Drawing from his thousands of pages of notes written while serving as Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, John Lawrence has written a narrative documenting his insider perspective from 2005 to 2010. These momentous years included furious political and legislative battles over the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the economic recession, the 2008 presidential election, the productive first two years of Barack Obama’s presidency, as well as many key legislative products, such as the Troubled Assets Relief Program, the Affordable Care Act, and Wall Street reform.Lawrence’s unique observations provide an unparalleled look at the interpersonal relationships of major political leaders and institutions and give readers a first-hand perspective of this significant period in political history. Utilizing more than 9,000 pages of transcribed notes from hundreds of conversations between top congressional and administration officials, readers can enter the room and experience the discussions of the key participants in real time.
Arc of Power provides a valuable account of the strategies, machinations, and challenges of congressional leaders as they gain, exercise, and lose power. Utilizing the voices of the men and women involved in the often—but not always—partisan clashes, this book examines the role of personalities, factions, parties, and political institutions in the formulation of national policy on key issues. Lawrence artfully demonstrates the challenges presented by intraparty factional disagreements when writing complex legislation and illustrates the institutional tensions between the House and Senate, and Congress and the White House, when the government is unified under one party or divided.
Lawrence offers valuable insights into the differing and often conflicting role played by the House and Senate given their design and composition, and shows how even a House led by powerful individuals is frequently undercut by the Senate, and how that weakness especially impacts the political power of minority populations.
Table of Contents:
- Dedication and Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Prologue: Discouraged, Disorganized, Defeated
- 1. The New Direction: “:6 for ‘06”
- 2. “I Had to Win the House First”
3. Madam Speaker
- 4. “Everything Becomes Urgent”
- 5. “The Slowest Ship”
- 6. The Economy Wobbles
- 7. “The Flagship”
- 8. “You Can’t Have It the Way You Want to Have It”
- 9. “The Prospects Don’t Look Good”
- 10. Yes, We Can!
- 11. The Abyss
- 12. “We Have to Look Out for Ourselves”
- 13. “The Country Is Falling Apart!”
- 14. “Like Swans going Across the Lake”
- 15. The Firehose
- 16. Short-Circuited
- 17. “Number One among Equals”
- 18. The Summer of Hate
- 19. “The Most Important Bill You Will Ever Vote For”
- 20. “Let’s Go for It!”
- 21. The Unwinnable War
- 22. ”Keep Steering the Ship”
- 23. The Unfinished Agenda
- 24. The “Shellacking”
- 25. Their Last Bow
- Conclusion: The Perishability of Power
- Notes
- Bibliographical Guide to the John A. Lawrence Papers
- Selected Bibliography
- Index
About the Author :
John A. Lawrence is visiting professor at the University of California, Washington Center.
Review :
"John Lawrence, who served as Nancy Pelosi's chief of staff from 2005-2012, offers a wise, detailed account of Pelosi's speakership in this absorbing book. Lawrence offers deeper insights into legislative sausage-making than other Pelosi chroniclers. He portrays Pelosi as a passionate progressive but also a master political strategist who knows when to fold and when to hold. No congressional leader since Lyndon Johnson has wielded political power so masterfully. Pelosi battles on multiple fronts, almost constantly. The toughest pills to swallow are failures of nerve by fellow Democrats in the Senate and the White House, as in debates over health care reform. Readers will not be surprised to learn that Pelosi is combative, feisty, and an ardent dealmaker. They may be surprised to learn that she has a caustic wit and a gift for metaphors, as in this gem on party leadership: 'We want to look like swans going across the lake, serene on top but frantically paddling' below the surface. Students of Congress, public policy, and the art of leadership will love this book!"--William T. Gormley, author of Voices for Children: Rhetoric and Public Policy
"Important and revealing, Arc of Power puts the reader in the room for key interactions between Speaker Pelosi, her congressional colleagues, and the presidents with whom she served. This book offers a window into the personal nature of Congress, the interchamber and interbranch politics that shape US policy, and the key contributions of a congressional leader managing it all for her party and institution. This superbly written insider's account is a must-read for historians, political scientists, and anyone interested in American national politics."--Douglas B. Harris, professor of political science, Loyola University Maryland
"Drawing upon his many years of experience as a top political staffer, Lawrence provides a revealing insider account of the House Democratic Caucus and Nancy Pelosi's leadership during the Bush and Obama presidencies. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in how congressional Democrats grappled with such issues as the Iraq War, the Great Recession, and health care reform."--Matthew Green, professor and chair, Department of Politics, The Catholic University of America
"As one who attended many of the meetings and events John Lawrence describes, I can say they vividly capture the scenes, personalities, and especially the leadership of Nancy Pelosi. There have been and will continue to be many books about Pelosi. Written from the inside, this volume is indispensable to understanding her."-- Steve Israel, former US representative from New York
"One of the very best accounts of the internal workings of Congress we have ever had or are likely to have. Anyone interested in understanding the legislative process and how it worked during the financial crisis of 2008-2009, as well as the creation of the Affordable Care Act, will find Lawrence's study not only essential but also exceptionally rich and revealing. Among historical accounts of Congress, Arc of Power is a remarkable and probably unparalleled achievement."--Richard D. Brown, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, University of Connecticut
"Lawrence's book gives us rare insights into the personality, leadership style, and power dynamics that have driven Pelosi's historic run as arguably the most significant American leader of the last twenty years."--Congress & the Presidency
"For anyone who is fascinated by how power operates at the top level, this book is a compelling read."--Washington Monthly
