What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer

About six weeks ago the good folks at Amazon ran a special in which this seminal political book was available for the Kindle at some ridiculously low price. Long having had it on my to read list I picked it up.

Much as been written about this book over the years. Following in the tradition of Teddy White's The Making of the President Series, only with much more detail and personal history, Cramer's book has for almost two decades been considered the gold standard of political campaign reporting.

In an odd and sad twist when I had made my way about halfway through the book the author, still a relatively young man at 62, passed away. As the tributes flowed in fast and furious if there was any doubt of the importance of what I was reading it soon disappeared.

The book is quite simply a stunning description of the 1988 political race for the Presidency. Following six candidates, four Democrats and the two Republican frontrunners Kramer tells the story of the race through each campaigns eyes as well as providing a significant biography and personal history of each man.

There is much to take away from the book, much indeed, but if anyone is to take away any one thing it is this. The process by which we choose a President, the amount of power the press has to determine the agenda and in many respects the outcome, is beyond measure and out of control. This my friends was in 1988. Imagine now, almost 25 years later how much worse it would be.

It is interesting to note that upon his death how many reporters and members of the media praised this man who, by my estimation, had a great deal of frustration with the role of the press in the campaign.

Reading this book I was struck by a few incidents and stories. To try to offer a view of the book in any detail is beyond a book review or blog post. The book is over one thousand pages, one suspects that is why the initial reviews upon it's release were not that good, the press is and has become, by and large, lazy. Much easier to criticize a book as long winded and filled with minutiae than read it. Over time however the book took hold, people realized how special it was.

It should become a lesson for would be reporters and would be political candidates, a how not to do it if you will. By looking at our press today one suspects however that while they respect the work the lessons are soon lost in the heat of the moment.

If you do not remember on the Republican side that year it was the sitting Vice President George Bush the first versus Kansas Senator Bob Dole. By the end of the book it is very apparent that Cramer had a strong affinity for both these men and their basic goodness. It is surprising in fact to look back, with the benefit of twenty five years of history to see how these two good men, good public servants, truly did not like each other.

Their back stories could not have been different. Poor in Kansas or rich on the East Coast, yet both their parents raised them right. Both served their country heroically. Bush was shot down as a young pilot, Dole suffered life threatening and life changing injuries. Both were party men through the rise and fall of Nixon, both lost to Reagan in 1980 and both considered 1988 their last chance at the Presidency.


On the Democratic side there were a multitude of candidates but it was a truly cannibalistic affair. It was here that the press was out of control. The frontrunner as the field was set was Gary Hart. Hart who had lost to Mondale in 1984 seemed filled with destiny. Resigning his Senate seat in 1986 so he could concentrate full time on the Presidency Hart ended up run out of the race because of as Cramer puts it " the Karacter issue." The scenes of the press as they set upon Hart are truly disturbing. The pack mentality is something that should make anyone, left or right, uncomfortable. The most disturbing thing in the whole story of Gary Hart is how incredibly talented he was. How he was ready to be President, how he had a plan beyond anything any of the other candidates even thought about. Yet, he lost it all. He made mistakes but the press ruined him. One has to wonder if some of the men that Cramer profiles on the press side ever forgave him for showing their unattractive sides.

Joe Biden, our Vice President was also in that race. Just as he was catching fire Biden blew up over the plagiarism charges. Even though he had credited the British politician Neil Kinnock when using the line in previous speeches Biden did not in one speech and the story took hold. There might never have been a man better suited to be President. As he rose in the polls the squeaky clean campaign of Mike Dukakis leaked tapes of Biden speaking and blew the whistle on the Kinnock story. Biden was at worst sloppy but it was a ridiculous story and if anything the laziness of the press in the destruction of Joe Biden was even worse.

Dukakis is portrayed as just what he was. A highly moral, holier than thou Greek American who had been a highly successful Governor who believed in the process. He was aghast when the Biden leak came back to his staff. One has no doubt believing he did not know, but yet he just cannot come across as likable. In retirement as I wrote he is still the same man, proper and good. Yet there is no doubt that his refusal to be a politician, his inability to relate cost him the Presidency.

I write last about Richard Gephardt because his story is probably the most moving in the book. This man who seemed destined for great things. This man who was the ideal Democrat, the liberal. He lost. And as I wrote recently in my political blog there is no example in modern politics of a man who has sold his soul more worse than Richard Gephardt. Read this book and look at all of Gephardt's issues and core concerns. Then look at who he lobbies for today and what sides he has worked for and against in his career since leaving Congress. It is the worst story you will hear this week, this month, this year, it is bad enough to be a bad politician, what Gephardt has done is akin to the Devil being kicked out of Heaven, He is a political Judas. Disgusting in the extreme.

Carve out some time before the next round of Presidential politics. This book should be read before 2016. Then you will have the knowledge of a race 28 years ago, and see how little has changed. In a sense 1988 was the beginning of the end, any leftover regard for the Presidency, much in decline after Watergate, was gone after Reagan left office, after Hart and Biden were run out of office. Four years later we had Bill Clinton who unlike Hart survived his mistakes but it has never been the same. In today's world there is always chum in the water. Richard Ben Cramer describes when any luster in running for the Presidency was lost for good.

Wallace by Stephan Lesher

George Wallace was a pivotal figure in the politics of the second half of the twentieth century. Much is made of Barry Goldwater's ill fated fun in 1964 presaging the conservative revolution that came about with Ronald Reagan but what is overlooked is that the voters that streamed to Wallace in 68 and 72 were the voters that when the Wallace train stopped eventually landed in the Republican camp.

Wallace made his name as an anti segregationist. He ended his political life in 1987 after his fifth term ( if one counts the one term his wife Lurleen stood as his proxy) as the Governor of Alabama. In between he shook the Democratic party to it's as he put it " their eye teeth."

Wallace even in the early days dressed up his segregationist policies in the flag of states rights. Was Wallace prejuidiced against Negroes. It would seem that if he was, it was to a much lesser extent than many of his supporters. Still being a product of his times and geography it is very likely that there were some prejuidices in his soul. However much more pertinent was his use of others bigotry to advance his political cause. Realizing that in the state of Alabama success could not come with anything approaching equal treatment of blacks Wallace hopped willingly aboard.

However as the book makes clear as reprehensible as some of his actions were and as terrible as some of the results of his actions it is unlikely that any other politician that was successful in Alabama would have behaved differently. And by in the case of desegregation of schools and colleges in Alabama Wallace was adamant that people stay home and allow him to be the block. He knew he never would be but he truly was trying to avert violence and bloodshed.

More importantly in terms of his national ambitions Wallace was a populist. His views were to help the little man, tax the rich, keep government under local control albeit with largesse from the federal treasury. Wallace ran strong in 1968 and was on his way to controlling a significant number of Democratic delegates when gunned down by an asassins bullet in Maryland in 1972. His career as a national candidate faded as his disability put him in a wheelchair.

Wallace was always colorful, three wives, stormy relations with the courts and the press but through it all he provided a roadmap for the successful campaigns of both Carter and Reagan. Reagan Democrats were certainly Wallace Democrats.

This complicated hard to understand and categorize man was a crucial figure. While not the best biography I have ever read it is not due to the potential subject matter. One wonders how far, how influential Wallace might have been had not he been shot. A better book could illuminate even more brightly this polarizing man.

Rawhide Down, The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan by Del Quentin Wilber

I had been interested in this book after hearing about its forthcoming publication a few months ago. The book, a short one, gives a very detailed description of of the events of March 30, 1981, the day that John Hinckley attempted to kill the President.

I remember this day vividly. I was in high school, sophomore year, and not a fan of Reagan at all. However it was a huge moment. I remember the controversy that took place because the NCAA chose to play the championship game that night rather than postpone it.

Del Quentin Wilber tells us many details that we did not know, but the inescapable fact through the whole book is how very close the President was to death. We hear from the doctors and nurses, agents and members of the administration and we also learn a bit of a backstory on Hinckley and hear his actions on that fateful day.

As the 30th anniversary has come this month there has been much talk about Hinckley and his unsupervised releases from the mental facility in which he has lived for the last 30 years. I am unsure how I feel about this controversy. If he was truly mentally ill or incapacitated when he made the decisions that led to the assassination attempt by law once deemed cured he is to be released. It is likely had he shot John Smith and been found insane he would have been released already. However like Sirhan Sirhan and Mark David Chapman he is finding that the notireity sought when killing a world famous figure is often harmful to any chance for release that otherwise might be received later in life.

Reagan comes across as likable and genuine in this book. Not being a fan of his policies I have felt for years and certainly since having read Lou Cannon's biographies of Mr. Reagan it has been easy to see why he was so well liked even by his political adversaries. We have heard the stories of he and Tip O' Neil battling all day and then having drinks after six. The appeal of that sort of a professional, adult relationship is long missing in Washington.

Reagan was an actor, so he knew how to present himself in an appealing light. Even so it is a rare politician today that could make you like him while disagreeing with him. Reagan was one who could.

A very worthwhile book.

Governor Reagan by Lou Cannon

As I continue to read biographies of the Presidents I chose Lou Cannon's work on Reagan. This book was quite good. Cannon clearly admires Reagan but is not above acknowledging mistakes and errors when and where he feels they are present.

Learning about Reagan's youth is interesting. As a lifeguard he saved many lives, clearly he was good at it. He had a winning personality even when young but also then a personality which made him seem superficial, never fully exposed and trusting.

As he moved to Hollywood and began his career in acting he had success instantly. His movie contract at one time and one negotiation made him the highest paid contract in the business. Later as his movie career was winding down an as President of the SAG he made some deals on movie rights that seemed to be a bit of a conflict of interest later.

As Governor and later in his campaigns for President in 1976 and 1980 Reagan did a much better job than he is given credit for. However he also was not the raging conservative Republicans love to make him out to be. He might have had those ideas, but he was above all things a pragmatist that was a firm believer in getting some of what you wanted rather than stand on ideals and accomplish nothing.

Interestingly he is described as making good decisions but his decisions could be hampered if the right information for his choices was given to him. That is he did not always seek out more information than what was given. This would lead to an ability to be manipulated by his subordinates which depending on whose stories you believe did happen from time to time.

This is an interesting read and I look forward to the next book in the series.