Dr. Jekyl goes to Washington and becomes Mr. Hyde
June 18, 2010 11:04 AM Subscribe
How does a "regular guy" become a national politician?
I'm looking for a book that details and steps through the process of becoming a national level politician warts and all (especially the warts). It can be a biography, expose, or some other style but please make it accurate as opposed to a mere attack piece or hard core partisan polemic.
How did "John Doe" go from such a nice young boy to one of the most powerful and corrupt politicians in US history? What motivates him? Who did he meet along the way? Who was his mentor? What events changed him? What alliances did he form? Who did he betray? What did he get for his betrayal? How does he use his tools of the trade? Gerrymandering, conflict of interest, bribes, congressional back stabs, fund raising, intimidation, unspoken requests, money laundering, earmarks, favors, international influence--the more the better. Any crime contacts? How did he use his power to gain more power?
I'm looking for reading up on the mechanics of "how to become a powerful politician" rather than why I should believe Bush or Clinton is such a dirt bag. If the two paths (mechanics vs. polemics) are inseparable then so be it. I'm reading to understand the mechanics though, not to be convinced "John Doe" is a dirt bag or a saint.
Thank you, hive mind!
I'm looking for a book that details and steps through the process of becoming a national level politician warts and all (especially the warts). It can be a biography, expose, or some other style but please make it accurate as opposed to a mere attack piece or hard core partisan polemic.
How did "John Doe" go from such a nice young boy to one of the most powerful and corrupt politicians in US history? What motivates him? Who did he meet along the way? Who was his mentor? What events changed him? What alliances did he form? Who did he betray? What did he get for his betrayal? How does he use his tools of the trade? Gerrymandering, conflict of interest, bribes, congressional back stabs, fund raising, intimidation, unspoken requests, money laundering, earmarks, favors, international influence--the more the better. Any crime contacts? How did he use his power to gain more power?
I'm looking for reading up on the mechanics of "how to become a powerful politician" rather than why I should believe Bush or Clinton is such a dirt bag. If the two paths (mechanics vs. polemics) are inseparable then so be it. I'm reading to understand the mechanics though, not to be convinced "John Doe" is a dirt bag or a saint.
Thank you, hive mind!
Best answer: It's fictionalized version of what you're talking about, but All the King's Men jumps to mind.
posted by mullacc at 11:11 AM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by mullacc at 11:11 AM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, if my comment doesn't make it clear, I reject your premise that politicians are dirtbags...
posted by 256 at 11:12 AM on June 18, 2010
posted by 256 at 11:12 AM on June 18, 2010
"Game Change" is a good account of the race for the white house. It seems to pick up where Dreams of my Father" left off - all the campaigning, fundraising, playing to the media, etc. that's required on any level of politics.
posted by MesoFilter at 11:20 AM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by MesoFilter at 11:20 AM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Oh, and Oliver Stone's "Nixon" is pretty good on illustrating the behind-the-scenes machinations and compromises inherent in politics.
posted by rhizome at 11:21 AM on June 18, 2010
posted by rhizome at 11:21 AM on June 18, 2010
You might be interested in David McCullough's biography of Harry Truman, which also goes from childhood through Presidency. Although Truman's case seems pretty unusual... he developed a taste for honest local politics but wound up in the Senate thanks to the political bosses in Kansas City, but (at least according to McCullough) maintained his integrity when he got to Washington.
posted by usonian at 11:27 AM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by usonian at 11:27 AM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Team of Rivals" covers this ground for a politician who operated 150 years ago. Although the times have changed, many of the issues (How do I get attention? Why am I doing this? What about all the other people with giant egos around me?) are the same. A great read.
It is probably difficult to get an accurate perspective on this for any president more recent than... Carter. (And he and Ford are not well-researched.) For any given individual politician, you almost always have to wait until they're either dead or they don't care anymore before they will tell you something even close to the truth about how they got to where they are. If one sets one's sights a little lower than the presidency (Ed Koch has written some interesting, score-settling screeds), one discovers a lot of information from the "I don't care anymore" camp. Fun stuff.
posted by aureliobuendia at 11:34 AM on June 18, 2010
It is probably difficult to get an accurate perspective on this for any president more recent than... Carter. (And he and Ford are not well-researched.) For any given individual politician, you almost always have to wait until they're either dead or they don't care anymore before they will tell you something even close to the truth about how they got to where they are. If one sets one's sights a little lower than the presidency (Ed Koch has written some interesting, score-settling screeds), one discovers a lot of information from the "I don't care anymore" camp. Fun stuff.
posted by aureliobuendia at 11:34 AM on June 18, 2010
On the one hand, ordinary people don't become national politicians very often. Becoming a national-office politician, which mostly means US Congress, generally requires a level of ambition that most people would find downright alien.
But yeah, you're fundamentally mistaking what's going on here by focusing so strongly on corrupt and directly power-seeking motives. You're more likely to find people who are true believers about something, again to a degree you might find alien, and who are motivated to run for and win office from a belief that $FOO will help people or be good for the country.
No joke. One track you'll find relatively common are people who were motivated to help others, and couldn't decide between politics and ministry. I know at least one who finally chose politics because, IIRC, he didn't think he had the brains for divinity school.
What you're likely to find that might confirm your ideas is that the people who run for and retain office for a long time are people who are comfortable with making and brokering deals, or even find the process of deal-making and negotiation fun or energizing.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:02 PM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
But yeah, you're fundamentally mistaking what's going on here by focusing so strongly on corrupt and directly power-seeking motives. You're more likely to find people who are true believers about something, again to a degree you might find alien, and who are motivated to run for and win office from a belief that $FOO will help people or be good for the country.
No joke. One track you'll find relatively common are people who were motivated to help others, and couldn't decide between politics and ministry. I know at least one who finally chose politics because, IIRC, he didn't think he had the brains for divinity school.
What you're likely to find that might confirm your ideas is that the people who run for and retain office for a long time are people who are comfortable with making and brokering deals, or even find the process of deal-making and negotiation fun or energizing.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:02 PM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
So, I'm reasonably active in local politics. And one place national politicians come from is local politicians. My current congresscritter started on a local school board, then ran for the statehouse, then for Congress. I have several friends who have run for and been elected to various local and regional offices, and I know several more who have run for state offices or even federal office. I myself was elected to a local school board.
Most people get involved in local politics because they care about something. I care a lot about the community I live in and that it be a good place for my family with good schools. What finally motivated me to run, however, was -- no joke -- the five year old of a friend of mine got left behind on a school bus and the district's response was not just incompetent but really insensitive to the freaking-out mother, and I thought, "This really needs to stop. Someone needs to stop it." And then I thought, "Well, I'm someone." And of course once you start learning about the issues and getting involved -- through neighborhood associations, through PTAs, through civic volunteerism, through local elected offices -- you learn about more issues, and more issues, and you want to fix more of them. And for some people, that means taking the step to run for the next office "up the ladder." And then sometimes the next. Most of the people I know who are involved in politics are there not because they want money or power, but because they care a lot about their communities. Not even so much the issues, though of course issues matter, but they care a DAMN lot about their communities.
Now, getting to Congress from local politics. It helps to be from a small place. If you're in a New York City or a Chicago or an LA, the field is crowded with political dynasties and big money families and just a LOT of candidates. If you're from somewhere smaller, it's easier to make a mark and get a foot in the door. Secondly, timing matters. My current Congresscritter got lucky with the retirement of our long-time Congressman (of his same party), just when the young'un was looking to move up somewhere. A friend of mine lost a democratic primary for the statehouse (to another friend of mine, awkward!) because the primary that year had SUCH strong candidates; in any other year, he would have had a cakewalk. A friend of mine on the GOP side running for judge is facing an unusually thick field this year (possibly partly because of the recession ... judgeships start to look like very secure legal employment!). Once you're in a position of power, you gotta constituent service the crap out of people. Constituent services is how you get re-elected, or elected to the next office up. People may not pay a lot of attention to local news, but they pay a heck of a lot of attention to the city councilwoman who fixes their problem with trash pickup (as my councilperson did this morning for me!).
I do notice a difference in constituent services between politicians who "come up through the ranks" starting with local offices, and those who are basically wealthy ideologues who buy their way into politics (usually as part of a family dynasty or after leaving a lucrative business). The wealthy buy-ins don't tend to understand the politics of the job as well, don't get as much done, and don't do as much constituent service. That may be why some of them flame out so quickly. The years of meeting and working with other politicians on your way up is part of how those connections and coalitions are built for politicians who become powerful.
What has been shocking to me, after a year in office, is how very, very much of our country runs on and relies on regular, workaday people who care enough about their communities to take on unpaid (or badly paid) jobs in local politics and who work incredibly hard at those jobs. City councils, county boards, school boards, water districts, park districts, community college boards, coroners, township presidents ... and then the appointed community boards like zoning and liquor licensing ... and then volunteer commitments like PTAs and neighborhood associations and neighborhood watches and lord knows what else. There are literally hundreds of people in every community who are willing to put that kind of time and effort and energy into improving their communities, mostly for free or very little pay. It's hard damn work.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:49 PM on June 18, 2010 [10 favorites]
Most people get involved in local politics because they care about something. I care a lot about the community I live in and that it be a good place for my family with good schools. What finally motivated me to run, however, was -- no joke -- the five year old of a friend of mine got left behind on a school bus and the district's response was not just incompetent but really insensitive to the freaking-out mother, and I thought, "This really needs to stop. Someone needs to stop it." And then I thought, "Well, I'm someone." And of course once you start learning about the issues and getting involved -- through neighborhood associations, through PTAs, through civic volunteerism, through local elected offices -- you learn about more issues, and more issues, and you want to fix more of them. And for some people, that means taking the step to run for the next office "up the ladder." And then sometimes the next. Most of the people I know who are involved in politics are there not because they want money or power, but because they care a lot about their communities. Not even so much the issues, though of course issues matter, but they care a DAMN lot about their communities.
Now, getting to Congress from local politics. It helps to be from a small place. If you're in a New York City or a Chicago or an LA, the field is crowded with political dynasties and big money families and just a LOT of candidates. If you're from somewhere smaller, it's easier to make a mark and get a foot in the door. Secondly, timing matters. My current Congresscritter got lucky with the retirement of our long-time Congressman (of his same party), just when the young'un was looking to move up somewhere. A friend of mine lost a democratic primary for the statehouse (to another friend of mine, awkward!) because the primary that year had SUCH strong candidates; in any other year, he would have had a cakewalk. A friend of mine on the GOP side running for judge is facing an unusually thick field this year (possibly partly because of the recession ... judgeships start to look like very secure legal employment!). Once you're in a position of power, you gotta constituent service the crap out of people. Constituent services is how you get re-elected, or elected to the next office up. People may not pay a lot of attention to local news, but they pay a heck of a lot of attention to the city councilwoman who fixes their problem with trash pickup (as my councilperson did this morning for me!).
I do notice a difference in constituent services between politicians who "come up through the ranks" starting with local offices, and those who are basically wealthy ideologues who buy their way into politics (usually as part of a family dynasty or after leaving a lucrative business). The wealthy buy-ins don't tend to understand the politics of the job as well, don't get as much done, and don't do as much constituent service. That may be why some of them flame out so quickly. The years of meeting and working with other politicians on your way up is part of how those connections and coalitions are built for politicians who become powerful.
What has been shocking to me, after a year in office, is how very, very much of our country runs on and relies on regular, workaday people who care enough about their communities to take on unpaid (or badly paid) jobs in local politics and who work incredibly hard at those jobs. City councils, county boards, school boards, water districts, park districts, community college boards, coroners, township presidents ... and then the appointed community boards like zoning and liquor licensing ... and then volunteer commitments like PTAs and neighborhood associations and neighborhood watches and lord knows what else. There are literally hundreds of people in every community who are willing to put that kind of time and effort and energy into improving their communities, mostly for free or very little pay. It's hard damn work.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:49 PM on June 18, 2010 [10 favorites]
You're more likely to find people who are true believers about something, again to a degree you might find alien
My anecdotal evidence confirms this. Honestly, corruption- to the extent that it exists, which is probably less than you think - seems to come much later.
However, for a fictional look at the seedy underside of political ambition and the psyche, read In the Lake of the Woods.
posted by lunasol at 1:03 PM on June 18, 2010
My anecdotal evidence confirms this. Honestly, corruption- to the extent that it exists, which is probably less than you think - seems to come much later.
However, for a fictional look at the seedy underside of political ambition and the psyche, read In the Lake of the Woods.
posted by lunasol at 1:03 PM on June 18, 2010
Best answer: LBJ via Robert Caro.
From the Amazon review: "Though stronger on Johnson's duplicity and naked self-promotion than his intelligence and charm, Caro nails it all. He chronicles the evolution of an attention-demanding youth from the Texas hill country into a seasoned congressman who would abandon his ardent espousal of the New Deal as soon as it ceased to be expedient. The dirty details begin with college elections that earn young Lyndon a reputation as a crook and a liar; Caro goes on to unravel financial shenanigans of impressive ingenuity. Johnson's consuming desire to get ahead and his political genius "unencumbered by philosophy or ideology" are staggering. The White House, Great Society, and Vietnam lie ahead when the main narrative closes in 1941, but the roots of Johnson's future achievements and tragic failures are laid bare. This biography may well stand as the best book written in the second half of the 20th century about personal ambition inextricably linked with historic change." --Wendy Smith
posted by neuron at 1:16 PM on June 18, 2010
From the Amazon review: "Though stronger on Johnson's duplicity and naked self-promotion than his intelligence and charm, Caro nails it all. He chronicles the evolution of an attention-demanding youth from the Texas hill country into a seasoned congressman who would abandon his ardent espousal of the New Deal as soon as it ceased to be expedient. The dirty details begin with college elections that earn young Lyndon a reputation as a crook and a liar; Caro goes on to unravel financial shenanigans of impressive ingenuity. Johnson's consuming desire to get ahead and his political genius "unencumbered by philosophy or ideology" are staggering. The White House, Great Society, and Vietnam lie ahead when the main narrative closes in 1941, but the roots of Johnson's future achievements and tragic failures are laid bare. This biography may well stand as the best book written in the second half of the 20th century about personal ambition inextricably linked with historic change." --Wendy Smith
posted by neuron at 1:16 PM on June 18, 2010
Well, I never get tired of recommending "Dreams from my Father." It's one of the better pieces of autobiography out there and takes Obama seamlessly from childhood to the Senate.
I just took a quick glance at the epilogue, because this description didn't square with my memory. In fact, the book largely ends with his trip to Kenya in 1988, though there are a few details about his life up through his wedding in 1992 and a bit after. So it ends years before he even ran for state senate - which makes sense, because the book originally came out in 1995. Still a very good book, but doesn't really discuss Obama's own electoral politics (he does talk a lot about Harold Washington, though).
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 4:50 PM on June 18, 2010
I just took a quick glance at the epilogue, because this description didn't square with my memory. In fact, the book largely ends with his trip to Kenya in 1988, though there are a few details about his life up through his wedding in 1992 and a bit after. So it ends years before he even ran for state senate - which makes sense, because the book originally came out in 1995. Still a very good book, but doesn't really discuss Obama's own electoral politics (he does talk a lot about Harold Washington, though).
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 4:50 PM on June 18, 2010
Response by poster: Anybody read "Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" again by Robert Caro? Amazon reviews has an average of five stars with 123 reviews (Wow!)
The most absorbing, detailed, instructive, provocative book ever published about the making and raping of modern New York City and environs and the man who did it, about the hidden plumbing of New York City and State politics over the last half-century, about the force of personality and the nature of political power in a democracy. A monumental work, a political biography and political history of the first magnitude
This is a study of the corruption which power exerts on those who wield it to set beside Tacitus and his emperors, Shakespeare and his kings
That's the kinda thing I'm looking for! It's all about New York power not really "national power" but, meh, I can extrapolate.
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 2:30 PM on June 21, 2010
The most absorbing, detailed, instructive, provocative book ever published about the making and raping of modern New York City and environs and the man who did it, about the hidden plumbing of New York City and State politics over the last half-century, about the force of personality and the nature of political power in a democracy. A monumental work, a political biography and political history of the first magnitude
This is a study of the corruption which power exerts on those who wield it to set beside Tacitus and his emperors, Shakespeare and his kings
That's the kinda thing I'm looking for! It's all about New York power not really "national power" but, meh, I can extrapolate.
posted by Lord Fancy Pants at 2:30 PM on June 21, 2010
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On a more anecdotal note, if you pay any attention to municipal politics, you'll see all the same forces playing out as on the national level, just writ small. Both of my parents were/are municipal politicians and it gives a really good window into how the ordinary world and the world of politics fit together. And, also, many (most?) national level politicians come up by gaining currency within the party on a state/provincial or municipal level.
posted by 256 at 11:11 AM on June 18, 2010