Presidental Elections & Candidates, U.S. Politics & Government - 20th Century, U.S. Politics & Government - 1992-2001
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Overview
A savage dispatch from the 1996 campaign by an author whose last book was praised by the Washington Times as "among the best campaign writing ever and unquestionably the funniest since H.L. Mencken's". From the campaign finance scandals to why Clinton insisted his debates be 90 minutes long (that meant they went past Dole's usual 10:00 p.m. bedtime) to the contenders for the next election, Show Time delivers an entertaining read.Editorials
Library Journal
Journalist Simon, the author of Road Show (LJ 9/1/90), a similarly irreverent book on the 1988 presidential contest, here concentrates on the day-to-day campaign strategies and media presence in the 1996 campaign. Filled with rich, fascinating descriptions and dialog, it highlights the contrasting personal styles of candidates Clinton and Dole. Their full characters are revealedthe flaws and excesses as well as the strengths. Simon considers Clinton a "master of the visual image," and he dismisses Ross Perot as a "loony" (though an entire chapter is devoted to his campaign). The central role of the media on the election is most effectively depicted in a chapter on Larry King's activities during the Iowa caucuses. President Clinton's campaign tactics even extended to getting the debates to run past Bob Dole's 10:00 p.m. bedtime. This is possibly the most entertaining campaign book since Hunter S. Thompson's classic Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 (LJ 6/1/73). Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PABook Details
Published
March 1, 1998
Publisher
New York : Times Books, c1998.
Pages
345
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780812929638