Passionately argued but technical and tedious.
An examination of the obstacles that independent and third-party candidates face while running for office.
“I have concluded that the laws, regulations, and barriers we have in place against political competition in the United States are only one short step removed from countries where the state itself predetermines the slate [of candidates],” writes Amato, the manager for Ralph Nader’s 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. After two tumultuous electoral cycles during which the Nader campaign withstood numerous lawsuits, the wrath of the Democratic Party and an alternately indifferent and hostile media, Amato came to the realization that the current political system has institutionalized discrimination against candidates who do not belong to either the Republican or Democratic parties. According to the author—and Nader, who wrote the book’s foreword—such discrimination stifles alternative voices and limits voter choice on Election Day. Despite a rich national history of upstart parties and non-mainstream candidates, the two-party system has become so entrenched in the U.S. political arena that it seems natural to citizens. Amato argues that in order to maintain their political dominance, the two parties have erected barriers that disallow independent and third-party candidates from competing on a level playing field. In detail-saturated prose, the author expounds on the ballot access laws, opaque electoral regulations and “bipartisan” commissions that thwart alternative candidates and preserve the status quo. The tone is forceful and spirited, but too often Amato provides excessive information without tethering her argument to the overarching narrative. While she makes clear that the book is not a “political memoir or a campaign tell-all,” the most engaging sections mix analysis with colorful personal anecdotes. Amato is less effective in her conclusion, where she offers a laundry list of state and federal reforms that becomes more mind-numbing than informative.
Passionately argued but technical and tedious.Pub Date: June 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-59558-394-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: The New Press
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2009
A heartfelt if somewhat unsurprising view of old age by the former president. Carter (Living Faith, 1996, etc.) succinctly evaluates the evolution and current status of federal policies concerning the elderly (including a balanced appraisal of the difficulties facing the Social Security system). He also meditates, while drawing heavily on autobiographical anecdotes, on the possibilities for exploration and intellectual and spiritual growth in old age. There are few lightning bolts to dazzle in his prescriptions (cultivate family ties; pursue the restorative pleasures of hobbies and socially minded activities). Yet the warmth and frankness of Carter’s remarks prove disarming. Given its brevity, the work is more of a call to senior citizens to reconsider how best to live life than it is a guide to any of the details involved.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 1998
ISBN: 0-345-42592-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1998
Less a sequel than an addendum, the book offers a close-up view of the Oval Office in its darkest hour.
Four decades after Watergate shook America, journalist Woodward (The Price of Politics, 2012, etc.) returns to the scandal to profile Alexander Butterfield, the Richard Nixon aide who revealed the existence of the Oval Office tapes and effectively toppled the presidency.
Of all the candidates to work in the White House, Butterfield was a bizarre choice. He was an Air Force colonel and wanted to serve in Vietnam. By happenstance, his colleague H.R. Haldeman helped Butterfield land a job in the Nixon administration. For three years, Butterfield worked closely with the president, taking on high-level tasks and even supervising the installation of Nixon’s infamous recording system. The writing here is pure Woodward: a visual, dialogue-heavy, blow-by-blow account of Butterfield’s tenure. The author uses his long interviews with Butterfield to re-create detailed scenes, which reveal the petty power plays of America’s most powerful men. Yet the book is a surprisingly funny read. Butterfield is passive, sensitive, and dutiful, the very opposite of Nixon, who lets loose a constant stream of curses, insults, and nonsensical bluster. Years later, Butterfield seems conflicted about his role in such an eccentric presidency. “I’m not trying to be a Boy Scout and tell you I did it because it was the right thing to do,” Butterfield concedes. It is curious to see Woodward revisit an affair that now feels distantly historical, but the author does his best to make the story feel urgent and suspenseful. When Butterfield admitted to the Senate Select Committee that he knew about the listening devices, he felt its significance. “It seemed to Butterfield there was absolute silence and no one moved,” writes Woodward. “They were still and quiet as if they were witnessing a hinge of history slowly swinging open….It was as if a bare 10,000 volt cable was running through the room, and suddenly everyone touched it at once.”
Less a sequel than an addendum, the book offers a close-up view of the Oval Office in its darkest hour.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1644-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2015
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