The Beltway Bible

Book excerpt: How is legislation crafted?How do you lose an election? What do “bundler,” “quorum call” and “omnibus” mean? Why do some of the White House’s most important meetings occur at a Starbucks? Why are Washington insiders obsessed with something called Jumbo Slice?What, exactly, is a “skintern?” Eliot Nelson, one of Washington’s funniest and most admired young journalists, knows how the sausage factory works and his new book, The Beltway Bible, is every citizen's must-have owner’s manual. Arranged from A to Z, The Beltway Bible provides an insider's perspective of politics and government, breaking down both into easily-digested entries on subjects like how legislation is formed, the scope of the president’s power and an overview of federal agencies. Nelson also looks at D.C.'s less-well-known power structures: the internal pecking order of White House aides, the high school cafeteria power struggles behind party invites and the petty congressional arguments over how highway on-ramps are named. The Beltway Bible makes our complex government accessible in a way that will please everyone from Jon Stewart to John Doe. Eliot Nelson’s The Beltway Bible is tailor-made for Election 2016.