Anything for a Vote [Paperback]

Joseph Cummins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007

A History of Mud-Slinging, Character Assassination, And Other Election Strategies
 
Today’s political pundits express shock and disappointment when candidates resort to negative campaigning. But history reveals that smear campaigns are as American as apple pie. Anything for a Vote is an illustrated look at 200-plus years of dirty tricks and bad behavior in presidential elections, from George Washington to Barack Obama and John McCain. Let the name-calling begin!
 
     •  1836: Congressman Davy Crockett accuses candidate Martin Van Buren of secretly wearing women’s clothing: “He is laced up in corsets!”
     •  1864: Presidential candidate George McClellan describes his opponent, Abraham Lincoln, as “nothing more than a well-meaning baboon!”
     •  1960: Former president Harry Truman advises voters that “if you vote for Richard Nixon, you ought to go to hell!”
 
Full of sleazy anecdotes from every presidential election in United States history, Anything for a Vote is a valuable reminder that history does repeat itself, that lessons can be learned from the past (though they usually aren’t), and that our most famous presidents are not above reproach when it comes to the dirtiest game of all—political campaigning.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Dirty tricks of the covert and the sleazy.”—New York Times Magazine
 
“a compendium of ‘dirty tricks, cheap shots and October surprises.’”—Playboy
 
“Anything For a Vote will strike a chord.”—McClatchy-Tribune News Service
 
“hoot to read.”—The Oregonian

About the Author

Joseph Cummins is the author of several nonfiction books and one novel. He lives in New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594741565
• ISBN-13: 978-1594741562
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Knew History Could Be So Much Fun, October 23, 2007

By 

J. Wine (New York, N.Y.) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Anything for a Vote (Paperback)

I loved this book. While you could read it in snippets - search out on one or two elections that were high on the sleaze-o-meter (the author gives nearly every election a rating for its dirty tricks quotient) I found it both enlighting and enjoyable to read it all the way through. Cummins has a clever, relaxed style and a real eye for quirky details. He also has no political agenda which means every party has to face up to their dirty past -Democrats, Republicans, and Democratic Republicans. After delving into several decades worth of elections I began to feel a bit better about our era, if only because dirty tricks and cheating seems to go in cycles. The public can be snowed for awhile but they always come to their senses, and there's something reassuring about learning that. And while 2000 was awful, between the hanging chads and the Supremes deciding the election, at least not too many dead people voted, as in previous elections, and we no longer have drunks being paid in whisky to vote a few dozen times.
Every page has another colorful tidbit. For example, my old TV hero Davy Crocket was actually a Whig attack dog, accusing Martin Van Buren of dressing in corsetts. And I loved finding out about the men who ran for President and lost, and what happened to them afterwards (poor Horace Greeley died within months of losing.)
Also, there were some colorful Vice Presidential candidates over the years. And I had my eyes opened about several of our chief executives. Talk about anything for a vote...Finally there were many relevant comparisons you could make to the present election season. For example, Taft made no apologies for his religion. "If the American public is so narrow as not to elect a Unitarian, well and good, I can stand it." I wish Mitt Romney were so direct. Al Smith's struggles also offer a perspective on this topic.
This book was a delight - my wife thought so as well, and I've just handed it off to my 16 year old who I'm sure is going to love it as well. Be sure to check out Andrew Jackson, Rutherford Hayes, and Herbert Hoover and LBJ. Unbelievable!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining but...., March 7, 2008

By 

I. Dempsey "politic geek" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anything for a Vote (Paperback)

The book is entertaining and has a lot of great facts, but it misses the mark on a few too many simple facts. For example, it says that Calvin Coolidge became the President by winning the 1924 election; ignoring that he became President when Harding died. It also identifies Robert Kennedy as a Senator from Massachusetts, when in reality he represented New York.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining pop history, January 15, 2008

By 

J. Scott (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anything for a Vote (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book mostly because it offers some interesting perspective on the 2008 primaries. Turns out all of the most common attacks ("You're too old to be pres!" "You're not Christian enough to be pres" etc) have been used again and again over the past 200 years. As the author says, these kinds of attacks are as American as apple pie, and this book shows which candidates have used them. The illustrations help to liven up what could potentially be a dull subject. If you're a cable news junkie, you'll like this book.