Book 152: The Politician

The Politician: An Insider’s Account of John Edwards’s Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down, by Andrew Young

I read this mostly because I was interested in a birds-eye view of insider politics, and I sure got an eyeful.

It’s a little frightening to think about how close John Edwards got to the presidency, and to compare the projected image of him to the one written by Young. Quite scary, actually. Elizabeth Edwards is portrayed scarily as well, as both paranoid and controlling. The transcripts of her voicemails…wow.

Now I don’t believe everything I read in “The Politician,” but I’ve also read “Game Change,” and think that anyone who liked Young’s book should check out the other. Reading the two helped me keep a good perspective on what could be true, and what might not be.

While “The Politician” is a story of John Edwards, it is also the story of Andrew Young, Edwards’ inside man. I often wondered why Young put up with the increasing megalomania of John Edwards, the humiliating demands (he acted as butler, house cleaner, chauffeur, and worse), and verbal/emotional abuse heaped on him by both of the Edwards. He seemed like a pathetic guy for a lot of the book – especially when he agreed to accompany Rielle Hunter and claim her baby was his. I wondered even more how his wife put up with it. Young wrote he went along with everything because it was a job, health insurance, and because he felt for sure that when Edwards was elected, he’d be rewarded. That’s another scary thought, actually.

“The Politician” is a bit like a bad soap opera or train-wreck – I couldn’t believe some of the things I was reading, but I just couldn’t stop. Some parts were pretty illuminating, and thought-provoking, and some baffling. A book to read if you’re interested in the Edwards story, or even an insider’s account of politics.

4/5.

Book 98: Game Change

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

The 2008 presidential election is still a topic that fascinates me; I watched news coverage endlessly while it was happening and have been reading books on it as well.

For me, this is the type of book that gets me more interested in American politics, which was previously a subject I never cared much about. “Game Change” has a conversational, even gossipy style, that makes it an entertaining and easy read. I carried it everywhere with me until I finished it – I was *that* engrossed.

The authors cover all the important and not-so-important aspects of the 2008 election, from the Democratic primaries to the general election. There are plenty of revelations that were surprising to me, from how unprepared the McCain campaign was to handle Palin, to how Clinton planned her transfer to the White House before the Democratic primaries were over. I was constantly mentioning interesting tidbits of the book to my father; we’d watched the news coverage in 2008 together and still discuss the election from time to time.

The one thing I would have liked to see in “Game Change” would be a list of everyone mentioned in the book, because sometimes I couldn’t keep straight all of the various campaign staffers. Otherwise, I think it was an excellent book and would recommend it to anyone who wants a great rundown of the game changes of the 2008 presidential election.

4/5.

Book 76: Heart of a Patriot

Heart of a Patriot, by Max Cleland

While reading “Heart of A Patriot,” I kept turning to discuss certain points with my father, as I was continually inspired and amazed by Max Cleland. In this book he briefly describes his childhood and coming of age during the Kennedy era, which inspired him to get into politics. He then delves into his time in Vietnam and the subsequent grenade explosion that took his legs and arm. He spares nothing in recounting his recovery, both physical and mental, and his sheer determination to walk again despite overwhelming odds was incredibly inspiring.

Cleland used politics as a way to find purpose in his life – he wanted to *do* something. And he definitely did something – Georgia state senator, Veterans Affairs Administrator, Secretary of the State of Georgia, U.S. Senator, 9/11 Commission, and Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.

During the 2002 Senate race, Cleland lost his seat to a Republican, likely due in large part to a smear campaign that he felt “took away his service.” His vote for the Iraq War authorization also caused him grief and doubt, and he discusses the thought process behind voting for the resolution in the book. I enjoyed some of the lighter information as well, such as the historical desks in the Senate offices.

Cleland is very clearly a Democrat, and his book tells it how *he* sees it – and I find nothing wrong with that. Even so, if you may have political views on the other side of the spectrum, don’t let that stop you from reading this book. While much of it is political, much is also not, particularly Cleland’s battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the disastrous 2002 Senate race. Some people have said that he sounds like a crybaby, but nothing could be further from the truth; he suffered from extreme depression and anxiety, and fought like a man to overcome PSTD and live a normal life. Cleland’s struggle is inspiring, and I think it’s pretty cool that a normal guy was willing to talk about his struggles so openly, in the hopes that it would help someone else.

4/5.

Book 67: You’ve Come A Long Way, Maybe

You’ve Come A Long Way, Maybe, by Leslie Sanchez

I found this book quite interesting, as when I watched election coverage in 2008, I was struck by the unfairness of the media toward Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. I enjoyed Sanchez’s conversational but informational style as she posed questions, observations, and made conclusions based on polling data, interviews, and opinions.

The author asks the important question of where the first female president will come from, what her background and political experience will be, what her family will consist of. In trying to answer these questions, she compares the backgrounds of Clinton and Palin. Sanchez also looks at how their campaigns were run, and how that impacted the female vote for each candidate (as well as other demographics).

I was most surprised to learn that some of the most insulting or vocal coverage of the female candidates came from *other* females. Sanchez considers the “Mean Girls” factor, and believes that one of the most important lessons all women need to learn is how to fend for themselves in a world where social bullying is a huge problem. It’s an interesting proposition, and one I wouldn’t have thought of without reading this book.

“You’ve Come A Long Way, Maybe,” sparked some good debates in my house as we considered the questions posed by Sanchez, and looked back at the 2008 election coverage.

4/5.

Book 57: Going Rogue

Going Rogue, by Sarah Palin

I really wish Palin would have done more with her book, rather than spend half of it talking about the 2008 presidential campaign (and her thoughts on why they lost). I would have preferred a book more about her – about her childhood, her life experiences, her family, her parenting, etc. I didn’t want to read a book full of political preaching and opinions on the McCain-Palin campaign. But Palin uses “Going Rogue” as a way to explain her actions to her detractors, and set up a possible future election bid.

I did enjoy parts of the book, especially when Palin describes Alaska and her love for the state; I admit, I do have an urge to take a trip and see it. It does sound like a fantastic place, and that’s where Palin’s writing shines.

But overall I wasn’t enthralled, and wasn’t impressed. Palin’s ambition is amazing, to be sure, and her rise to governor from an ordinary mom is interesting, but I just felt while reading that a lot was missing, as she glossed over parts of her life. I think the book would better have been titled “McCain-Palin 2008″ as that was the focus of so much of it. I understand she wants to explain herself, and boy does she ever put a pretty spin on it, but does she really need a whole book for that purpose? No.

However, it did spark some good political debate in my house.

2/5.