Arc of Power

John A. Lawrence served for thirty-eight years as a senior staff person in the United States House of Representatives and currently is a visiting professor at the University of California's Washington Center. He is the author of The Class of '74: Congress after Watergate and the Roots of Partisanship.

Dedication and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction Prologue: Discouraged, Disorganized, Defeated 1. The New Direction: ":6 for '06" 2. "I Had to Win the House First" 3. Madam Speaker 4. "Everything Becomes Urgent" 5. "The Slowest Ship" 6. The Economy Wobbles 7. "The Flagship" 8. "You Can't Have It the Way You Want to Have It" 9. "The Prospects Don't Look Good" 10. Yes, We Can! 11. The Abyss 12. "We Have to Look Out for Ourselves" 13. "The Country Is Falling Apart!" 14. "Like Swans going Across the Lake" 15. The Firehose 16. Short-Circuited 17. "Number One among Equals" 18. The Summer of Hate 19. "The Most Important Bill You Will Ever Vote For" 20. "Let's Go for It!" 21. The Unwinnable War 22. "Keep Steering the Ship" 23. The Unfinished Agenda 24. The "Shellacking" 25. Their Last Bow Conclusion: The Perishability of Power Notes Bibliographical Guide to the John A. Lawrence Papers Selected Bibliography Index

Lawrence's book gives us rare insights into the personality, leadership style, and power dynamics that have driven Pelosi's historic run as arguable the most significant American leader of the last twenty years."-Congress & the Presidency"For anyone who is fascinated by how power operates at the top level, this book is a compelling read."-Washington Monthly "Important and revealing, Arc of Power puts the reader in the room for key interactions between Speaker Pelosi, her congressional colleagues, and the presidents with whom she served. This book offers a window into the personal nature of Congress, the interchamber and interbranch politics that shape US policy, and the key contributions of a congressional leader managing it all for her party and institution. This superbly written insider's account is a must-read for historians, political scientists, and anyone interested in American national politics."-Douglas B. Harris, professor of political science, Loyola University Maryland "Drawing upon his many years of experience as a top political staffer, Lawrence provides a revealing insider account of the House Democratic Caucus and Nancy Pelosi's leadership during the Bush and Obama presidencies. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in how congressional Democrats grappled with such issues as the Iraq War, the Great Recession, and health care reform."-Matthew Green, professor and chair, Department of Politics, The Catholic University of America "As one who attended many of the meetings and events John Lawrence describes, I can say they vividly capture the scenes, personalities, and especially the leadership of Nancy Pelosi. There have been and will continue to be many books about Pelosi. Written from the inside, this volume is indispensable to understanding her."-Steve Israel, former US representative from New York "One of the very best accounts of the internal workings of Congress we have ever had or are likely to have. Anyone interested in understanding the legislative process and how it worked during the financial crisis of 2008-2009, as well as the creation of the Affordable Care Act, will find Lawrence's study not only essential but also exceptionally rich and revealing. Among historical accounts of Congress, Arc of Power is a remarkable and probably unparalleled achievement."-Richard D. Brown, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, University of Connecticut