Customer Reviews

Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was only passingly familiar with Tucker Carlson before cracking the binding of his book, POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES. I vaguely recalled a few articles he had done for The Weekly Standard and The American Spectator, and I knew that he was on CNN's Crossfire. The problem is that at casa de Hartlaub we don't really tune in to CNN all that much, and as for Crossfire ... if I started watching James Carville with any regularity it would be the mark of a behavior deviation so devastating that my family would probably ship me off for that long promised 30-day psychological evaluation. While Crossfire appears to be on its last legs, Carlson's career trajectory is only beginning, if POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES is any indication.

For one thing, Carlson is really funny. His written delivery is very conversational. Reading POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES is like having this hip, smart, observant guy over for dinner and being happy to let him monopolize the conversation for the entire evening. Carlson is right to center right politically, but he doesn't beat you over the head with it. He chooses his battles wisely and almost always wins them. But POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES isn't a regurgitation of Carlson's views. It's a breezy, entertaining account of Carlson's experiences in television journalism and reporting.

Carlson's accounts of his adventures in the trenches of television news journalism are not presented in an orderly fashion. It's not quite stream of consciousness but the link between one topic and another can be a bit tenuous. You're not really going to care, however. Carlson is so entertaining and funny that you'll be more than happy to sit back and let him drive at 100 words per minute while he maintains a nonstop monologue concerning what is flying by. His most entertaining accounts concern being on the campaign trail with John McCain, his trip to Vietnam (again, with John McCain), the crashing and burning of his first television program, The Spin Room, and his dead-on descriptions of Carville.

But Carlson's literary audience will not be limited to conservatives. Liberals who have not lost their sense of humor will find plenty to enjoy in Carlson's accounts as well. Carlson pins Jerry Falwell and Larry Klayman to the wall with his laser-like scrutiny and does it so well that even if you like those gentlemen you won't mind. Well, you will, but you'll be too busy laughing to let it bother you for long.

POLITICIANS, PARTISANS AND PARASITES is a series of dead-on critiques and observations of current events, television news, and the people and personalities behind both. Its substance more than makes up for what it lacks in organization. This is Carlson's first book, but it hopefully will not be his last. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

A short, quick read, Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites is Tucker Carlson's account of his television career. It is mostly a personal, autobiographical account of his own experiences, rather than an analytical treatment of the business--although he does draw some general conclusions about the field. The book deals more with personalities than with issues.

Carlson begins with his largely accidental beginnings in TV--from his first brief appearance during the O.J. Simpson trial (a gig he landed somewhat randomly, by returning early from lunch to the Weekly Standard office) to the phone call during the 2000 election asking him, on the fly, to host a new show on CNN, The Spin Room. Throughout its life, that show always retained a thrown-together quality to it, with Carlson and Press often relying on gifts to furnish the set. They never did get custom coffee mugs, and Carlson's final attempt intersected with the end of the show--the promotional department knew of the show's end before Carlson and would not give him the mugs. From there, Carlson migrated to Crossfire, CNN's one-time premier political show, and watched as it, too, fell, unable to compete with Fox's primetime lineup.

Carlson despises partisans, whom he differentiates from ideologues. The distinction is rooted in partisans' blind adherence to the party line, but I'm not convinced that the distinction is an apt one. He likes people who speak their minds and go out on limbs, who aren't afraid to be outrageous. Jesse Jackson is a phony, whose phoniness is enhanced by TV. Al Sharpton, Carlson suggests, can think for himself, even if he is wrong. Jim Traficant added color when he showed up for an interview drunk and accosted the show's female floor director. John McCain--whose 2000 presidential campaign Carlson reported and covers extensively in the book--is praised for his never-mind-the-consequences approach to politics, but even the admiring Carlson admits that McCain played to the media. Bill Press, former co-host of The Spin Zone, comes off as a decent, funny, hardworking guy who loves to eat on the set.

In general, Carlson seems to believe that TV shapes its "participants" more than the other way around. Shows certainly are influenced by their hosts, but TV has a way of changing people. It enlarges not only physical traits but also personalities and idiosyncrasies as well: everything seems larger on television. It can give one an inflated opinion of himself. If a host isn't careful, his larger-than-life, seemingly all-knowing, accentuated personality can seep into his private persona (e.g. Bill O'Reilly, as Carlson posits). As a career, TV offers an unstable, fragile one that can disappear in the blink of an eye. Of media bias, Carlson doesn't seem to acknowledge its existence; instead, producers, he says, aren't driven by politics but by polls--the "ideology of the poll."

Carlson says nothing earth shattering, nothing surprising, nothing controversial. He provides little depth on the TV media business or on virtually anything that goes on behind-the-scenes. Nevertheless, written lightheartedly and humorously, the book will surely entertain media and political junkies alike.

I never saw Tucker Carlson on Crossfire, but I wish I had based on this book. Carlson strikes me as a moderate, not really a conservative, and this was one of very few books that delve into politics without an overload of spin. Limbaugh on the right, and Franken on the left, try to make their audiences angry while they entertain. Tucker appears to have no agenda. To some, that might make him seem tame, but to me, it was refreshing. He has many entertaining and enlightening stories to tell, so if you want a break from party warfare, but you are still fascinated by politics, this might be for you.

Tucker Carlson, who co-hosts CNN's Crossfire has written an enlightening and amusing book on his three years at CNN.

I have watched Crossfire only rarely, but I happened to hear Tucker speak about his experiences at a televised book conference in Miami, Florida not too long ago.

He described, with dry wit and obvious fondness, the colorful characters he interviewed and worked with in the most powerful and weirdest medium there is. I was entranced by his insight and intelligence and immediately ordered his new book, Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites.

This book was one of the most entertaining reads I have had in a long time. His intimate portraits of Al Sharpton, John McCain, James Carville, Ralph Nader, Jesse Jackson, and many others are not to be missed.

Tucker has seen television from the inside and describes it without rancor and without pulling any punches. Both in his speech and in the book, he mentioned expecting to be fired at anytime because of his enthusiasm for airing his views.

I hope it doesn't happen soon, because we need more TV personalities with his sense of humor. To get the flavor of Tucker's humor, see his interview by Kevin Holtsberry in August of this year.

He has written a great book. Read it.

Since I rarely watch CNN, I dont see Crossfire. But I did manage to catch him sparring with Al Franken on Tim Russert, and was impressed with his handling of Franken. They plugged his book, and I got it the next day. This book gives us, the political junkie, an insight into the personalities of the politicos we love and abhor. Want to know what people like Jesse Jackson,Jim Traficant, and James Carville do behind the news curtain? Carlson also ruminates fairly on the O'Reilly phenomenon as well, so even if youre on the left side of the aisle in politics, you'll hear some scoop on the other side. Anyone interested in the managed personalities of the talking heads we are addicted to listening to should buy this. Try and get it on discount, maybe wait for paperback because its rather expensive, and you'll kill it in 3 days. Mostly because you dont want to put it down, though.

My daughter and I can't wait to watch Crossfire. Tucker Carlson is our favorite. We love everything about him, his looks,his hair,and of course his cute bow tie. I always new Tucker was smart, now I also know what a good sense of humor he has. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. If you would like a look at the lighter side of politics,I highly recommend this book.

I truly enjoyed this book. Carlson seems less partisan here than elsewhere. He freely bashes and praises liberals and conservatives alike. Speaking as a Washingtonian, his stories ring true. I would have given it 5 stars, but it was way too short for the price.

I'm an unabashed liberal who picked this book up merely out of curiousity. I got into it both quickly and unexpectedly, Tucker really does go after both sides of the aisle, and does it in a way that is both informative and entertaining. It is very short (I finished it in 3 trips to Borders), but a lot of fun and it holds some real insight into both the state of our political discourse and the innor workings of the political media.

An easy 5 stars if not for the length. Props to Tucker for writing a book all political observers can enjoy.

I had to read this book for my government class and I found it very enjoyable. I had watched Crossfire on CNN with Tucker before I read the book and always thought him to be an amusing guy. This book reads just like how he talks on the show, full of wit and bite. The stories he tells will make you laugh and his love for the game of politics is refreshing in a world of people who think politics is some sort of religion with no funny faults. I would recommend this book for any one looking for a short and funny read with a focus on the absurd of politics and media.

PS: His section on the McCain 2000 presedential campaign is brillaint. So if you like McCain it is a must read.

If you want (a) a learned discussion of major national issues or (b) a grim anti-liberal tirade, this book is not the book for you. But if you want to spend an hour or two reading amusing stories about Carlson's fellow pundits (and the occasional politician), this book is perfect. It is a cute, fun piece of fluff - the modern equivalent of the Hollywood fan magazines of decades past (except of course about the press instead of about actors).