Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption from America's Most Notorious Lobbyist [ハードカバー]

This book has its interesting moments, and it could have been a really good book. But listening to Abramoff brag on himself page after page after page takes so much away from the story. His self love is a major distraction. But the book is also very revealing - on two levels. One is the revelations he intentionally shares about Washington, lobbying and politics (as well as his experiences in Hollywood and with Imelda Marcos and his treatment in prison). The other is his unintentional revelations as to what kind of person he is. You can't read this book without seeing him for the narcissist he is. To hear him tell it, most people are self-serving, lazy, greedy and bad - everyone but the people he loves like Tom DeLay and his other "friends." From his perspective, he's generous to a fault, kind, godly, and is smarter and works harder than anyone. Anyone who has ever worked on Capitol Hill or in politics will very quickly see through Abramoff's self promotion.

Don't get me wrong. This book is interesting and telling at times (such as the way he portrays Ralph Reed, experiences with members of Congress, battles like the one he had with movie producers who set up shop outside his restaurant, etc.), and I don't regret reading it. But this is not a five-star book, and I really don't understand the unconditional raves for this book or the fact all reviews before mine were five star. A couple of them don't even sound like they read they same book I read. But read the book and judge for yourself. I noticed that this is the first review ever posted by several five-star reviewers, and it is the second or third review for all the other five-star reviewers. Also, 9 of the 12 people who reviewed this book before I did read the entire book and published their five-star rave reviews on the exact same day this book was released - November 7th. All that doesn't always mean anything, but I find that information helpful when deciding whether to purchase a book that seems to get all rave reviews. The subject matter is what makes this book interesting, but the writing and the writer prevent it from being a great book or anything more than a three-star book for me. The three stars (instead of one or two) is for the information and for tackling a subject not many people have taken on.

Even with all the scandals he has been involved with that I already knew a good bit about, I never disliked Abramoff until I read this book. Quite the contrary, in fact. I liked the fact he has taken on and called out some people in power who need to be called out. But reading this book changed my impression of him for the worse. He is truly unlikable, but he's completely unaware of that fact. In fact, he appears to possess no self awareness. He preaches about the evils of Washington and talks as though he is the voice of reason and justice. He's hypocritical and transparent, and it takes away from the good points he does make. Early on he tells a story about being SO shocked when a Congressman wanted to trade votes in order to get a project in his district, but then he does things that are horribly worse than that without batting an eye. He never had a problem with anything until he got into trouble and even now his preachiness seems so self-serving. And he is constantly referencing how devoutly religious he is. He clearly missed the Commandment to "have no other god before Me" because there is so much self-worship in his book. He says, "The charitable giving was good for my soul, but it soon became something of an addiction." Spending money (and finding new and creative ways to make it) seemed to be his real addiction.

Additionally, there is no big message in this book about how to fix government. In the very last pages of the book he does list his dream reforms (which is his first and only attempt at discussing reform of any kind). Some points he makes are very valid, but others make no sense and would only serve to place more power in the hands of fewer people. And if Abramoff had his way, someone who was a paid intern for Congress when they were in college or worked as a district staffer in his/her 20s could never lobby for the rest of his/her life. I find this ironic considering Abramoff never worked a day in Congress, and yet he was one of the worst offenders when it came to ethics violations and corruption. But that is one of his "solutions" to the corruption that he represented in Washington. Also he'll gush (literally) about Tom DeLay and his total disdain for President Clinton because DeLay can't tolerate any dishonesty, but then Abramoff makes excuses when President Bush lies about knowing him or even meeting him. He lacks consistency in the judgment he is so quick to dispense. Abramoff also strongly criticizes Senator McCain for being a narcissist while remaining completely blind to his own narcissism.

His book does show a lot of what is wrong with politics and government - and Abramoff was a big part of that. But this book is simply Jack Abramoff's side of the story. It's no great message of redemption. If you love politics or have a strong interest in it or in government, this book is definitely worth a read. However, do not expect it to be full of deep insights because he's not a deep thinker. His story is one that needs to be heard because a lot of it has not been covered by the mainstream media (and it really needs to be), but I believe his story would be better told by someone else in the form of a biography as opposed to being spun by self-absorbed him in an autobiography. I don't question his facts, just his focus. I think his self-centered presentation could make it easier for his detractors (as well as the people who didn't want to be called out) to discredit the valid points he makes.

This is my first review for Amazon, but after reading the big difference in opinions about Jack Abramoff's book, I wanted to add my thoughts. After watching Abramoff on 60 Minutes and the Colbert Report and other shows, I decided to read his book. I found him more appealing on those television shows than I did in this book. Reading his book did not leave me with the same favorable impression I got from watching his interviews.

I don't understand reviewers who bill his book as a cure for what ails politics. Jack Abramoff and people like him are what's wrong with politics. He can blame it on the system all he wants and act like his working within this system or his working the system were simply a reflection on the political system and not on himself, but he would be wrong. The bottom line is that the majority of people serve and work in the political system without being corrupt like Jack Abramoff was or without corrupting others as he says he did.

I also don't know where people are getting that his book is one of great repentance or contrition. I didn't get much of that at all. Instead I got that he would prefer to blame the system rather than truly examine himself and accept blame for his consuming greed. I'm not saying there aren't reforms that need to take place in politics. Of course there are. I'm just saying that even with reforms, corrupt people like Jack Abramoff would still exist. They exist in all fields of work. There are bad apples in every profession.

Abramoff wants people to think that his book is an indictment of the political system, but really it is an indictment of himself. Some of these reviews that fawn over him and talk about how he has the cure for what ails politics are giving him too much credit. Some actually sound like Abramoff wrote them himself. Abramoff had plenty of opportunities while working in Washington to do the right thing. Instead, he chose the path of greed and exploitation, and by writing his book he yet again is trying to cash in. There's nothing wrong with his cashing in after his release from prison, but let's not make him out to be something he's not. He seems to be the same person he was before. Only now no one will hire him to lobby for them, so he's looking at other ways to make a living. That doesn't make him an altruistic do-gooder. It also doesn't make him an expert on doing the right thing or an expert on how to fix Washington like some would have you believe.

I found some of his post-prison suggested reforms to be insulting because most wouldn't even affect the laws that allowed him to do all the corrupt things he did. Other of his reforms wouldn't even work because they are so obviously unconstitutional. He overreaches in a lot of his reform ideas and claims they would protect the public from people like him. No system can protect people from people willing to break the law. Criminals will exist in any system, and that's what Abramoff was. If the system was different, he would have found another way to get around it.

The fact his reform list does not include banning convicted felons from lobbying tells you all you need to know about his reform ideas. Not that I'm for punishing people who have served their time forever, but if he so sincerely wants to fix the system, then why not start with himself? He's a master at pointing fingers at everyone but himself. I also found the fact he tossed his reform ideas in in the final pages of the book to be insulting. How can anyone call this book a cure for what ails politics when he barely mentions reforms and he only includes them in the last few pages of the 330-page book?

"Capitol Punishment" is the story of Abramoff's life. It is not a cautionary tale other than the fact it should caution people about not being so greedy. It's an easy read, which is why I gave it two stars. He's not a bad writer. But he's no expert on how to fix Washington anymore than a bank robber is an expert on how to reform Wall Street. He's lived an interesting life. From his childhood in Beverly Hills, his becoming an Orthodox Jew, his Young Repub days and his work in Hollywood to his friendship with Imelda Marcos, his days is Washington, his time in prison and more. He definitely has not led a boring life.

I believe his time in Hollywood would have lasted a lot longer if he had been able to make more money. If his Hollywood ventures had been more successful and filled his deep need for greed, I think he might never have ended up working as a lobbyist. Greed is a great motivator for him. I think that's the main reason he got involved in so many different ventures -- restaurants, casinos, movies, etc. After seeing several interviews with him, I'm glad I read his book because it gave me greater insight into him than television did. While I did find his book an entertaining enough read, I didn't find it anything more than that. Maybe if it hadn't been oversold as something it's not, I might have liked it more.

I read this book not knowing what to expect. I found it witty, humorous, educational, and easy to read. I learned a great deal about the operations of our government. One item which I learned that I had never focused upon was a reason which Jack gave for our present day predicament, and the reason dates back to the 1913 Constitutional Amendment which allowed for the direct popular election of Senators as opposed to their election by their state legislatures as had been previously done. I knew this historical fact, but I never appreciated the far reaching ramifications that this has had on the dimunition of states' rights.
There are many such observations, and I, therefore, strongly recommend this book. I hope Jack gives us a sequel of about 1,000 pages since I am sure that he must have hundreds of great stories with many fascinating details that were not included in this book.