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Rating:  Summary: A Roadmap to winning an election - but what then? Review: Another straight forward, straight talking and an insider's informative book which the public and all political pundits will enjoy. Dick Morris for all who critique him pretty much follows the public's wishes and get them what they want and this book helps explain that in vivid detail. Whatever you want to say about Mr. Morris, I tell you now, he is a refreshing breath of reality in politics and is not afraid to speak his mind or convey his attitude of knowledge which is considerable. When confronted by scandal he admits the truth, takes responsibility and moves on with life, the exact same thing the Bible and any Self-Help book teaches you.. The book does the same in many aspects of the subject matter. We are never perfect, but we can try to be, and Dick Morris comes closest to political perfection than any other political person in awhile. The book is excellent pure excellence.
Rating:  Summary: Good observations...less than desirable messenger Review: For many liberal Democrats like myself, Mr. Morris's plan to take the Democratic party rightward was a mixed blessing. On one hand, it cracked the Republican stranglehold on suburbia that hardened during the Reagan-Bush years and insulated Clinton from appearing too soft--charges that had plauged both George McGovern and Walter Mondale during their respective candidacies. On the other hand, it appropriated some of the very same imagery and concepts that people such as myself found repugnant such as overly simplistic notions of faith and family. Morris's observations come from a man who was in the trenches of what many people said was impossible past the 1960's--a two term Democratic adminstration that managed to retain the support of more solidly left groups on civil rights, reproductive issues and idenity politics while reaching out and embracing fiscal conservatives and moderates who would other wise believe that every democrat is uniformally of the "Tax and Spend" and "godless" variety. Indeed, there is a certain irony that a man who encouraged the Democratic party to downplay some of it's most distingushing principles on social policy wound up himself subject to some virtrolic character examinations following public disclosure of a political affair of his own. Although the resulting fallout did not profoundly impact his boss's success, it did damage Morris's own ability to effect political change and realignment. What had seemed creepy and moralizing before now appeared to be laughably hypocritical and ironically self-serving.
Rating:  Summary: Good Lessons for 2002 Review: I have seen Dick Morris occasionally on Fox News. He seems to be very intelligent, and his role in the Clinton administration is legendary. His book The New Prince is not just his version of Chris Matthews Hardball. Instead, it is a political self help book, loosely based on The Prince, by Machiavelli. It offers some very good advice, though it is not written for average people, like Hardball. There is also a shortage of stories to illustrate Morris's points. Instead of being a book for the curious, it is a handbook for a future politician. The most valuable part of the book is very applicable in the 2002 Texas Gubernatorial race: Focus on the issues, and don't rely on negative campaigning.
Rating:  Summary: !!!Great Book!!! Review: In this book Morris is able to potray the highlights and less wonderful things about modern politics. Unlike most books where they just focus on the bad. Also, I'm yet to finish I'm only approx. 2/3 of the way through, and he has still maintained a non-partison outlook on politics! !!!!!HIGHTLY RECOMEND IF YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN POLITICS!!!!!
Rating:  Summary: Do as I say, not as I do. Review: This is an interesting read. Morris describes how the new political system works. Since he and his best bud Bill Clinton upset the political formula in the nineties, this was something to behold. This book is chock full of good advice. I can repeat them here: have a message, focus that message to the voters, forget about the undecided-they don't vote anyway, stay positive, when the election turns dirty, focus on your opponents misrepresentations, etc. I don't think Morris actually followed this advice, but hey, what do you expect from a politician. I think this is sage advice. The messenger was bad. Americans don't like dirty campaigns. They want the message of what a person stands for. This is a book about how a good campaign should be run. For those considering running for an elective office, this is a very good read. It is Politics 101. I just wish the author was different.
Rating:  Summary: Do as I say, not as I do. Review: This is an interesting read. Morris describes how the new political system works. Since he and his best bud Bill Clinton upset the political formula in the nineties, this was something to behold. This book is chock full of good advice. I can repeat them here: have a message, focus that message to the voters, forget about the undecided-they don't vote anyway, stay positive, when the election turns dirty, focus on your opponents misrepresentations, etc. I don't think Morris actually followed this advice, but hey, what do you expect from a politician. I think this is sage advice. The messenger was bad. Americans don't like dirty campaigns. They want the message of what a person stands for. This is a book about how a good campaign should be run. For those considering running for an elective office, this is a very good read. It is Politics 101. I just wish the author was different.
Rating:  Summary: A Piece of Genius Review: This is one of the easiest-to-read, most comprehensible political books I have ever read. Dick Morris made his basic ideas about a subject some call "dull" become important to the reader. "The New Prince" provided me with a deeper understanding of politics, giving me new insights into the subject. I have not yet read "The Prince" by Machiavelli, but nonetheless this book appears to have ideas that will prove meaningful in the years to come. Dick Morris gives more credit to voters than most people in the political arena do. He realizes that voters no longer make decisions based on single issues. He recognizes that people today are much more informed than citizens of past administrations. In America, people no longer want to elect a senator, let him do his job, and six years later evaluate his work in another election. They want involvement all the time. The author shows us how these changes in the desires of citizens change how a politician should make decisions. This books expresses great new political ideas in user-friendly vocabulary through an almost conversational tone with understandable, sound examples.
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