Customer Reviews

Howard Dean: A Citizen's Guide to the Man Who Would Be President

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[Full disclosure: I'm a Vermont resident and a Dean supporter.]

I haven't finished this book yet, but I am deeply impressed by the quality of the reporting. As a Vermont resident, I've had the luxury of learning about Dean from my friends and neighbors. They've always painted a complex portrait of Dean--a man with great strengths and important weaknesses, but also a widely-respected governor.

This book resonates with those local opinions, and fills them in with a wealth of detail. It describes Dean's tireless work to put Vermont on sound financial footing, his health care battles, his reaction to civil unions, his environmental record (both good and bad), his least popular policies--and ultimately, his reputation as a man who deeply loved his adopted state.

In an era of shoddy reporting and "taking stenography for power", the authors of this book understand the role of the press: to educate, illuminate and inform the citizens of this country. They tell both the good and the bad, interview supporters and opponents--including a large number of people who are both--and try to acheive a well-rounded view of Dean.

I don't know whether every fact in this book is correct, or every conclusion is fair. But the reporting is credit to Vermont's press.

If you don't live in Vermont, this is perhaps your best guide yet to understanding Dean's record as governor. If you're a Dean supporter, this is an excellent way to learn more about his achievements and his failings. An informative book.

There are several books out there on the shelves about, or authored by, Howard Dean. I chose this one because it was written by independent observers; people who are not connected to the Dean Campaign for President. I wanted an objective account of the his background and his political record. That is exactly what I got.

The first few chapters that detail his adolescent years are kind of dry, but informative. This book changes speed and gets interesting as soon as it tackles his public service career. His political record is one of a fiscal conservative, and a proponent of states' rights. If it wasn't for his passion for universal health care and land conservation, you might think he is Republican. He balanced the budget in Vermont, and when almost every other state had a budget crisis, his state was financially comfortable. At the same time, he was able to attract new business to the state, expand health care coverage, and protect wild lands from development. This book has a separate chapter for many separate issues, which enables the reader to study specific items of interest, and pass over those of little concern.

The mass media has painted Howard Dean as a left-wing liberal. Part of this stems from the Dean Campaign's attempt to unite the Democratic base. But the other factor in this misrepresentation is the Vermont civil unions law. Howard Dean did not write this law, but he did sign it. His postion being that he supports equal protection under the law. As the book explains, Dean is not a social radical, but simply felt giving equal legal rights to same-sex couples was the right thing to do.

The final chapters of this book attempt to explain the "Dean phenomenon," including his use of the Internet as a major campaign tool. And since the book was finished and rushed to publishers in the fall of 2003, the material is topical and will still be useful throughout the election year.

This is the place to go if you want to learn more about who Howard Dean is and what his key policies were in his 11 years as governor of Vermont. This is a serious look at Dean's policies and his personality and it examines these issues in a critical light. It helps explain how a governor from a small rural New England state has emerged as a leading Democratic presidential candidate. This is not a glowing pro Dean campaign book but instead is a thoughtful review of the Dean record and how it affects his presidential campaign. It is a must read for anyone who wants to better understand what makes Howard Dean tick !

I'm extremely impressed that they were able to get this book to press in under three months, and at how good a job they did in such a short time. I did find a few typos, but it reads well. Nevertheless, the rush job shows: This is a very sparse book. There's lot more to tell than they were able to get to. I finished the book the day after I bought it, and felt like I had just read a few chapters and was waiting for the rest.

However, this book is packed with information and perspective. Even as a Dean junkie who's been reading everything I could about him for a year and a half, I learned a few things. The books seems fair, and accurate. I didn't see anything that contradicted what I already knew about Dean from other sources, and given how many other sources I've read, that made me feel very confident about this book's truthfulness. It also strikes a good balance between discussing Dean's history, record, personality, and governing style, with one exception.

The book's biggest deficiency is that they weren't able to put in enough material on Dean's policies as governor. Out of ten chapters and about 240 pages, there are only three chapters - fewer than 80 pages - devoted to policy. These are one chapter each on fiscal policy, environmental policy, and civil unions. A couple of other major issues from Dean's tenure as governor, including school funding and early childhood intervention, are covered in part in other chapters. There's nothing in this book about judicial appointments, law & order, education policy (other than the aforementioned public school funding issue), affirmative action, and other important parts of a governor's record. School funding reform is described very briefly, and the book mostly talks about how Dean dealt with it as a political issue rather than delving into the policy. Health insurance reform, a centerpiece of Dean's governorship and of his presidential campaign, is only treated tangentially, as it relates to fiscal discipline and to Dean's campaigns and political history. There's no examination of the actual health insurance changes that Dean worked on, what they were, and how they worked out.

There is one place where I felt this book was unfair to Dean: the environment. Dean's environmental record is good on land conservation, reducing emissions, and renewable energy policy. His record is mixed, in some cases poor, on groundwater pollution, and stewardship of Vermont's Act 250 which which seeks to limit development. The Chapter "Green and Not Green" focuses on land conservation first, where it gives Dean a predictably glowing review, and then goes on to delve into his mixed record on Act 250 and pollution. There is not a single mention of emissions reduction, or renewable energy, the other two aspects of environmental policy where Dean did well.

The fact that this book is so much sparser than I'd have liked, gives it one advantage: It's a breeze to read, goes quickly, and is a good Dean primer to give to curious people. It doesn't have everthing a committed Deaniac might want, and won't satisfy a serious researcher, but it may be just about right for the casual reader looking for a broad introduction to Dean's record. And it does a good job of giving you what you need to know to make an educated guess about how Dean would handle the job of President.

I look forward to an expanded version of this book if Dean gets the Democratic nomination, with more chapters on his policies - especially health care - and a more complete and balanced treatment of his environmental record.

This brief book is well written and researched, a collaborative effort on the part of journalists who have been covering Dean's career for many years. The first chapter, in particular, is an excellent work of political journalism. Dean's candidacy has in itself become a major phenomenon and this volume goes a long way towards explaining why it is evolving the way it is. Overall it is balanced and informative. A good read.

I am a Dean supporter and I've read all three books currently available on his campaign. This is the one that best "explains" Dean. It's a warts-and-all account of his rise to prominence by Vermont reporters who have covered him for the past 20 years. Dean is portrayed as an idealistic pragmatist whose core issues are fiscal responsibility (he balanced the budget ever year in VT despite inheriting a $65 deficit), health care for everyone, and -- strongest of all -- early-childhood programs that have had wide impact in Vermont, bringing down everything from the child-abuse rates to teen pregnancy and even the need for more jails. I'd especially recommend this book to supporters of other Dem candidates who (now that Dean is the clear frontrunner) wonder whether Dean really has the substance to be president, as well as to moderate Republicans who are disgusted with the way the right wing has hijacked the GOP.

I read this book hoping to gain enough information to decide whether or not to support Dean's candidacy. My ambivalence stemmed largely from my questions about Dean's record on environmental issues during his Vermont governorship -- which has been bitterly criticized by some Vermont environmentalists. I am also troubled by the fact that Dr. Dean is much more conservative than I on issues such as the war on drugs, gun control, welfare reform, and the death penalty. On a deeper level, my ambivalence was rooted in my concern whether his apparent forthrightness and appearance of being a rare, principled politician was "for real."

Dean is under attack from opponents who portray him as waffling on issues according to political expediency, not trustworthy or reliable, etc. Such attacks are to be expected, but I wanted more detailed background information on his history and record than what I could find on the Internet to determine whether I thought they were founded in truth or just more political rhetoric.

This book was what I had hoped for -- packed with facts which appear to be objectively presented. It covers Dean's Vermont environmental record in detail, allowing me to conclude that, although I will probably be disappointed with some of his environmental actions on a national level if he becomes president (he sided with business interests in Vermont to the lasting detriment of long-standing environmental protections), he does also have a history of going against the flow to make major contributions in the environmental arena in that state -- that he is not nearly the environmental radical that I consider Bush & Co. to be.

The book also covers a broad range of Dean's other positions and political history. In addition, it gives personal background on Dean that helped convince me that throughout his life he has consistently acted in a principled way according to his beliefs and ethical judgment and that he is his own person -- not beholden to special interests.

This is a person who, during the decade he worked nearly full time as a physician, also volunteered in poor communities, did significant volunteer and paid work in politics, and built his schedule around spending time with his family. It is a relief to me that, despite the fact it's unlikely there will ever be a viable candidate who agrees with my progressive opinions on issues, at least there do appear to be principled people out there dedicated to public service who are also mainstream and organized enough to have a chance at the presidency. Many thanks to the authors of this book for the good information.

Many people hear the words of Howard Dean, and his words echo their own deep and unspoken sentiments. They have been afraid to voice their concerns, but here is a man with the courage and moral strength to stand up and speak his mind in spite of the political pressure to stay silent.

Read this book to get a thorough understanding of the man who would be President. He comes from a conservative and privileged family, the product of private boarding schools and Yale. But it is clear that he was never driven by the need for wealth or power. Instead, his values are centered on family and community, and the virtue of hard work.

Even in his early years, his classmates recognized him as a moral leader and a courageous defender of justice. The anecdotes told from those years are revealing and uplifting.

His early years in Vermont paint a picture of a man active in his community and willing to quietly work hard to improve the lives of everyone. He was also a natural politician, with a knack for recognizing the most direct path to his goals.

As a husband and father, one can hardly imagine a man more devoted or loving. Yet he also managed to practice medicine while serving as Lieutenant Governor, no easy balancing act for anyone.

When he was thrust into the job of Governor, after the untimely death of the Republican Gov. Snelling, he managed to push ahead with Snelling's economic plans and go one better. An ex-stockbroker, a medical doctor, and a political veteran, he had the breadth of experience and personal strength to truly improve the lives of everyone in the state of Vermont.

Read this book if you want to understand what kind of President Howard Dean will be. Think of Harry Truman mixed with James Madison, a courageous and outspoken leader who will improve the lives of Americans and make our nation a beacon of hope in the world again.

i'm surprised how much i like this. you should definitely get it if you're on the fence. it's cheap, and unless you're doing some dissertation on the guy, this is like 20 pages on every question you have. i was skeptical - thought it was gonna be all these opportunist hacks in backwoods vermont throwin some fast food on the get-rich-quick table for the tourist rush.

so if you were thinkin exactly that, you'll be surprised and happy when you walk in and find out it's really a great dinner party with a buncha smart concise plain-talkin wordsmiths who know their subject frontwards and back. you you're at a big table in a big room in a big log house surrounded by trees and land, can smell the woodsmoke, and you're with 10 local dean experts / reporters / freelancer voices who grew up in small town vermont along side him since 1978.

each writer seems to have picked what they knew best -- one on his upbringing, one on his governorship, one on his physician life, the environment, the website, civil unions, etc. plus it's got a page or 2 on each presidential campaign issue. it's like an overview, a bunch of good long features, but in book form, so you can just read whatever part you want whenever you want.

plus it's got my 2 favorite pictures i've ever seen of him -- p 106 drenched & beaming on a hike, & 208 making a point in a speech, both a.p.
the campaign should be using those. hello?

so, in summary, thanks for coming, and for the price of about 3 magazine distractions you can get all you need to know about james Dean for now, and if you want to take a masters course after this, well, watch c-span, and call Washington Journal in the morning.

This book is very interesting, because it isn't a fluff piece.
The Vermont journalists who wrote the chapters know who
Dean is, and how he behaved in times of crisis.
I don't agree with all of Dean's positions, but after reading
the book I know what kind of man he is. He would
be a great President.