The Hill to Die On

November 1, 2018

In a study that will appear after the 2018 midterm elections, two senior writers at Politico chart the run-up to those elections, clarifying the battle between Democrat and Republican, the Freedom Caucus and Speaker Paul Ryan, and Brett Kavanaugh and his accusers, as Donald Trump ranges (and rages) across the Twitter-sphere.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 29, 2019
Politico journalists Sherman and Palmer diagram the slogging political trench warfare of the 115th Congress in this intricate account. Drawing on interviews with congressional leaders, President Trump, and others, the authors recap the major legislative struggles of 2017 and 2018, including the failure to overturn Obamacare, umpteen showdowns over immigration, and the government shutdown. Front and center are Republican House speaker Paul Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, depicted trying to push Trump’s agenda in bills that can survive Democratic filibusters, win the support of both Republican moderates and conservative zealots, and not alienate voters; their biggest headache is Trump’s erratic negotiating and tweets. Opposing them are Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Charles Schumer, portrayed as leveraging Republican divisions to stymie GOP initiatives; Pelosi triumphs when the Democrats retake the House, then faces insurgent progressives who challenge her speakership. Sherman and Palmer distill byzantine legislative wrangling into a brisk, evenhanded narrative that encompasses personal feuds, Capitol Hill drama (“as McCain stopped just a few feet from him in front of the clerk’s desk, the majority leader hung his head and went stone still”), and grubby back room deal-making. The result is a savvy, engrossing political play-by-play that illuminates a crucial front in America’s ideological clash. (Apr.)Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated coauthor Jake Sherman's last name.