he would demand a recount .) The book sometimes seems longer than its 341 pages when it slides into tedium while discussing arcane political ideology , like the degree to which Barry Goldwater channels Lincoln . Feel free to skip such passages . Much of the book is insightful about day-to-day campaign operations . It is at its best when Buckley ruminates about how he was treated by the press . If it gets too heavy for you , pick up The White House Mess by Buckley ’ s son , Christopher . The first chapter , in which the incumbent president decides on inauguration day that he likes the White House too much to leave , is masterfully comic . The remainder of the work sometimes lives up to the promise of the first chapter . The Mess , by the way , does not refer to political shenanigans but to food service in the West Wing , which is operated by the Navy . No Way to Treat a First Lady , also by Christopher Buckley , is better constructed and written , and will appeal more to lawyers since one of its main characters , Boyce “ Shameless ” Baylor , claims to be the undisputed best trial lawyer in the country . The claim is founded , in part , by being the first to charge $ 1,000 per hour . OK . So the book is somewhat dated . Its satire of power and politics as practiced in Washington still rings true .
Maintain Power
Re-reading Primary Colors , Joe Klein ’ s thinly veiled novel about Bill Clinton , is always fun as primary season draws to a close . The characters are well-drawn , and Klein manages to execute exquisite portraits of every hack that gravitates towards a political campaign . It is a brilliant piece of writing . Similarly , American Hero by Larry Beinhart asks how far politicians will go to deceive voters to maintain power . The book was reissued as Wag the Dog after the movie based upon the novel became a hit . These books by Klein and by Beinhart formed the basis for entertaining movies .
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘ 72 Hunter S . Thompson ( reissued by Simon & Schuster , 2012 )
The Boys on the Bus ( reissued by Random House , 2013 ) Timothy Crouse
Primary Colors Anonymous ( later acknowledged by Joe Klein ) ( Random House , 1996 )
American Hero ( later known as Wag the Dog ) Larry Beinhart ( Pantheon , 1993 )
The Unmaking of a Mayor William F . Buckley , Jr . ( Encounter Books , 50th Anniversary Edition , 2015 )
No Way to Treat a First Lady Christopher Buckley ( Random House , 2002 )
The White House Mess Christopher Buckley ( Knopf , 1996 )
Falling Up : How A Redneck Helped Invent Political Consulting Raymond D . Strother ( LSU Press , 2003 )
Storyteller by Heart
No reading list would be complete without mentioning the most entertaining book I know about political consulting . In Falling Up : How A Redneck Helped Invent Political Consulting , Ray Strother masterfully recounts his thirty-year career crafting media and strategy for political campaigns . The book is at its best when telling stories of Louisiana campaigns full of scoundrels and worse . Strother ’ s clients included a young Bill Clinton and Gary Hart , as well as several Georgia candidates , including Gov . Roy Barnes . Along the way he mentored people like James Carville , Dick Morris , and ( I am proud to add ) me . Strother is at heart a storyteller , and the stories he tells – you get to read just the ones his lawyers would let him tell – are hilariously riveting . ■
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER 17