Customer Reviews

Great Political Wit

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Senator Robert Dole is known for many personal and professional attributes. However, his having a sense of humor is not an item that would have made it on to many lists. Mr. Dole always seemed quite serious, so when I read his collection of bi-partisan political humor, he had both collected and contributed to, I was extremely surprised.

The traditional image of our elected officials is that they go after each other while practicing the blood sport they call politics, the manner they govern the country after a minority of its citizens bother to vote. The reality of course is quite different, and this collection is brilliant with wit, and not just of the political variety. Many of the comments in the book took place long before anything other than politically correct generic humor (which is almost an oxymoron) became the standard. The good natured jokes shared by legends like Tip O'Neil, Truman, Churchill, Kennedy, and a good cross section of 20th politicians and those who reported on their every move, were given and taken in stride. What really struck me was how well these elected officials get along when the press is not watching, forcing them to become various shades of gray.

Senator Robert Byrd who is described as being a master of Roman History stated during a debate that "If Cicero were alive today, he would oppose the Balanced Budget Amendment". Senator Dole claims Senator Strom Thurmond, who has been in office since President Andrew Jackson, "jumped up and said, I knew Cicero. Cicero was a friend of mind. And I know he was in favor of a Balanced Budget Amendment."

I have stated in other reviews that I am a great admirer of Sir Winston Churchill. Senator Dole quotes him several times in the book, but this is one I had forgotten. In response to the concept that "familiarity breeds contempt", Churchill responded, "without a certain amount of familiarity we would breed nothing at all."

A great read for any and all parties, voters and non-voters alike.

Finding and sharpening his funny bone allowed Bob Dole, after a legendary 40 year career in government, to become the political equivalent of boxer George Foreman: both men, once perceived as taciturn, mean-spirited and competitive, were made amiable, even folksy (not to mention more commercially marketable) by a sense of self-depreciation. It's fitting, then, that Dole compile and narrarate "Great Political Wit," a collection of his observations with those of political figures from the last 100 years.

You wouldn't anticipate a joke book based on the table of contents, which features chapters on "War," "The Economy," "Religion" and that political rib-tickler, "Defeat." But Dole's remembrances and selected stories succeed in showing the lighter side of often somber figures (the Kennnedys, the Roosevelts, especially Winston Churchill), making their humor seem almost contemporary. Dole also recalls wit and wisdom from often-overlooked figures like president Calvin Coolidge and candidates Huey Long and Adlai Stevenson (whose retort to minister Norman Vincent Peale shows the power of positive punning).

The book also shows the reasons behind political humor: not always for laughs but persuasion, consensus, even attack. President Reagan, who Dole praises for showing "that not all conservatives have embalming fluid flowing in their veins," gets Don Rickles-sized barbs off at his 1980 opponent, Jimmy Carter. Dole even recalls touching stories about history's more tragic figures: Richard Nixon, George McGovern, Herbert Hoover, even Nelson Rockefeller.

None of "Great Political Wit" is side-splittingly funny, although nearly every quote will elicit a mild chuckle or nod of recognition. (Surprisingly, Dole devotes a chapter to Jay Leno and David Letterman's political barbs while leaving out even sharper political humorists like Mark Russell and Mort Sahl). Nonetheless, "Great Political Wit" is a breezy, lighthearted look at politics and the chracters inhabiliting it.

Bob Dole - former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, and Presidential candidate - dishes out a quenching dose of exceptional political humor and anecdotes. Divided into 21 sections, his stories are categorized in divisions such as: "Public Speaking", "Defeat", "Late Night" and "Roots". He deftly distributes jokes he has amassed over his generations of civil service. From Presidents to Prime Ministers, and every level of politics in between, Dole keeps his reader alive in the flowing narrative in which he presents each hilarious situation. One can start the book at the beginning and read it like a novel to the end. A great read for those inclined towards both humor and politics! As a closing note, Dole's dry humor is bipartisan and quite wry.

I am a big fan of Bob Dole, and I certainly wish that he had shown this side of himself while he was running for President - he might have won. But this book lets the reader know what those of us who have followed Dole for a long time have always known, Bob Dole has a great sense of humor and a great appreciatation of humor. The book itself doesn't contain a lot of "Doleisms". Probably because his own brand of humor is a little to dry and a little too barbed to lend itself well to print. (My favorite line from Dole was one he uttered on "The Daily Show" during last year's Presidential Primaries: "Al Gore has done more for No Doz than I have ever done for Viagra.") The book itself is small, easy to read, well organized and always respectful of the other politicians and their targets when applicable.

Fun little read, thumbs up.

The minute I got home from the book store, I began reading the book and I had a hard time putting it down. As I was reading the book, I realized that this was not the Bob Dole that the public got to know during his 30 plus years as a public servant. The jokes were very humorous. From this book, we are able to see a side of Bob Dole that not too many people had the privilidge to see during the 1996 presidential campaign. This book was a worthwhile investment. I loved the book!

Bob Dole has penned a charming little book here. Political humor may seem lacking in today's age of attack and sound bite --the Senator shows otherwise with wit old and new alike.

This book is a must-have for any aspiring public speaker. It is choke full of material to use in openers or comebacks. It also reminds one of the consistently great wit of Senator Dole himself -- a fact obscured by the somewhat grouchy persona generated for him by the media.

Were it to be updated anytime soon, I'd have to recommend a line spoken by California Gubernatorial Recall candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger after being pelted by an egg while wading through a crowd, "That man owes me bacon, there's no two ways about it!"

Reviewer: Chuck DeVore is a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010, a California State Assemblyman, he served as a Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs in the Department of Defense from 1986 to 1988, retired from the Army National Guard as a lieutenant colonel, and is the co-author of "China Attacks."

This is a very enjoyable book. Bob Dole has a fine sense of humor and has selected witty sayings by politicians on a variety of topics in a range of situations. Senator Dole has organized them topically and I found all of them funny and many of them hilarious. A few are even worth committing to memory.

It isn't a long book, but it offers a lot of great stories. What is even better is that Mr. Dole shares his own knowledge of some of the people he quotes in the book and of the institutions in Washington that he knows so well. It is a book you can enjoy reading from front to back or just dipping into briefly again and again.

A word to speakers who would use the anecdotes from this book: be careful. I remember when this book first came out and politicians everywhere were quoting this or that story from it and it was a bit embarrassing to hear. This kind of humor is something that has to be used with a delicate touch and with the best style and timing. You can't just say the words and expect the big laugh. It just doesn't work that way. I always enjoyed Senator Dole's sense of humor and he could pull it off with a bit of an acerbic touch. Some folks didn't like that spice, but I always did.

Bob Dole speaks and lampoons himself and shares anecdotes about the political arena that make talk- show hosts and professional comedians look like amateurs. Who would think that this masterful 25 year veteran of Congress would be so funny? He has a lighter side to that political genius. Read these quotes, and stories of political greats; the Kennedys, Calvin Coolidge, and Winston Churchill. Get ready for side splitting laughter. Thoroughly enjoyable reading. One can only wonder what he would have said about the Clintons!

If Dole had put together his election campaign as cleverly as he has this book he would be president today.

You won't believe what some of these politicians actually said! This is the kind of book you can pick up anytime and read a couple of pages for a quick laugh. Mr. Dole should have put this together before the election. People would have been able to see his wonderful and wicked sense of humor.