Campaign America '96: The View from the Couch [Paperback]

William O'Rourke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000

A witty overview of the 1996 presidential campaign takes an acerbic, close-up look at the personalities, events, and issues of the campaign from the perspective of how the media has portrayed or distorted them. Tour. IP.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

O'Rourke (English, Univ. of Notre Dame) has written an almost day-by-day account of media coverage of the 1996 presidential campaign and how he "consumed and processed" that coverage. He looked at the coverage provided by the major television networks, C-SPAN, newspapers and news magazines, talk radio, and other media. The diarylike format of O'Rourke's book facilitates the presentation of his personal views about the campaign and the media, but it also results in considerable repetition. In addition, although the format is an effective way of conveying the author's initial reactions, it is not conductive to reflection or analysis on the part of author or reader. On several occasions the author offers interesting observations but fails to develop them. While its focus is narrower, general and lay readers might prefer Michael Lewis's commentary on the 1996 campaign in Trail Fever (LJ 6/15/97).?Thomas H. Ferrell, Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

An engaging, nicely exasperated account of the 1996 campaign for the presidency, largely consisting of a day-by-day journal novelist O'Rourke (Notts, 1996, etc.) kept from January until election day. The twist here is that O'Rourke's journal is entirely about what he has seen on television, becoming as much a commentary on commentators as on the candidates and their spin doctors. The virtue of this approach is that it reminds us of the extent to which our opinions are shaped by the talking heads infesting the airwaves, and O'Rourke has some scathing offhand judgments of commentators and reporters. The downside is that it the book seems finally rather like sitting, for a very long time, with a cranky, bright, frequently witty friend, given to off-the-cuff analysis. Still, some of the set pieces here, including O'Rourke's dissection of Dole's and Clinton's convention speeches, are hilarious, and his portrait of the obsessive shallowness of the media is convincing and alarming. A highly unusual contribution to the study of politics and media. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press; 2 Sub edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0268022518
• ISBN-13: 978-0268022518
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,240,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting chronicle, yet leaning toward Clinton, October 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Campaign America '96: The View from the Couch (Hardcover)

This was a good book, but lacked the true objectivity needed to present a balanced flow of events to readers. A real find for Clinton supporters, but Bob Dole's legions of admirers may be disappointed.

Steve Schockow Rochester, NY