Studs Terkel Still Fighting The Good Fight
NY Times Op-Ed Contributor
The Wiretap This Time
By STUDS TERKEL
(October 29, 2007) EARLIER this month, the Senate Intelligence Committee and the White House agreed to allow the executive branch to conduct dragnet interceptions of the electronic communications of people in the United States. They also agreed to "immunize" American telephone companies from lawsuits charging that after 9/11 some companies collaborated with the government to violate the Constitution and existing federal law. I am a plaintiff in one of those lawsuits, and I hope Congress thinks carefully before denying me, and millions of other Americans, our day in court. Read More
Book Review: What A Party!
Audio CD Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Published in hardcover and paperback by Thomas Dunne Books
The hustling skills Terry McAuliffe acquired as a 14-year old who started a driveway-paving business in his hometown of Syracuse, New York, led him to become one of the top Democratic fundraisers in the history of the party and eventually its chairman.
In What A Party! Terry McAuliffe describes how his love of business and his love of politics acquired at the knee of his father Jack, a well-known county party official, merged to lead him on his eventual path as a gung-ho, can-do, moneyman for whom garnering big dollars is seemingly as natural as slipping into a pair of shoes.
McAuliffe recalls how, as a baby-faced twenty-something working in the Carter Administration, he was asked to wrestle an alligator in return for a hefty donation to the Carter's re-election campaign. Ever the go-getter, he gladly agreed, despite the absence of any prior gator-wrestling experience. Contrary to what McAuliffe was told, the lethargic gator he was promised as a wrestling partner, was replaced at the last minute by a far more spry and enthusiastic gator. It was a metaphor for the many unexpected challenges he would face later in his career.
On the more serious side, McAuliffe discusses in detail what he learned about the deal the Reagan Administration made with the Iranians to release American hostages just moments after the 40th President took the oath of office. The missiles that would soon flow would ultimately lead to the discovery of the Iran-Contra Affair.
At the beginning of the 13-disc audiobook, McAuliffe offers a word of warning, saying, "If you're a Clinton-basher, you can turn the CD off right now." It's an apt warning, as he devotes a significant portion of his book to the Clintons with whom he became great friends and a confidante. He shares his unique vantage point of Bill Clinton's comeback from near disaster in New Hampshire to his lowest moments in the aftermath of the Monica Lewinsky matter.
McAuliffe also discusses how the Clinton were so consumed by debt after numerous investigations and the impeachment, that they were not able to obtain a bank loan to purchase the post-Presidency home they wanted. In a down-to-the-wire rush, McAuliffe makes sure his friends get the house.
McAuliffe recounts how he finally relented to becoming the DNC party chair person, even after turning down initial requests by President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. Once he assumed the chair, which he referred to as being a "human fire hydrant", McAuliffe realized that he was needed more than he ever could have imagined. Not only did he find disorganization and chaos, including no voter mailing lists and inadequate facilities to compete as a national party, but a rat-infested party headquarters office to boot.
McAuliffe provides a vivid description of his initial meeting with the Clintons and the big-money donors who were needed to raise the millions of dollars required to build the new DNC digs in Washington.
He recounts having to save the 2000 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles from a scene reminiscent of the 1968 riots at the convention in Chicago, as anarchist group gathers outside The Staple Center just moments before Bill Clinton's keynote speech is about to end, and delegates and media would stream out in to the madding crowd. Working together through body language, Clinton and McAuliffe buy enough time for police to disburse the crowd and prevent the chaotic nightmare.
In 2004, McAuliffe did not manage to save the Kerry campaign from itself. McAuliffe's frustration as he talks about how the Kerry campaign enforced a rule at the 2004 convention which required that no convention speakers not mention George W. Bush by name. McAuliffe can see that camapign is headed for defeats despite having more manpower, party unity and money behind it than any other Democratic campaign in recent memory.
McAuliffe's philosophy on money in politics is that it is "neither good nor bad, but the gas in the tank you need to get you where you want to go." One could argue that where that money comes from can be bad indeed, as we have learned from recent donor scandals, including the case of Norman Hsu, who donated a large amount money to Hillary Clinton's Presidential bid, with McAuliffe serving as her campaign chair.
While the impact that disproportionate amounts of money is having on American politics and government may not be good, McAuliffe's story of tenacity, hustle and friendship is admirable and What A Party! is an entertaining telling of his life in and out of politics.
- Review by D. G. D.
Editor's Note: Since the publication of this review, The Nation has published an extensive piece which details more about Mr. McAuliffe's sources of fundraising money.
Video: AL GORE: The Assault on Reason
This video is worth revisiting in aftermath of Al Gore's winning the Nobel Peace Prize and the release of his latest book "The Assault on Reason".
