Ezra's Bookshelf

Showdown at Gucci Gulch

by Alan Murray · 334 pages · ~6 hrs

Politics & GovernmentEconomics

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Alan Murray and Jeffrey Birnbaum chronicle the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the most sweeping change to the income tax since its creation. The legislation, which eliminated many deductions and lowered rates, seemed impossible at its inception—every interest group would resist losing its preference. The book explains how Reagan administration officials, congressional leaders, and a few persistent legislators nevertheless pushed the bill through. The title refers to the hallway outside congressional hearing rooms where lobbyists gather. Murray and Birnbaum, both journalists who covered the process, write with insider knowledge of the negotiations, threats, and compromises that produced the law. The book is a case study in legislating against interest-group pressure, showing both what's possible and how contingent such achievements are. Since 1986, many of the reforms have been undone as new preferences accumulated. But the story retains lessons for anyone interested in how major legislation happens despite the forces arrayed against it.

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