Bernie Sanders of Vermont uses the story of his 1996 reelection campaign to paint the picture of what it's like to be the first Independent elected to the House of Representatives in 40 years and the only one ever elected to four consecutive terms. Outsider in the House provides a good look at such recent political skirmishes as the Gulf War, NAFTA, and health care reform. In his concluding chapter, Sanders puts forward explicit proposals for tackling such issues as bridging the gap between rich and poor (develop a truly progressive tax code, he says); campaign reform (establish automatic voter registration, end soft money, cap total election expenditures and provide free TV time for political ads); and balancing the budget (drastically cut defense and corporate welfare).