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Politics Lost: How American Democracy Was Trivialized By People Who Think You're Stupid Audiobook
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(3.10) - 416 listener ratings
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People on the right are furious. People on the left are livid. And the center isn’t holding. There is only one thing on which almost everyone agrees: there is something very wrong in Washington. The country is being run by pollsters. Few politicians are able to win the voters’ trust. Blame abounds and personal responsibility is nowhere to be found. There is a cynicism in Washington that appalls those in every state, red or blue. The question is: Why? The more urgent question is: What can be done about it?
Few people are more qualified to deal with both questions than Joe Klein.
There are many loud and opinionated voices on the political scene, but no one sees or writes with the clarity that this respected observer brings to the table. He has spent a lifetime enmeshed in politics, studying its nuances, its quirks, and its decline. He is as angry and fed up as the rest of us, so he has decided to do something about it—in these pages, he vents, reconstructs, deconstructs, and reveals how and why our leaders are less interested in leading than they are in the “permanent campaign” that political life has become.
The book opens with a stirring anecdote from the night of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Klein re-creates the scene of Robert Kennedy’s appearance in a black neighborhood in Indianapolis, where he gave a gut-wrenching, poetic speech that showed respect for the audience, imparted dignity to all who listened, and quelled a potential riot. Appearing against the wishes of his security team, it was one of the last truly courageous and spontaneous acts by an American politician—and it is no accident that Klein connects courage to spontaneity. From there, Klein begins his analysis—campaign by campaign—of how things went wrong. From the McGovern campaign polling techniques to Roger Ailes’s combative strategy for Nixon; from Reagan’s reinvention of the Republican Party to Lee Atwater’s equally brilliant reinvention of behind-the-scenes strategizing; from Jimmy Carter to George H. W. Bush to Bill Clinton to George W.—as well as inside looks at the losing sides—we see how the Democrats become diffuse and frightened, how the system becomes unbalanced, and how politics becomes less and less about ideology and more and more about how to gain and keep power. By the end of one of the most dismal political runs in history—Kerry’s 2004 campaign for president—we understand how such traits as courage, spontaneity, and leadership have disappeared from our political landscape.
In a fascinating final chapter, the author refuses to give easy answers since the push for easy answers has long been part of the problem. But he does give thoughtful solutions that just may get us out of this mess—especially if any of the 2008 candidates happen to be paying attention.
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"This is much more intelligent and informative and worthwhile than the silly title would suggest. It's an insider history of the American political process in the television age. Not especially ideological or partisan, and not a rant, except maybe in the short final chapter. This is a good book. "
— Mike (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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No other book published on [Clinton] offers such smart analysis, judicious reporting, or accomplished prose. Klein’s account of the presidency is remarkably balanced and intelligent.
— Los Angeles Times -
[The Natural] is a book with insight, balance, and bright writing . . . A century from now, some serious historian will be glad that Klein wrote this slender book . . . A mother lode of contemporary observations.
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch -
Funny, adroitly written, and, in sum, the first savvy synthesis of the Clinton Age.
— William Kennedy, front page, New York Times Book Review -
An absolutely dazzling book, the best political novel in many years, one that manages to be simultaneously cynical and redemptive, funny and profound, reportorial, satirical, and thrilling.
— Christopher Buckley, The New Yorker -
Breaks all the rules and lives to tell about it . . . There is a wonderful honesty about [Primary Colors], a refusal to give in to the conventional interpretation of people and events that cripples so much that is written about politics.
— Michael Lewis, New York Times Book Review -
A delight to read. The author knows politics . . . and writes like a dream.
— Alex Beam, Boston Globe
Politics Lost Listener Reviews
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" Klein describes how the business of polling and campaign advising has led most Presidential candidates to package and sell themselves rather than speak from the heart. "
— Deborah, 2/11/2014 -
" Klein describes how the business of polling and campaign advising has led most Presidential candidates to package and sell themselves rather than speak from the heart. "
— Deborah, 2/11/2014 -
" Interesting look at the problems with politics, but it would take a whole library to cover all problems. "
— Garrett, 1/15/2014 -
" Interesting look at the problems with politics, but it would take a whole library to cover all problems. "
— Garrett, 1/15/2014 -
" Great insights -- fair to both parties -- great information. Teaches and reaches out much more than it preaches. Joel is a great writer and wordsmith. "
— Joseph, 12/3/2013 -
" Great insights -- fair to both parties -- great information. Teaches and reaches out much more than it preaches. Joel is a great writer and wordsmith. "
— Joseph, 12/3/2013 -
" Strong prose. Hangs together well. Left-centrist perspective; you don't get the impression that he has a blind spot where the GOP is concerned. "
— Thomas, 11/26/2013 -
" Strong prose. Hangs together well. Left-centrist perspective; you don't get the impression that he has a blind spot where the GOP is concerned. "
— Thomas, 11/26/2013 -
" Joe Klein's take on political handlers since Pat Caddell - mostly Democratic campaigns with stories full of gossipy inside info with tons of players and their role. "
— Kcallihan, 11/25/2013 -
" Joe Klein's take on political handlers since Pat Caddell - mostly Democratic campaigns with stories full of gossipy inside info with tons of players and their role. "
— Kcallihan, 11/25/2013 -
" What a wonderfully down to earth book. Joe Klein writes of the transition of the political process from issue based to character (i.e. PR) based. "
— Karmen, 11/5/2013
About Joe Klein
Joe Klein is a political columnist for Time, formerly a staff writer for the New Yorker, and the author of the novels Primary Colors and The Running Mate, as well as of nonfiction books, including Woody Guthrie: A Life and Payback: Five Marines after Vietnam.
About Terence McGovern
Terence McGovern has had all-around success in radio and television broadcasting, in commercials and voice-overs, and in animation and in feature movies throughout his career. While working on Star Wars, Terry was given those immortal words: “These are not the droids we’re looking for.” Terry has also worked on hundreds of commercials, on-camera and voice-over. In addition, he became a star animation voice, creating the voice of Launchpad McQuack for Walt Disney’s Ducktales and Darkwing Duck. His stage roles range from Shakespeare to musical comedy; from Tennessee Williams to Neil Simon. Terry McGovern teaches commercial and character voice, as well as scene and monologue acting at Voice One in San Francisco, and serves on the faculty of The University of San Francisco and The College of Marin.