Whatever It Takes

I am a political junkie and have found this author to be one of the better ones when it comes to detailing the inside the beltway battles. This is almost a unique talent, to be able to basically detail one conversation after another and make it exciting is no small feat. This book details out the political action committees, special interest groups and lobbyists in their rather unseemly pursuit of gaining favor and influence with the only group of people that actually get paid to spend half of their time begging for money, Congressmen. The book details out what took place in the 1996 elections, not from the point of view of the politicians, but from the point of view of the people who are paid to bribe, sorry I mean influence the politicians. Even though I have read a great number of books about modern politics, this was the first time I read a whole book detailed to this part of the Soft Money generation process. You almost feel like you need a shower after each chapter of this book. The non stop cajoling and sweat talking these guys and gals had to do was just a bit sickening. I guess it is like the old saying about sausage, it is great to eat but you do not what to watch it being made. About the only redeeming quality these special interest people had was that they really did come off in the book to be committed to whatever was there group. I guess it may be the only way to be successful in that type of job. The author spent most of her time focusing on the Republican races and mostly conservative groups. The author explained that this focus was due to the fact that the Democrats held the White House and she wanted to focus on the challengers. This made sense to me, but the dirt she digs up on the way these people do business tends not to leave them in a good light. Given that she focuses mostly on the Republicans, it does seem to give the impression that the book is somewhat bias. Then again maybe it was just me as I tend not to be a big fan of rather right leaning groups, but like to read balanced books. Overall was my only concern with the book. The book was well written and very informative. It is a wonderful item to add to your collection and really opens your eyes to just how unattractive fund raising is.

For those of us who love modern political histories, this a very good book. It examines campaign finance in the real world, with highly detailed and researched insights into how one modern election was approached by candidates and those with money. it has some fascinating inside scoops and details that washington-insiders and those who follow politics closely will love. For example, it examines the role of gingrich and other republicans during the budget debates and government shut-down, providing details I've never heard before (and I read the Wash. Post each day and review articles and books on this subject often.Bottom line: if you want a good look into how money really corrupts our politicians, and a glimpse into how much power the interest groups have, read this book.