The Meanest Man in Congress - by Timothy McNulty & Brendan McNulty (Hardcover)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"Jack Brooks' career in the U.S. House of Representatives embodied the extraordinary times of the latter half of the 20th century in America, and today serves as an example of how politics and compromise can be effective in governing a nation. A child of the Great Depression and a young Marine in the jungles of the South Pacific in World War II, Brooks turned first to the law and then Texas state politics before setting off on an idealistic run for Congress. During the next 42 years Brooks became one of the longest-serving members of the House and a master of moving legislation into law. A far different atmosphere exists in Washington today, a zero-sum game where one party must lose in order for the other to win. But in Brooks' day, compromise was the governing ethos, Republicans and Democrats ate and drank with each other, families shared celebrations and children attended the same schools. Partisanship was ever-present and hard fought but it didn't prevent legislation from moving forward. Brooks was fiscally conservative and a lifelong member of the NRA, and he was also a liberal advocate for the poor and those seeking justice from the government"--<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>A native of Beaumont, Texas, and a World War II veteran, Jack Brooks represented Texas's Ninth District for forty-two years in the U.S. Congress. One of the most influential congressmen you've never heard of, the indefatigable Brooks is finally getting his due in this first full biography. <em>The Meanest Man in Congress</em> chronicles in fascinating detail not only a remarkable lawmaker's career--spanning the tenures of ten U.S. presidents--but also the epic sweep of American history in the latter half of the twentieth century, from the Kennedy assassination to the Iran-Contra affair. Packed with anecdotes based on Brooks's personal correspondence, interviews with his peers and family members, and more, this meticulously researched biography traces the incredible life and times of a true public servant, a man who applied his tenacious will to practical, across-the-aisle governance for the good of his constituents and his country. At a time when Brooks's brand of selfless service is in short supply and American politics has become a zero-sum game, distinguished authors Timothy McNulty and Brendan McNulty bring into high relief the character of a man who knew how to compromise and bargain, negotiate and cooperate to get things done.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>Brendan and Timothy McNulty have written an eminently readable political biography of one of our nation's longest-serving Congressmen that also chronicles the era when the words bipartisan and compromise weren't anathema. This remarkable achievement provides an illuminating reminder of how well government can work when patriotism supersedes partisanship, and how a politician's relatives can use their status for the greater good, as opposed to personal enrichment. -- <b>Kerry Luft</b>, former Washington bureau chief, Tribune Company, former news editor, Bloomberg Politics<br><br>An important historical account of one of the most remarkable men from Texas to serve this country . . . The detail is fascinating, the narrative captivating . . . A worthwhile read. -- <b><em>Lone Star Literary Review</em></b><br><br>From his youth in a rough corner of Texas to his service in the Marines in World War II and on to Congress to help build Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, Jack Brooks's story is full of lessons for lawmakers, for voters, for Americans searching for meaning in confusing times. The McNultys have created a highly readable account of a fascinating, important man's life and times. -- <b>Charles Madigan</b>, author, reporter, former professor<br><br>From the Great Society to Watergate to the Iran-Contra scandal to the Clinton crime bill, Congressman Jack Brooks was a larger-than-life figure in our nation's political history. His dedication to vigorous Congressional oversight of the Executive Branch should stand as a role model for today's legislators. <em>The Meanest Man in Congress</em> tells his remarkable story. -- Former Virginia Governor <b>Terry McAuliffe</b><br><br>General readers of Texas history and of modern political history will find much to enjoy in this well-written book. -- <b><em>Southwestern Historical Quarterly</em></b><br><br>His story is one to remember. Read this and enjoy. The next time someone tries to tell you a decent, honorable, hard-working guy can't get anywhere in American politics, or in the U.S. Congress, remember Jack Brooks, and rejoice. -- <b>Jim Wright</b>, former Speaker of the House<br><br>I can't think of any member of Congress who did more for America's space program than Jack Brooks. As the book points out, Brooks strengthened NASA during its formative years and later saved the International Space Station (ISS) in the post-Cold War era when Congress sought to cancel Big Science programs in favor of producing a budgetary peace dividend for America. Today, a quarter of a century later, the ISS still circles high above the Earth as a symbol of America's ability to bring the nations of the world together in peaceful exploration of space. -- <b>Daniel S. Goldin</b>, 9th NASA Administrator, 1992-2001<br><br>Jack Brooks is a Texas original. In a legislative world of "workhorses" and "showhorses," the "meanest man in Congress" was a workhorse from his earliest days in the Texas Legislature to his storied career serving in the U.S. Congress. He was a friend to presidents, an ally to House Speakers, feared by many, and respected by all. Cigar chomping, irascible, and fiercely dedicated to his beliefs, Brooks shaped Texas and national politics for four decades. This book is a fascinating window into the political history of the post-World War II era and a must-read for anyone interested in Texas politics. This is a book you want on your shelf. But more than anything it is a darn fun read. I lost track of the number of terrific stories, new historical details, and laugh out loud anecdotes. -- <b>Brandon Rottinghaus</b>, Professor of Political Science, University of Houston<br><br>Jack Brooks was a master. A canny politician, legislative craftsman, consummate man of the House. Five minutes of listening to him hold forth on the floor taught me more about the way our government works than years in the classroom. And he made it fun! I'll always be grateful for his many kindnesses. -- <b>George Stephanopoulos</b>, ABC News Chief Anchor<br><br>Over the course of five-hundred-plus engrossing pages, Timothy and Brendan McNulty make a compelling case for [Texas Congressman] Jack Brooks's importance. Given the McNultys' exhaustive and thorough-going treatment of their subject, it is difficult to imagine another biographer soon tackling Jack Brooks. -- <b><em>Texas Monthly</em></b><br><br>Rescuing from an undeserved obscurity a man whose congressional political acumen was second only to Lyndon B. Johnson's, <em>The Meanest Man in Congress: Jack Brooks and the Making of an American Century</em> is an extraordinary political biography, one that is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library 20th Century American Biography collections and 20th Century American Political Science supplemental studies lists. -- <b><em>Midwest Book Review</em></b><br><br>Right when we all seem to have forgotten what public service and political compromise ought to look like, along comes <em>The Meanest Man in Congress</em> to remind us. Jack Brooks -- crusty, colorful, and, yes, mean -- leaps off the pages into our collective consciousness in this timely biography. Timothy and Brendan McNulty show us a Congress that actually functioned thanks to leaders like Brooks, who bullied federal bureaucrats into saving billions and forced manufacturers to produce a better light bulb. Alongside mentors Sam Rayburn and LBJ, the cigar-chomping East Texan knew how to find common ground with opponents, usually over drinks, even as he broke with fellow southern Democrats to support the 1964 Civil Rights Act and pass the 1994 assault weapons ban. The gun bill proved to be his undoing, but it was just as well: Brooks's brand of consensus-politics left the building right around the same time he did. -- <b>Jay Root</b>, <em>Texas Tribune</em> investigative reporter and author of <em>Oops! A Diary From the 2012 Campaign Trail</em><br><br>This is a book of nostalgia for the days of good governance represented by a crafty, persistent, and honorable congressman who put country above party to pass monumental legislation. Reading this comprehensive Jack Brooks biography -- a Herculean task of research I much admired -- can make you weep over the passing of those times, when skillful legislators could navigate through partisan politics to higher ground. -- <b>David K. Shipler</b>, former <em>New York Times</em> correspondent and the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of seven books<br><br>Timothy and Brendan McNulty provide us with a much-needed full-length political biography of Texas Congressman Jack Brooks. After brief service in the Texas House, Brooks served in Congress for forty-two eventful years. He was a leading figure among two generations of Lone Star political legends that included John Nance 'Cactus Jack' Garner, Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson, Dolph Briscoe, Jim Wright, and many others. Any student of Texas and national politics in the mid-twentieth century will relish looking again at those turbulent times through the squinting, purposeful, skeptical eyes of that great Texan -- Beaumont's Congressman Jack Brooks. -- <b>Cal Jillson</b>, Professor of Political Science at Southern Methodist University and author of <em>The American Dream: In History, Politics, and Fiction</em><br><br>When I came to the Congress, Jack Brooks proved a guide and a friend. He was a master legislator, canny operator, and giant of the House, who brought a formidable mix of charm and intellect to the fight for liberty, equality, and justice for the American people. Jack had no fear of unpopular opinions or of reaching across the aisle to pursue the common good, and his principled leadership and political courage, richly chronicled in this first-ever biography on his life, leave an extraordinary legacy. -- <b>Nancy Pelosi</b>, U.S. House Democratic Leader<br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br>"Jack Brooks was a master. A canny politician, legislative craftsman, consummate man of the House Five minutes of listening to him hold forth on the floor taught me more about the way our government works than years in the classroom. And he made it fun! I'll always be grateful for his many kindnesses." -- ABC News Chief Anchor, George Stephanopoulos
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