Congressional Journal of Barber B. Conable, Jr., 1968-1984

Bill Kauffman is the author of eleven books, among them Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette and Look Homeward, America. He also wrote the screenplay for the feature film Copperhead. Bill lives in his native Genesee County, New York, several miles up Route 98 from the old Conable home.

Influential Republican congressman Barber Conable’s journal takes us inside committee rooms, into party meetings, onto the House floor, and throughout congressional office buildings even as he recounts his contributions to major policies of the 1970s and 1980s. Great leaders-Conable’s friends and adversaries alike-pass into view but always as real people: humorous, ego-driven, strategic, and flawed. Allowing us inside the corridors and meeting rooms of Capitol Hill as well as Conable’s own thought processes, this rare insider’s account is intimate, frank, thoughtful, and clever. It is a rare achievement and a revelatory joy to read for those who wish to know the US Congress better."-Douglas B. Harris, professor of political science, Loyola University Maryland"Barber Conable had the highest respect of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. He was particularly helpful to me as a young Kansas representative on issues relating to taxes, trade, and the need for American engagement in the world. He was respected across the aisle for his keen intellect, fairness, and bipartisanship."-Dan Glickman, member of Congress 1977-1995, and author of Laughing at Myself: My Education in Congress, on the Farm, and at the Movies"For those who minutely observe Congress, Barber Conable, a Republican from upstate New York, is remembered as a paragon of legislative professionalism. Now comes a splendid coda to his career of quiet excellence-his journal of his years in the House. This might be the most illuminating politician’s journal since John Quincy Adams’s, which are read today for their vitriol. Conable’s will be read as a window into the era before polarization extinguished civility."-George F. Will"As a congressman Barber Conable rose to the heights of influence and respect by dint of hard work, a probing intellect, an infectious bonhomie, and a passion for the political game. All these traits are evident in this sparkling journal from a bygone era filled with political wisdom, insight, drama, and pathos."-Robert W. Merry, author of President McKinley: Architect of the American Century"Extraordinary! Anyone seeking to understand Congress during the mid-twentieth century must read Barber Conable’s journal. His intellect and insight treat the reader to an astonishing insider’s view of Congress from the 1960s through the mid-1980s. Because Conable intended to keep his journal private during his lifetime, there is an intimacy, immediacy, and tangible truthfulness to the writing. Reading the journal reminds one of the essential humanity of our representatives. We observe Conable early on learning how to navigate Congress and finding a place on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He had a keen eye for subtle shifts in the congressional environment and an unrelenting clarity when evaluating his colleagues. The contemporary reader can identify changing dynamics in Congress that foreshadow the Congress of the early twenty-first century."-Sean Q Kelly, professor of political science, California State University Channel Islands, and coeditor of Robert H. Michel: Leading the Republican House Minority"This book is a terrific primary source for anyone with an interest in Congress and American political history. Blunt, candid, and perceptive, Barber Conable’s journal tells us a great deal about where our country was-and where it was heading. It offers something that we seldom see in politics today: honesty."-John J. Pitney, Jr., author of After Reagan: Bush, Dukakis, and the 1988 Election