Detailed item info | Synopsis | In POLITICS LOST, Washington insider Joe Klein laments the state of politics in America, saying that the life blood of campaigning--and a lot of the fun--have been taken away by handlers, managers, and micromanagers--and we, the people are the ultimate losers.
Politics has always, for better or worse, attracted larger-than-life characters. Now, says Klein, any candidate who has a view, or any semblance of individuality, needs to stifle it, or he or she will be snuffed by their advisors and Stepfordized. Both Democrats and Republicans, including Al Gore and John Dean, have suffered from this problem, and even incumbents such as Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the holders of the most powerful office in the world, have had to always "stay on message"--indeed, the message itself is now micro-managed.
In POLITICS LOST, Washington insider Joe Klein laments the state of politics in America, saying that the life blood of campaigning--and a lot of the fun--have been taken away by handlers, managers, and micromanagers--and we, the people are the ultimate losers.
Politics has always, for better or worse, attracted larger-than-life characters. Now, says Klein, candidates who have a view, or any semblance of individuality, need to stifle it, or they will be snuffed by their advisors and Stepfordized. Both Democrats and Republicans, including Al Gore and John Dean, have suffered from this problem, and even incumbents such as Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, the holders of the most powerful office in the world, have had to always "stay on message"--indeed, the message itself is now micro-managed. In issuing this wake-up call, Joe Klein hopes that his words will fall on the ears of the candidates, who, he thinks, can change things if they stop listening to their pollsters and listen once again to the voice of the people (and to Joe Klein).
Klein, one of today's top political observers, has watched from the inside as consultants, pollsters, the twenty-four-hour cable news cycle, and the lack of courage in so many of our political leaders have chiseled away at Washington's integrity. Klein's intimate knowledge of the system and the people who run it, as well as his backroom access to leading figures, informs his dissection of the last thirty-five years of American politics. Klein still harbors hope for the future, and in addition to his brilliant, if dismaying, analysis of the political landscape of the past three decades, he lays out a plan and a vision for what the next president must do to regain the trust of the country and turn politics back into an honest and passionate profession.--From publisher description.
| | Size | | Length: | 256 pages | | Height: | 9.8 in. | | Width: | 8.5 in. | | Thickness: | 1.2 in. | | Weight: | 18.4 oz. |
| | Publisher's Note | A long-time political analyst and author of Primary Colors sheds new light on the American political system and exposes the corruption that infests that system, offering a provocative, nonpartisan critique of the lack of courage and integrity on the part of many political leaders, as well as a thoughtful and objective vision of what must be done to regain the trust of the American people.
| | Industry reviews | "...Klein ...provides a highly entertaining tour of how political consultants progressively hijacked the presidential campaigns of the last 40 years. In a pundit-dominated culture strikingly devoid of historical memory -- where many commentators barely know why Michael Dukakis lost, let alone why Hubert Humphrey did -- Klein's granular understanding of the political culture of the 1970s and '80s is unusual and impressive....Another great strength of POLITICS LOST is that, whether by accident or design, it models the kind of political discourse Klein would like to see. Against the neutered, white-washed language that dominates contemporary American political life, Klein counterposes his own edgy, raw and often hilarious rhetorical style. Again and again, he uncorks one-liners so good that the reader stops to savor."
(04/30/2006)
"Klein possesses one of the more musical ears in American politics, a gift for hearing what others miss, and he writes with a catchy, tuneful vim....This is, ultimately, an entertaining, valuable work."
(04/30/2006)
"Based on a lifetime of careful observation, [POLITICS LOST] is full of colourful vignettes and wonderful phrases...and it is suffused with powerful affection for the promise of American politics and exasperation at its reality."
(04/22/2006)
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