Mad House

An exclusive fly-on-the-wall account of the epic dysfunction of the American Congress, from the rotating cast of failed Speakers to the MAGA efforts to impeach President Joe Biden to the insanity of the 2024 presidential race--by the star congressional reporters at The United States Congress has always been messy and far-from-august, but as Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater show here, in scorching, shocking detail, it has reached some kind of chaotic bottom. The anarchy that reigned over Congress’s lower chamber in the wake of the January 6th attack on the Capitol Building--the election of serial liar and con man George Santos, revenge porn being shown on the floor of the house, and the theatrical high jinks of Lauren Boebert--all were a sign of decay and dysfunction of the highest order. Even the members of the 118th Congress would admit it was a circus--but up close, the spectacle was more alarming than funny. Taking the reader into closed door meetings as House Republicans, in thrall to a cult of personality, bumble ever deeper into extremism, and sniping House Democrats lose faith in their president, the authors reveal a level of disorder that we have never seen before. Spoiler: It’s more chaotic--a lot more chaotic--than you think.

Auteur

Annie Karni is a congressional correspondent for The New York Times. She was previously a White House correspondent, covering both the Trump and Biden administrations. She frequently appears on television and radio programs.

Luke Broadwater is a congressional correspondent for The New York Times, where he has profiled congressional leaders, investigated federal spending, and played a key role in the paper’s coverage of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the George Polk Award. He frequently appears on television and radio programs.

Texte du rabat

An exclusive fly-on-the-wall account of the epic dysfunction of the 118th American Congress—from the rotating cast of failed Speakers of the House to MAGA efforts to impeach President Joe Biden to the insanity of the 2024 presidential race—by the star congressional reporters at The New York Times

The United States Congress has always been messy and far from august, but as Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater show here in scorching, shocking detail, it has reached some kind of chaotic bottom. The anarchy that reigned over Congress’s lower chamber in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol; the election of serial liar and con man George Santos; revenge porn being shown on the floor of the House of Representatives; the theatrical high jinks of Lauren Boebert—all were signs of decay and dysfunction of the highest order. Even the members of the 118th Congress would admit it was a circus—but up close, the spectacle was more alarming than funny.

Taking the reader into closed-door meetings as House Republicans, in thrall to a cult of personality, bumble ever deeper into extremism, and sniping House Democrats lose faith in their president, the authors reveal a level of disorder that we have never seen before. Mad House is a searing, rollicking, and deeply reported portrait of a body at war with itself; riven by pettiness, egomania, and score-settling; and defined by the truly unbelievable antics of people like Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Jim Jordan, who, handed the reins of power, attempt to actually govern a country.

Spoiler: It’s more chaotic—a lot more chaotic—than you think.