Dark Horse

Dark Horse by Fletcher Knebel is a tongue-in-cheek political novel from the early 1970s. Three weeks before the general election, the Republican nominee for President dies suddenly. Party leaders select an obscure Turnpike Commissioner from NJ by the name of Eddie Quinn to replace him. Their rational is that even though Quinn has no chance of winning, his blue collar, populist appeal will help Republican down ballot office seekers even as the White House is ceded to the opposition. Much to their chagrin, Mr. Quinn exhibits an unexpected independent streak and starts running a campaign that repudiates his "fat cat" benefactors and promises the working class a fair shake. Voters find Eddie Quinn's candor and independence refreshing and the polls show his rapid ascension from dark horse to genuine contender. Much of Dark Horse's take on Republican politics at the national level rings very true today. The one notable exception to that statement is that the novel makes no mention of the religious right and its profound influence on the party's policies. Dark Horse is a well written, surprisingly prescient, mini-potboiler of a political novel. Highly recommended.

I read this book years ago & thoroughly enjoyed its twisty plot and sardonic humor -- so much so that I re-read it a couple more times in subsequent years. But I hadn't thought of it again until this past weekend, when GOP presidential candidate John McCain picked largely unknown Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin's politics are at the other end of the spectrum from the hero of "Dark Horse." But the process for how McCain picked her, her colorful background, and the series of revelations about her that followed, immediately made me think of this book. I may just have to re-read it again to find out what's going to happen next!

Very entertaining... watching Eddie Quinn doublecross the bosses and the fat cats, only the hardest of the hard-hats could root against this happy represntative of the hard-hats.... the plot twists and turns throughtout the book. It's hard to figure on who Eddie Quinn most reminds me of by today's political standards. Mix in a little Bill Clinton, a little bit of Ross Perot and a dash of "Dubya" and you have yourself an Eddie Quinn. By all accounts, this book will have you thinking of the 2000 election. Also, most people don't know, but George Bush (the father) has read this book and really enjoyed it.

Eddie Quinn, Commissioner of the New Jersey Turnpike, is made Presidential candidate after no one in the power bloc ruling the party can come up with another agreeable person to all factions within it, and shakes the United States from pillar to post in a refreshing populistic campaign to give all people a "fair shake" in Washington, DC.At times dramatic, humorous, and hard-hitting, it's a book to read if you like a political thrillers.