Customer Reviews

Show Time:: The American Political Circus and the Race for the White House

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Roger Simon is the anti-Elizabeth Drew. Show Time is bursting with life, laugh-out-loud funny, and just the right length; it probably makes the 1996 campaign seem more interesting than it really was. (Although Simon doesn't have much to say about candidates other than Dole, Clinton, and Perot -- for the scoop on Morry Taylor and Alan Keyes, you'll need to read Michael Lewis's Trail Fever.) Simon's book on the 1988 campaign is worth tracking down, too; I hope we don't need to wait until 2004 for his next work.

A laugh on every page, the author just kept the jokes coming. He missed his true calling, he should write comedy. Who would have thought that a dull political campaign that was almost decided from the start could be this funny? The author takes us through the 1996 presidential campaign with the main focus on the Dole campaign. The author was as brutally honest about the inept Dole campaign as he funny. Looking at the Dole campaign now you really see just how badly they performed from speeches to talking points. The author also included verbatim transcripts of some Dole stump speeches, and what a mess they were. Small children can put together more coherent thoughts. I really started to feel sorry for the guy after awhile. What a contrast the Clinton campaign proved to be, they scripted everything from backgrounds during speeches to person placement on stage during the debates.

I think the only complaint I could have is that the book stayed focused on Dole for about 60% of the time leaving the rest for Clinton and the other contenders. This is understandable given that the Dole campaign appeared to be the biggest mess and that is the way reporters handle a campaign by following the same guy around most of the time. I just would have liked the authors quick wit focused on some of the other unique personalities that also ran that year. Overall the book is great for its humor content alone. It also gives the reader an interesting insight to this campaign and campaigns in general. If you are a political junkie then this book will really make you smile.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book by a source I wish the talking head gabfests would include in their panels more often. I couldn't imagine how anyone could make the sad, tedious 1996 presidential campaign interesting, but Mr. Simon did it and then some, with wit, humor, and penetrating insights throughout. A refreshing new take on the standard after-action election history. Highly recommend.

Roger Simon certainly proves that presidential campaigns are a show orchestrated by skillful advisors to the candidates. What he fails to do is tell the reader what exactly he finds wrong with political campaigns being a show. Moreover, if he finds that this show is bad, he should at least tell us what we can do to change this or if there is no hope of changing the way political campaigns are run he should also tell us.

You man, don't be silly. This book is da bomb. My boy Roger tells the political truth. This aint be nothing but swanky. Political campaigns are the harsh reality or misinformation, and we'd be nothing but fools. Dole, Buchanan, Taylor are all righteous boyz, but dey aint got notin' on my man Lamar "Mundane" Alexander. His checkered shirt was da silly mess, and I dig that boy. I say you must read this to see the truth behind reality, and Lil' Roger is just right. This book is boinky funny and severe. You man, peace out MOFO.

If you are a political novice, you really need to read this book. Not only is it funny but illustrative of how political campaigns are "media shows' designed to appeal to us on an almost subliminal level. The voting public must take the information that we use to make political decisions with a great deal more seriousness if we are to successfully deal with the issues facing us. Politicians would prefer that we use the same intellect in making these decisions that we do in buying toilet paper. Unfortunatley we are getting what we deserve in our politicians. Roger Simon's book points that out to us.

I read Simon's earlier book "Road Show" and found it humorous, but this book is venonmous. His mean-spirited view exempts only the media (naturally), as he skewers the voters and candidates with Nat'l Enquirer-style gossip and furnishing additional reasons to feel cynical. (As if! as if there aren't enough...)