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A review by papidoc
The Red and the Blue: The 1990s and the Birth of Political Tribalism by Steve Kornacki
5.0
In The Red and the Blue, author Steve Kornacki takes his readers on a deep dive into the events, motivations, and intrigues surrounding the rise of Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, and the outcomes of their political machinations. I lived through that period, encompassing mostly the 1990-2000 era, as an adult, and remember vividly much of what Kornacki discusses, but some of it was still a revelation to me.
Kornacki's insights into political processes and maneuverings, the naked ambitions (over and above what I believe were at least sometimes sincere motivations), and the way human actions were interwoven with the political and economic environments in ways the individuals involved could not have anticipated with any real accuracy was astonishing. For example,consider the accurately predicted impact of the Bush tax increase on the economy, which was nonetheless delayed by a half a decade and thus led to his political demise after one term as president. Or the evolving conditions that took the relatively unknown Clinton to the White House for two terms.
I also found myself, yet again, wondering how it is that for so many people, power and prestige seem to lay the seeds for their downfall...or probably should have done. Denny Hastert, Bob Livingston, Gary Hart, Jack Abramoff, Robert Packwood, Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich, Dan Rostenkowski. David Vitter, James Traficant, and so many others...and that's only in a single decade! It's deeply troubling to me that so many of our country's so-called leaders have the morality of a tomcat. I can't help but wonder if there is something about the trappings of political and social power that not only attract such people, but that give them opportunity and even encouragement to indulge their basest motivations.
Apologies for the dark turn, but the question arose frequently in my mind as I was reading The Red and the Blue. As a professor of leadership, I sincerely hope that we have others in positions of leadership in this country who take a different, more self-disciplined, stance. Despite the misgivings that arose as I read this book, it was a good read, and I recommend.
Kornacki's insights into political processes and maneuverings, the naked ambitions (over and above what I believe were at least sometimes sincere motivations), and the way human actions were interwoven with the political and economic environments in ways the individuals involved could not have anticipated with any real accuracy was astonishing. For example,consider the accurately predicted impact of the Bush tax increase on the economy, which was nonetheless delayed by a half a decade and thus led to his political demise after one term as president. Or the evolving conditions that took the relatively unknown Clinton to the White House for two terms.
I also found myself, yet again, wondering how it is that for so many people, power and prestige seem to lay the seeds for their downfall...or probably should have done. Denny Hastert, Bob Livingston, Gary Hart, Jack Abramoff, Robert Packwood, Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich, Dan Rostenkowski. David Vitter, James Traficant, and so many others...and that's only in a single decade! It's deeply troubling to me that so many of our country's so-called leaders have the morality of a tomcat. I can't help but wonder if there is something about the trappings of political and social power that not only attract such people, but that give them opportunity and even encouragement to indulge their basest motivations.
Apologies for the dark turn, but the question arose frequently in my mind as I was reading The Red and the Blue. As a professor of leadership, I sincerely hope that we have others in positions of leadership in this country who take a different, more self-disciplined, stance. Despite the misgivings that arose as I read this book, it was a good read, and I recommend.