The New Season: A Spectator's Guide to the 1988 Election [Paperback]

George F. Will (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1988

This is the first election since 1968 without an incumbent on the ballot, and the first since 1960 when it is known from the start that both nominations are up for grabs. The New Season is a lively, good-natured book about a serious event that ought to be celebrated as the year's most entertaining and important spectacle.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Since there will be no incumbent running and both major party nominations for the 1988 presidential election will be up for grabs, it promises to be an unusually unpredictable and entertaining ball game, in the view of national political columnist and TV commentator Will. With discernment and wit directed at both major parties, and in the light of historical perspective, he reviews how a wide range of economic, demographic, regional and generational factors, along with recent political patterns, are likely to help determine issues and themes of candidates' campaigns and affect the election. In 1988, Republicans must retain Reagan loyalists and Democrats must recapture lost constituencies. The winner, Will notes, will inherit Reagan's bloated deficit and a swollen government, both of which he had vowed to reduce. Among other recommendations, the author urgently advocates that the U.S. remain in a strong defensive position vs. the Soviets despite pressures to achieve an arms-control agreement. Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Paper) (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671662759
• ISBN-13: 978-0671662752
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,492,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The 1988 Election Viewed in Advance, August 2, 2009

By 

Eric Mayforth (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Season: A Spectator's Guide to the 1988 Election (Paperback)

In retrospect, the 1988 U.S. presidential election does not seem to be one of the most memorable or exciting election contests of our lifetimes. People in 1986 or 1987, however, thought that it had the potential to be such an election.

In "The New Season", written in 1987, George Will looks ahead at the '88 battle to see who would replace Ronald Reagan as our chief executive. Will examines the Reagan legacy and considers the viewpoints of prognosticators at the time as to which type of candidate would be selected to replace the Gipper. Foreign and domestic policy issues are discussed, and voter groups and blocs expected to make an impact on the election are identified. And as with any book written by Will, meaningful statistics that provide insightful perspective about the topic at hand are brought forth.

As would be expected about any book more than 20 years old, many of the issues and concerns now seem dated, but it is interesting to compare what was expected to happen in the 1988 election with what actually happened--and as always, anything that George Will writes is eminently worth reading.

4.0 out of 5 stars Sensible look at U.S. Politics circa 1988, April 11, 2006

By 

K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Season: A Spectator's Guide to the 1988 Election (Paperback)

Conservative columnist George Will wrote this book ahead of the 1988 election for President, so he didn't know who the candidates (George Bush Sr., Mike Dukakis) would be. Will tried to anticipate the 1988 campaign by taking an in-depth look at the issues then facing the USA. And he did a pretty good job, particularly in his use of electoral and other statistics to illuminate the national political scene. Unlike most conservative journalists (and some liberal ones), Will writes thoughtfully without trying to bulldoze readers into seeing him as correct and all with opposing viewpoints as misguided. I don't always agree with Will, but he uses a sensible and witty style in these pages. This book is now dated, but many of the issues discussed by the author resonate today.

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, though no longer relevant, October 18, 2005

By 

Brett (South Dakota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Season: A Spectator's Guide to the 1988 Election (Paperback)

I don't agree with George Will about very much, but he is certainly a lot less noxious than many of today's popular conservatives. Reading this book was an interesting chance to see how a thoughtful conservative viewed the issues in the latter part of the 20th century in general, and in the '88 election in particular. Will is wrongheaded on several points, but his writing style is fluid and conversational, and often quite witty. He has a knack for producing electoral statistics that are illuminating; the book is full of nuggets of information that reveal the American mindset during the post-Kennedy elections. However, the book is focused pretty intently on the '88 election, and suffers from diminishing returns as time has marched onward. To be clear: THE NEW SEASON is written in anticipation of the '88 election--the nominees are not even chosen yet--so it is not a review or study of the tactics or of the campaigns of Bush I vs. Dukakis. The book is enjoyable and easy to read, but I don't think anyone is going to claim that it carries much weight in current politics, except for a few generalities scattered throughout the work. Still, I found it an agreeable portrait of the more intellectual segment of the conservative movement, as laid out by one of their leading lights. If this sounds interesting to you, by all means, pick up the book.