Shadow President: Ted Kennedy in Opposition (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hersh, a freelance journalist, has followed Kennedy's career closely since 1967. A Kennedy admirer, Hersh emphasizes the senator's political strengths but does not gloss over his moral lapses. His interviews with his subject help illuminate why Kennedy had such staying power in the face of personal and political trials. Hersh devotes a lot of space to the 1994 elections and to Kennedy's steadfast adherence to Democratic ideals in the face of a Republican juggernaut. The senator's shaky relationship with President Clinton is also examined, especially Kennedy's behind-the-scenes efforts to keep the president ideologically on track. The author's previous book on the senator, The Education of Edward Kennedy (LJ 6/1/72), garnered mainly positive reviews. Complementary studies include Murray B. Levin's Edward Kennedy: The Myth of Leadership (LJ 7/80), and Theo Lippman's Senator Ted Kennedy (LJ 1/15/76). Recommended for academic and large public libraries.?Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Hersh, author of The Education of Edward Kennedy, focuses almost exclusively on the senator's professional contributions in this winning biography. It isn't a matter of downplaying Kennedy's nearly Hogarthian reputation as a rake, womanizer, and boozer; Hersh simply zeros in on the politician who, like his hero Daniel Webster, has "defined an age" by using the power center of the Senate as a virtual counterpart to the presidency. Hersh lucidly portrays Kennedy as a man who built a career based on commitment to his political calling and an aptitude for coalition building. His personality and leadership skills, combined with innate instincts as a "field commander," have made him a considerable roadblock to sitting presidents and the creator of a veritable "shadow government" that uses public opinion to halt unpopular legislation. Kennedy is an indefatigable force and a formidable foe who sees his role as a critic with veto powers. Following an extensive period as a public pariah, he has emerged as a confident leader who has forsaken high jinks for hard work. Patricia Hassler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 219 pages
• Publisher: Diane Pub Co (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078819478X
• ISBN-13: 978-0788194788
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,409,199 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dream Lives On, February 15, 2000

By	Grant Schott (Corvallis, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Shadow President: Ted Kennedy in Opposition (Hardcover)

Too many Kennedy books either laud or trash the family. Some nitpick over voting records, while many focus entirely on their personal lives. In this book, author Hersh, gives us a balanced and fair look at Ted Kennedy's long and distinguished senate career, without ignoring Kennedy's flaws that have kept him from moving down to the other end of Pennsylvania Ave. Hersh has been following Kennedy for years, and is trusted enough by the senator to have rare access, but a good enough journalist and author to not be compromised by friendship. The book contains lots of inside analysis of Kennedy's realtionship with his large family and even larger staff, his 1980 presidential run which failed but reinforced Kennedy's role as a liberal leader, and his continued effort to shape national policy while trying to overcome his image problems. For those who have followed Teddy Kennedy's career over the years, this book does a good job of putting it all together.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We need Ted Kennedy's expertise and ability to get results., January 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shadow President: Ted Kennedy in Opposition (Hardcover)

As a lifelong democrat and resident of Massachusetts, I am liberal but not 100%. I usually agree with Ted's issues, but not always. Found in this book a fuller understanding of what he has accomplished and am grateful to have him as a Senator. The book points out some of his proven and alleged failings as a human being, but I don't judge politicians by their private lives. What's more important to me is the way in which we care for one another, and I feel we are lucky to have Ted as our watchdog.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Followup to "The Education of Edward Kennedy", June 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shadow President: Ted Kennedy in Opposition (Hardcover)

Hersh's 1972 biography "The Education of Edward Kennedy" is still, after nearly three decades, one of the best Kennedy books out there. "The Shadow President," however, fails to live up to the high standards Hersh set in his earlier book. While "The Shadow President" includes a lively account of the 1994 Kennedy-Romney Senate race, the rest of the book is dreadfully dull, containing many well-worn anecdotes and familiar tales that have been better recounted elsewhere. Replete with glaring factual errors (Maryland senator Paul Sarbanes is described as representing Delaware, and more strangely, Wyoming's Alan Simpson is referred to a senator from Nevada) which a self-described "Washington insider" like Hersh should not have made. Hersh offers his own highly-speculative and undocumented "insights" as fact, while blasting other authors like Joe McGinniss who have done the same. His tendency to quote at length anonymous sources identified merely as "a longtime friend" or "an influential senior staffer" is also grating and serves to further degrade a frustratingly slapdash book. Hersh can and has done better, and the sense one gets reading "The Shadow President" is that this book was quickly hobbled together to make a few bucks. All in all, a disappointing sequel to a classic work of political reportage.