Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives Book

Cast of Characters xiii

Prologue: Evening, January 20, 2009 xv

Part 1 Reinforcements

1 Tea Party Freshman 3

2 The Dean 11

3 Bayonets 16

Part 2 Shut'er Down

4 Citizens in the Devil's City 27

5 Gabby 35

6 The Institutionalist 40

7 State of the Weiner 51

8 Madam Minority Leader 58

9 Continuing Resolution 69

10 Moment of Silence 98

11 Black Republican Out of Florida 105

12 Radicalization 112

13 Woman of a Certain Rage 117

14 "You Hard Head" 126

Part 3 "You Don't Know Where I'm Coming From!"

15 Draft Horse 155

16 The Winning Message 164

17 Side Pockets on a Cow 171

18 "Here is Your Shield" 186

19 "Dropping Out of Things is What I Do" 193

20 "You Are Wronf 203

Part 4 Rascality

21 Coffee with Your Congressman 215

22 The Hostage 222

23 Lower, Ever Lower 266

Epilogue: Evening, January 24, 2012 283

Notes 289

Acknowledgments 303

Index 307