CLJ Reviews Primary Colors by Joe Klein
What We Read
Primary Colors is the story of Bill Clin…– no wait, I mean Jack Stanton. Jack is the rogue governor of a place few people have heard of. He’s running for President of the United States and is in the primary run of his life. During his run, he successfully dodges a number of “bimbo eruptions”, conspires with his strategists and wife, and charms the pants (sometimes literally) off just about anyone he meets. Slowly we discover a politician, though deeply flawed, who has vision and is the real deal.
The story is told from the perspective of his close young black aide Henry Burton. Henry is a political strategist who from the start is wary of Clin – I mean Stanton’s foibles. Yet, like just about everyone else around him, he recognizes a great candidate when he sees one and like Bernstein to a scandal, is inextricably drawn to in to what is a campaign of a life time.
What We Did (and How We Did It)
The CLJ staged a mock election. Candidates were asked to submit their campaign platforms (as well as whether they would be running or a delegate prepared to be wooed for their vote) and the whole race was covered throughout the month by a number of intrepid journalists (gamely played by me) who fed off rumours and innuendo fed by various campaigns about their opponents sending out “dispatches” every week to the group. The end run of the book club finished with campaign debates and a final vote.
What We Thought
Sadly for this book club organizer, only about half the book club read the book. Of those who read it, opinion was split down the middle. There were those who raved about it, considering its nuanced and fast paced narrative thrilling. There were those who felt it dragged on about a hundred and fifty pages to long. General consensus was this was a book that gives you a good idea of the ongoing crisis-fueled nature of presidential politics. Personally, I couldn’t put the book down (neither the first time nor the second time). But then I’m a bit of a political junky who loves the insider’s perspective of what seems to be the mother of all runs. Ultimately, this story is probably one of the best political thrillers, up there with Penn Warner’s classic All the Kings Men. If you want something highly readable that gives you a good idea of the inner workings of one of America’s most successful presidents, this book is for you.
As told by Kurt Heinrich…
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I hope it was better than the movie that I just watched on your recommendation, Kurt. Travolta was awful. The movie was pretty awful, though most of the problem was the acting and hokey lines. I trust the book is better, and, on your recommendation, I will read it.
The book is amazing. I stand by it. Thanks for trying the movie though. Big question for you though Brenton is whether you too suffer from “true believer” syndrome…?
Mediocre book at best. Let’s call a spade a spade. It interests political wonks and Clinton’s fan-base, but didn’t really transcend much else. Am I right?
That being said, I’m glad I read it, if only to understand my friend and business-partner Kurt Heinrich better.
My favourite part was the realization after, I think it was the Virginia Primary, when they went over the exit-data and realized that the governor shook, like, 10,000 peoples’ hands. That simple gesture – non-existent in today’s political arena – is something I could truly believe in.
That Horn guy really has your number, Kurt. I think he’s wrong, though. It was a fascinating book, and really made me think about what it means to be a politician in today’s hyper-reported political world. Watch for a coming piece on idealism and compromise.