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Homo Politicus: The Strange and Scary Tribes that Run Our Government Audiobook
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(3.10) - 135 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Washington's most acerbic (and feared) columnist, the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, skewers the peculiar and alien tribal culture of politics.
Deep within the forbidding land encircled by the Washington Beltway lives the tribe known as Homo politicus. Their ways are strange, even repulsive, to civilized human beings; their arcane rites often impenetrable; their language coded and obscure. Violating their complex taboos can lead to sudden, harsh, and irrevocable punishment. Normal Americans have long feared Homo politicus, with good reason. But fearless anthropologist Dana Milbank has spent many years immersed in the dark heart of Washington, D.C., and has produced this indispensable portrait of a bizarre culture whose tribal ways are as hilarious as they are outrageous.
Milbank's anthropological lens is highly illuminating, whether examining the mating rituals of Homo politicus (which have little to do with traditional concepts of romantic love), demonstrating how status is displayed in the Beltway's rigid caste system (such as displaying a wooden egg from the White House Easter Egg Roll), or detailing the precise ritual sequence of human sacrifice whenever a scandal erupts (the human sacrificed does not have to be the guiltiest party, just the lower ranked). Milbank's lacerating wit mows down the pompous, the stupid, and the corrupt among Democrats, Republicans, reporters, and bureaucrats by naming names. Every appalling anecdote in this book is, alas, true.
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"MilBank knows The Beltway...in this book he gets a little over wrought with social anthropologist humor...trying to show how tribes work and their history.... that gets to be a distraction. But Milbank knows the whose, whats and hows..... ir did... his rep might be sullied more recently. "
— Uncle (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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[Johnny Heller] has a familiarity with the material as if he wrote it himself, allowing him to capture the true intent of every moment, be it comedy, melodrama or purely informational.
— Publishers Weekly Audio Review
Homo Politicus Listener Reviews
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" Truth is stranger than fiction, and the author's wit makes it all the more enjoyable. "
— Aaron, 1/7/2014 -
" Funny, as Milbank always is. Essentially a repackaging of the interesting and newsworthy political headlines of the last decade, through the lens of anthropological themes. Sometimes forced, but usually incisive, funny, and sprinkled with anecdotes you hadn't heard before. "
— Ryan, 11/21/2013 -
" Maybe i should also but this under haunting - or maybe just sickened. The behavours of the homo politicus is appalling. However, what is worse is that we the people continue to put up with it. We truly need reform at the highest levels rather than laws made for the highest bidders. "
— Kelly, 10/18/2013 -
" This book was fairly entertaining and full of great stories. My favorite part was the glossery at the end. The what they say translated into what they really mean. "I will continue to work to do the people's business" translated "I am about to be indicted". "
— Erin, 9/5/2013 -
" Not as strong as Smashmouth. "
— Matt, 6/23/2013 -
" Read 10 pages. Stopped. So boring if you know anything at all about politics. What a snoozer. "
— Benjamin, 4/5/2013 -
" Supposed to be funny, but really SAD book about how the politicians that we elect to represent us do everything but. "
— Christina, 2/6/2013 -
" Very funny, very informative & more than a bit depressing. I came to it a bit late--he needs to update it. I'm sure the DC hijinks remain the same--if not greater. "
— Doug, 10/10/2012 -
" MilBank knows The Beltway...in this book he gets a little over wrought with social anthropologist humor...trying to show how tribes work and their history.... that gets to be a distraction. But Milbank knows the whose, whats and hows..... ir did... his rep might be sullied more recently. "
— Uncle, 5/16/2012 -
" So Dana Milbank is an affront to objective journalism. So what? This book is kinda funny, in a really gross, icky kind of way. "
— Jenifer, 1/22/2012 -
" just how corrupt and inept is our congress? it's ALL here! "
— Sheik, 10/8/2011 -
" Our country is run by a circus. I always liked the circus. That's probably why I like DC. "
— Kasia, 9/8/2011 -
" This wasn't as funny as I had anticipated it would be...honestly, some of the stories of the function of American government are really frightening. Still, if you're interested in the inner workings of Washington DC, this is a decent read. "
— Chris, 6/25/2011 -
" I had high hopes, but Milbank tries too hard to be funny, re-hashing old stories that anyone who watches the news already knows. "
— Tara, 4/6/2011 -
" An amusing examination of the habits of mind & action of Washington politicians, with all sorts of interesting tidbits, posing as an anthropological investigation of their ways "
— Converse, 2/12/2011 -
" Not nearly as funny as I'd hoped, but it makes one think. "
— Benjamin, 9/29/2010 -
" just how corrupt and inept is our congress? it's ALL here! "
— Sheik, 8/22/2010 -
" An amusing examination of the habits of mind & action of Washington politicians, with all sorts of interesting tidbits, posing as an anthropological investigation of their ways <br/> "
— Converse, 4/10/2010 -
" Our country is run by a circus. I always liked the circus. That's probably why I like DC. "
— Kasia, 9/26/2009 -
" I had high hopes, but Milbank tries too hard to be funny, re-hashing old stories that anyone who watches the news already knows. "
— Tara, 11/17/2008 -
" Read 10 pages. Stopped. So boring if you know anything at all about politics. What a snoozer. "
— Benjamin, 7/31/2008 -
" Maybe i should also but this under haunting - or maybe just sickened. The behavours of the homo politicus is appalling. However, what is worse is that we the people continue to put up with it. We truly need reform at the highest levels rather than laws made for the highest bidders. "
— Kelly, 5/24/2008 -
" This book was fairly entertaining and full of great stories. My favorite part was the glossery at the end. The what they say translated into what they really mean. "I will continue to work to do the people's business" translated "I am about to be indicted". "
— Erin, 5/14/2008 -
" Supposed to be funny, but really SAD book about how the politicians that we elect to represent us do everything but. "
— Christina, 3/16/2008 -
" This wasn't as funny as I had anticipated it would be...honestly, some of the stories of the function of American government are really frightening. Still, if you're interested in the inner workings of Washington DC, this is a decent read. <br/> "
— Chris, 2/12/2008 -
" So Dana Milbank is an affront to objective journalism. So what? This book is kinda funny, in a really gross, icky kind of way. "
— Jenifer, 2/5/2008
About Dana Milbank
Dana Milbank is a columnist for the Washington Post. Milbank is the author of Smash Mouth: Two Years in the Gutter with Al Gore and George W. Bush—Notes from the 2000 Campaign Trail, as well as the author of the polemic biography of conservative pundit Glenn Beck: Tears of a Clown: Glenn Beck and the Tea Bagging of America. He is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of Trumbull College, the Progressive Party of the Yale Political Union. He is a graduate of Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, New York. Milbank has been married since 1993 to Dona Lynn DePasquale.
About Johnny Heller
Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.