Outsider in the House: A Political Autobiography by Bernie Sanders, Bernard Sanders, Huck Gutman (With)

From the Publisher

The inside scoop on Washington from the only Independent in Congress. Isprogressive politics possible in the United States today? Can a democratic socialist take on the two-party system to win a seat in Congress? Bernie Sanders is the first Independent elected to the United States House of Representatives in 40 years. Running primarily on class issues, he successfully put together a coalition of working people, the elderly, the poor, women and environmentalists. Once in Washington, Sanders helped found the House Progressive Caucus, the 52-member group that recently provided the major opposition to Newt Gingrich's reactionary "Contract with America." Outsider in the House gives the inside scoop on Sanders's discussions about class politics with Bill Clinton in the Oval Office, his battles with the often Byzantine politics of the House floor and his encounters on the campaign trail in Vermont. It provides a penetrating critique both of a growing rightward movement in US politics and the failure of the two-party system to represent working people in America. Scrutinizing the battles on the Hill and across the nation over welfare reform, health care and NAFTA, Sanders lays bare the powerful forces which have produced the most inequitable distribution of wealth in American history. But he outlines, too, the positive role that Congress could play in protecting working Americans by introducing an Alternative Budget which would slash military spending and corporate welfare and use the savings to rebuild America's human and physical infrastructure. Here, in a passionate and personal voice, is the story of one man's battle against the chimerical choice presented by the Republicans andDemocrats. Others must follow the path that Congressman Bernie Sanders has taken before US democracy can be revived. Outsider in the House is a compelling signpost for that most difficult of political journeys.

Library Journal

What's it like to be the odd-man out in Congress? Sanders, the first independent elected to the House in 40 years, sheds some light on running for and serving in the House. Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, from 1981 to 1989, Sanders won his first term in 1990, identifying himself as a progressive. Using his 1996 reelection campaign as the framework for the book, Sanders bounces around in time to present a very personal account of his political life. His thoughts on major political figures, such as Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, are often quite blunt, and at times he delivers some cheap shots at his Republican and Democratic colleagues. Sanders exposes the reader to his Socialist/Progressive positions on all kinds of issues, from bovine growth hormone to NAFTA. Sanders is a dedicated representative, but he should stick to writing legislation. Readers looking for a balanced treatment of Congressional politics might consult Ronald D. Elving's Conflict and Compromise (S. & S., 1995) and Steven Waldman's The Bill (LJ 2/1/95).Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

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