the 1980s have scarcely changed. Required reading for anyone looking to grapple with the great beast.

[Bauer Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was my first introduction to contemporary politics, particularly the inter-relationship between Congress and linkage institutions (i.e. elections, interest groups). Smith is a story teller, and engaging.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books in high school. We read it during AP Government.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Interesting historically and still relevant.

[Heather Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting if you like politics