Book: Hardball by Chris Matthews

This isn't a review, it's too hot and I'm out of practice with reviewing. Well, even with reading something longer than a blog post...

Hardball by Chris Matthews is a book about politics.  In each chapter he discusses a method or technique and then follows up with personal observations of examples and non-examples. It's a very balanced book as it doesn't matter what party the examples and non-examples are.  We can tell he is democrat, but many of his examples are of successful republications.  He also has non-example democrats.  Some of the people mentioned I knew, and some I did not.  It would have been better to know them all, but even so I was able to get past that and to take peek into the thinking of a very intelligent person.  The book was about others, but in the writing I learned more about Chris Matthews and a life style that is very different from mine.  I would not want to be in the business of politics, but it sure would be fun to be the business of having such intelligent conversations!

I recommend the book and look forward to other books by Chris Matthews.  We were back in San Diego and missed a book talk he did on his newest book Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked at the Cambridge library.  To think I could have walked to this event earlier in the year.  Another reason to be back in Cambridge!

Part I   Alliances
1   It's not who you know; it's who you get to know
     -  Arrange life so you meet people (RR brushing teeth story)
2   All politics is local
3   It's better to receive than to give
     - People have more support/loyalty when they have contributed something - can't buy support.
4   Dance with the one that brung ya
     - Commit to the right person
     - What have you done for me lately?  Can't live on past experiences, have to keep things fresh.
     - Spread out support, keep yourself necessary

Part II  Enemies
5   Keep your enemies in front of you
6   Don't get mad; don't get even; get ahead
     - Keep your focus on what you want
7   Leave no shot unanswered

Part III   Deals
8   Only talk when it improves the silence
     - Story of Winston Churchill and how he became PM
9   Always concede on principle

Part IV   Reputations
10  Hang a lantern on your problem
11  Spin!
12  The press is the enemy
13  The reputation of power
14  Positioning