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Spin Cycle (Abridged): Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine Audiobook
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(3.02) - 81 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Bill Clinton is the most investigated president since Richard Nixon—facing inquiries into Whitewater, campaign fundraising abuses, and sexual misconduct—and yet he began 1998 with approval ratings as high as those of Ronald Reagan. But the new year has brought a barrage of new allegations, and the president and his advisers face once again the challenge of spinning the news to their advantage, a challenge they have mastered many times before.
In Spin Cycle, award-winning Washington Post reporter Howard Kurtz reveals the inside workings of Clinton's well-oiled propaganda machine—arguably the most successful team of White House spin doctors in history. He pulls back the curtain on events and tactics that the administration would prefer to keep hidden, including:
- A tense, almost paranoid White house atmosphere in which the spinmeisters do not question the president about the various scandals because they don't want to learn information they might have to reveal to prosecutors or the press.
- Bill Clinton's success in reaping favorable publicity by secretly courting selected reporters and columnists in off-the-record White House Meetings.
Spin Cycle is an all-too-human drama in which political operatives wrestle with their consciences as they struggle to protect the boss. As the scandal drums beat louder and louder, Kurtz tells what it takes for the president and his people to survive, and what happens to the truth along the way.
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"A must read for anyone even attempting to discuss politics; explains how trial balloons are used, stories are spun to politicians' benefits, etc. "
— Kathi (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Spin Cycle is a revealing, highly detailed insider account…[which] should dispel any lingering myths about a liberal mainstream press eager to promote the president.”
— New York Time Book Review -
“A must read…one of the best descriptions of the spinning of presidency.”
— USA Today -
“In 300 nail-biting pages, Clinton’s strategists and spinmasters are shown desperately scrambling and bailing to keep a torrent of scandals from sinking the battered ship of state…Spin Cycle provides an intimate view of the daily battles between the president and the media for control of the news.”
— Boston Globe -
“In Spin Cycle, Kurtz has written another winner…[he] does a masterful job describing the relentless and unseemly jockeying for professional advancement and public attention by journalist, the president’s handlers, and the president himself.”
— Detroit Free Press
Spin Cycle Listener Reviews
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" "Wonderfully topical look "
— Jim, 11/6/2012 -
" There was a time when I enjoyed Howie Kurtz; I watched his show, I read his book. Yes, the Clinton Administration spun the news hard. Who doesn't? An interesting look at how presidents manipulate the public. "
— Robert, 9/28/2012 -
" A must read for anyone even attempting to discuss politics; explains how trial balloons are used, stories are spun to politicians' benefits, etc. "
— Kathi, 6/24/2011 -
" There was a time when I enjoyed Howie Kurtz; I watched his show, I read his book. Yes, the Clinton Administration spun the news hard. Who doesn't? An interesting look at how presidents manipulate the public. "
— Robert, 2/12/2011 -
" "Wonderfully topical look ?inside the Clinton propaganda machine.? Little of it comes as a surprise and it?s probably best as a political junkie?s book. Gets a little tiring but serves as a sad commentary on the state of public discourse." "
— Jim, 2/19/2008
About Howard Kurtz
Howard Kurtz has worked as a media reporter for the Washington Post while also writing a weekly column for the newspaper and a daily blog for its website. His work has also appeared in Vanity Fair, Newsweek, New York, and other national magazines. He is the host of CNN’s Reliable Sources, the longest running media criticism show on television, and is the Washington bureau chief for the Daily Beast. He has written multiple books, including Hot Air: All Talk All the Time, named by Business Week as one of the ten best business books of the year, and Media Circus: The Trouble with America’s Newspapers,chosen as the best recent book about the news media by American Journalism Review. He lives with his family in Chevy Chase, Maryland.