Speaker Jim Wright - Power Scandal and the Birth of Modern Politics

J. Brooks Flippen

Summary

The rise and fall of a Texas Democrat: “A definitive, richly detailed biography [and] an engrossing history that sheds light on our own fractious times.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   A former Golden Gloves boxer and WWII bombardier, Jim Wright entered Congress to fight a different kind of battle, making his mark on virtually every major policy issue of the later twentieth century: energy, education, taxes, transportation, environmental protection, civil rights, criminal justice, and foreign relations among them. He played a significant role in peace initiatives in Central America and in the Camp David Accords, and was the first American politician to speak live on Soviet television. A Democrat representing Texas’s twelfth district (Fort Worth), he served in the US House of Representatives from the Eisenhower administration to the presidency of George H.W. Bush, including twelve years as majority leader and speaker—and his long congressional ascension and sudden fall in a highly partisan ethics scandal spearheaded by Newt Gingrich mirrored the evolution of Congress as an institution.  Speaker Jim Wright traces the congressman’s long life and career in a highly readable narrative grounded in extensive interviews with Wright and access to his personal diaries. A skilled connector who bridged the conservative and liberal wings of the Democratic Party while forging alliances with Republicans to pass legislation, Wright ultimately fell victim to a new era of political infighting, as well as to his own hubris and mistakes. J. Brooks Flippen shows how Wright’s career shaped the political culture of Congress, from its internal rules and power structure to its growing partisanship, even as those new dynamics eventually contributed to his political demise. To understand Jim Wright in all his complexity is to understand the story of modern American politics.

Available since: 04/01/2018.

Print length: 552 pages.

Other books that might interest you

Agent Michael Trotobas and SOE...

Stewart Kent, Nick Nicholas

The exceptional exploits, courage and leadership of British SOE Agent Trotobas have long been recognised in France but not in his own country despite being recommended for the Victoria Cross.Captured on his first mission, Trotobas led a mass break-out from Mauzac Internment Camp and eventually returned to England. He immediately volunteered to return and established and ran a resistance group around Lille and the Pas de Calais for a year. As the Nazis closed in, he refused to leave the French men and women who had shown him complete loyalty. He paid the ultimate price, fighting to the death rather than undergo capture.As well as describing the operations of the Sylvestre-Farmer circuit, the authors record the rivalries and intrigues that sprang up culminating in betrayals and extraordinary demand for the court martial and execution of the Circuit's British second in command.This book is a major addition to the bibliography of the SOE and French Resistance.

Show book

The Poor Had No Lawyers - Who...

Andy Wightman

In this updated edition of his “utterly magnificent” social history, the Scottish parliamentarian examines the privatization of Scotland’s common land (Sunday Herald, UK). As an author, activist, and politician, Andy Wightman has made a career of fighting for Scottish land reform. In this provocative and influential book, Wightman offers a revealing analysis of how and why landowners got their hands on the millions of acres that were once held in common. He also tells the untold story of how the Scottish legal and political establishment appropriated land through legal fixes. Throughout, Wightman poses some provocative questions: Have attempts to redistribute power made any difference? What are the implications of the debt-fueled housing bubble, the Smith Commission, and the new Scottish Government's proposals on land reform? Can we get our common good land back? For all those with an interest in urban and rural land in Scotland, this edition of The Poor Had No Lawyers, updated with new statistics, provides a fascinating analysis of one the most important political questions in Scotland.

Show book

Kissing the Sword - A Prison Memoir

Shahrnush Parsipur

A moving account of life as a political prisoner in post-revolutionary Iran from the acclaimed Iranian author of Women Without Men.   Shahrnush Parsipur was a successful writer and television producer in her native Iran until the Revolution of 1979. Soon after seizing control, the Islamist government began detaining its citizens—and Parsipur found herself incarcerated without charges.  Kissing the Sword captures the surreal experience of serving time as a political prisoner and witnessing the systematic elimination of opposition to fundamentalist power. It is a harrowing narrative filled with both horror and humor: nights blasted by machine gun fire as detainees are summarily executed, days spent debating prison officials on whether the Quran demands that women be covered. Parsipur, one of modern Iran’s great literary voices, mines her painful life experiences to deliver an urgent call for the most basic of human rights: the freedom of expression.   “Parsipur makes a stylishly original contribution to modern feminist literature.” —Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis   “Stands as a powerful testament to not only the devastations of an era, but to the integrity and courage of an extraordinary woman.” —Kirkus Reviews   “Parsipur’s memoir is a powerful tale of a writer’s struggle to survive the worst cases of atrocities and injustice with grace and compassion. A terribly dark but truly illuminating narrative; Parsipur forces the reader to question human nature and resilience.” —Shirin Neshat, artist

Show book

Summary of George Soros’s In...

Falcon Press

Buy now to get the main key ideas from George Soros’s In Defense of Open Society 
  
In Defense of Open Society (2019) is a collection of essays, articles, and speeches by George Soros, an international philanthropist. Soros examines the many dangers facing open societies, from rising dictatorships to the growing threat of tech companies and artificial intelligence. He chronicles his journey to philanthropy in detail, telling how he survived Nazi Germany, started a hedge fund, became mega-rich, and turned his attention toward protecting democracy and resolving world economic problems. Soros touches on many current global issues, especially in Europe - including a prophetic look at Ukraine’s perilous situation.

Show book

The Election Omen - Your Vote...

Marsha Kuhnley

Discover an ancient Bible prophecy that directs the outcome of elections!
Afraid you’re not ready for the political battle against Satan? You can be a civic soldier for Christ.
Are you a Christian who fears your vote will be for the wrong side? Are you uncertain which issues and policies are in alignment with the Bible? Do you worry you’re not standing with Jesus during these tumultuous times? With over a decade of experience studying biblical prophecy, Marsha Kuhnley has appeared on the popular Christ In Prophecy TV program. Now she’s here to share how God’s biblical prophecies regarding current affairs, and even contentious elections are grounded in Scriptures and His word.
The Election Omen: Your Vote Matters is your essential faith-based reference for making informed decisions when you cast your ballot. Incorporating easy-to-understand Bible-based analysis of key political platforms, Kuhnley provides a thorough rundown of the main political party stances on critical issues. As the world moves towards the Antichrist, you’ll be assertive while wearing God’s armor and wielding the sword of Truth to make a strong stand against the Devil.
The Election Omen: Your Vote Matters will reveal God’s biblical prophecy regarding the 2020 election and future elections! Prepare to take a stand in this spiritual war. Engage in key political issues from a biblical perspective. Combat Satan’s lies and deceptions.
If you like Bible-based perspectives, straight-to-the-point narratives, and politics led by scripture, then you’ll love Marsha Kuhnley’s take-charge book.
Buy The Election Omen to rise up against the Prince of Darkness today!

Show book

Apache Reservation - Indigenous...

Richard J. Perry

“Perry undertakes the enormous task of analyzing the historical workings of the reservation system, using the San Carlos Apache as a case study.” —The American Historical Review   “Indian reservations” were the United States’ ultimate solution to the “problem” of what to do with native peoples who already occupied the western lands that Anglo settlers wanted. In this broadly inclusive study, Richard J. Perry considers the historical development of the reservation system and its contemporary relationship to the American state, with comparisons to similar phenomena in Canada, Australia, and South Africa.   The San Carlos Apache Reservation of Arizona provides the lens through which Perry views reservation issues. One of the oldest and largest reservations, its location in a minerals- and metals-rich area has often brought it into conflict with powerful private and governmental interests. Indeed, Perry argues that the reservation system is best understood in terms of competition for resources among interest groups through time within the hegemony of the state. He asserts that full control over their resources—and hence, over their lives—would address many of the Apache’s contemporary economic problems.

Show book