Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theorists, and Dunces Who Burned Down the House
“offers a vivid portrayal of colorful, controversial politicians—figures less concerned with governance than with self-preservation, headline-grabbing antics, and stoking public outrage.”
Dana Milbank’s latest work delves into the fractious, bizarre, and often surreal landscape of contemporary US politics, drawing from over three decades of reporting experience. His decision to focus the book on Congress and its descent into “ideological extremism and incompetence” provides an apt lens through which to understand the turbulence of recent years.
This book offers a vivid portrayal of colorful, controversial politicians—figures less concerned with governance than with self-preservation, headline-grabbing antics, and stoking public outrage. Milbank captures a Congress dominated by a radical minority willing to sacrifice institutional integrity for personal gain. He recounts tales of absurdity and dysfunction, painting a picture of a legislative body producing more chaos and cultural battles than actual policy change.
Central to the narrative is the rise of conspiracy theorists, opportunists, and provocateurs—what Milbank dubs the “oddballs” of American politics. The book doesn’t shy away from naming names: George Santos, notorious for his fabrications, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, infamous for her “Jewish space lasers” comment, are emblematic of a party Milbank claims is “uniquely terrible at governing.”
Figures like Kevin McCarthy, whose historic ouster as House Speaker followed a pyrrhic victory, embody a system where political maneuvering leads to empty victories and legislative stagnation. Ahead of a second term Trump Presidency what does Milbank’s argument that the McCarthy ouster meant that “the Republican Party had ceased to function as a governing entity” mean?
Milbank critiques the GOP’s shift toward fostering perpetual crisis and grievance, highlighting their penchant for conspiracy-laden rhetoric, evidence-free impeachments, and performative outrage. From their fixation on Hunter Biden to legitimizing white nationalism, Milbank depicts a party increasingly detached from traditional governance and entrenched in a reality of its own making.
Yet the book’s sharp wit and biting humor may leave some readers yearning for more depth. While Milbank’s tales of absurdity entertain, his critiques of bad governance lack a thorough exploration of root causes. Why has this radicalism gained such traction? He gestures at factors like local media decay and the GOP’s internal primary dynamics but stops short of a comprehensive analysis. Some may find his focus on missteps and gaffes too petty, overshadowing the larger consequences of this dysfunction for American democracy.
Milbank’s book is an engaging, often hilarious indictment of a broken political system. While it vividly illustrates the absurdity of modern Congress, it sometimes sacrifices depth for wit. Still, it’s essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the chaos and fury of today’s US politics—and a sobering warning of what may lie ahead.