Fire-Breathing Liberal
How I Learned to Survive (and Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
There's a reason The Nation, America's leading progressive magazine, named Robert Wexler the country's "Most Valuable Congressman." It's the same reason right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh refers to him as "disgusting." It's because for the last twelve years Wexler has been Congress's most outspoken liberal -- taking on George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Alberto Gonzales, General David Petraeus, and, when necessary, even his own party.
In Fire-Breathing Liberal, Wexler brings readers onto the floor of the House and puts them at the center of some of the last decade's biggest controversies. He passionately describes how he defended Bill Clinton from impeachment and how he stood up against the Bush brothers when the "butterfly" ballots in his Florida district wrongly decided the 2000 presidential election. He also offers an honest and brutal assessment of the Iraq war and explains why he has become a leader in the movement to impeach Vice President Cheney. And, with warmth and wit, Wexler shares some of the funniest stories from the corridors of Congress, including how he became The Colbert Report's most talked-about guest.
This is a remarkably candid first-person account of recent political history that shows government as it has rarely been seen -- by a Democrat in the middle of the storms.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wexler, a six-term Democratic congressman, opens his memoir cum civics lesson by saying, "I want to proclaim on every page of this book that I am a liberal Democrat and proud of it." Fortunately for the reader, he is able to weave his proclamations into entertaining vignettes from the campaign trail to the halls of Congress in blow-by-blows of his involvement in defining moments of recent history: defending President Clinton from impeachment and challenging the Gore v. Bush decision. There is a fair amount of stumping in the book as the congressman lauds his district, defends his actions and criticizes his foes. But he shines when describing the absurdities of his political career, particularly the pitfalls of his early campaigns a manager with a weak bladder and running over a dog in his Wexler-emblazoned campaign car and his controversial appearance on the Colbert Report. While the prose is occasionally clunky, it does not detract from the pleasures of this fascinating and humorous insider account of the House of Representatives.
