Work Hard, Study...and Keep Out of Politics! Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life (Hardcover)

by James Baker III (Author) "THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION was the tightest in a century..." (more)
Key Phrases: federal election reform, campaign chairman, Ronald Reagan, United States, George Bush (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Baker's grandfather, a prominent Houston lawyer, told his grandson to avoid becoming a politician—hence the title of this memoir. Baker intended to follow that advice, but, at age 40, he switched course after his wife died of cancer, leaving behind four sons. George Herbert Walker Bush persuaded the widower to change parties and work on Bush's Republican Party senatorial campaign to take his mind off his grief. Eventually, Baker played political and policymaking roles in the presidential administrations of Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, with nearly four years as Bush's secretary of state, including during the first Gulf war. More sweeping and less formal than Baker's 1995 memoir of his international adventures, The Politics of Diplomacy, this is also haphazardly organized despite its chronological approach. Baker seems to idolize all three presidents he served directly, though he alludes to character flaws and questionable decisions. His defense of the status quo is likely to please loyal Republicans, annoy loyal Democrats and make independents wonder. (Oct.)
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From Booklist
Prominent Republican James Baker recalls his life in politics in this candid memoir. Crediting tennis partner George H. W. Bush for drawing him into the arena after the death of his wife in 1970, Baker starts with his first political posts in the Ford administration and proceeds to the disputed presidential election of 2000, in which Baker directed the Republicans' legal strategy. Those interested in political gossip will relish these stories as Baker's replies to various tell-alls written by veterans from the Reagan era, while those intrigued by the practicalities of power might see in Baker's career an example of how to succeed in American democratic politics. However frequently Baker praises public service in this memoir, he as often admits that the need for power is what motivated him. This honesty lends credence to his anecdotes, many of which originate in the presidential campaigns Baker managed for Ford, Bush, and Reagan. One regularly wades through lists of staffers, ritual praise attached, to reach Baker's operational points, which are well worth the attention of the politically savvy of either party. In the main, Baker's accounts reinforce the tough nature of politics but resist easy cynicism about the occupation, from which Baker emerged with his reputation for integrity intact. Readers who relish political revelations will enjoy this insider's backward glance. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (October 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399153772
• ISBN-13: 978-0399153778
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #199,317 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars LIfe at the Top, October 31, 2006

By	Richard Stoyeck "StocksAtBottom.com" (Westport, CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You read a book like this to get a feel for what's it would be like to be considered the GOLD STANDARD in electoral politics. Nobody in modern times has had the success or the good fortune to be on the winning side of so many Presidential elections. One of Baker's competitors is James Carville, the man who more than any other, helped Bill Clinton to defeat George HW Bush and his manager James A. Baker III in 1992. It was Carville who referred to Baker as the Gold Standard.

To understand James Baker, you have to understand where he is coming from. He was originally a Houston based "Society Lawyer" from a prominent family which allowed him to attend Princeton University. A "Society Lawyer" simply caters to the needs of very rich people. Whatever it is they need, the lawyer fixes it, quite a nice life if you can do it.

Baker also has a wonderful, gregarious personality. In person, he is charming to a fault, and a total class act. You have to like the guy. The question one needs to ask is how did Baker parlay a general legal practice in Houston, and morph it into becoming probably the second most important person in government under two successive Presidents.

Even more interesting is how did Baker survive his entire tenure in Washington without being either destroyed, or contaminated by the system. He was able to walk away from his experiences, which were quite extensive, without anybody laying a glove on him.

I was involved in a conversation with former President Nixon on this topic many years ago. The President felt that there were only 250,000 people in the United States that counted. These people own the media, the corporations, they control the institutions, and they have the wealth. The President felt that if you stripped this entire group of their wealth, power, and positions, in ten years, the wealth and power would be right back where it started from.

I submit to you that James Baker made himself the indispensable man to whoever he came into contact with. If you strip Baker of his power and position, within a few years he would be right back in the thick of it. Was there some luck involved? You bet there was, and this book is full of stories where so much luck was involved.

He specifically mentions in the book that being a Marine during the Korean War, he was transferred to the Mediterranean, not Korea, where most of his associates perished in the war. Was it the luck of the draw that led to his Mediterranean assignment, or string pulling? We will never know, and he's not telling.

Here's a man that was George Bush's man, (the current President's father), during the 1980 campaign when Bush went head to head against Ronald Reagan for the Republican Presidential nomination. This was the second time Baker moved against Reagan. He was also part of Ford's team when Reagan challenged the seating President for the nomination in 1976.

What happens as a result? Reagan wins the nomination in 1980, and Baker joins the Reagan team. Having done a great job during the election process, he somehow manages against all odds to maneuver himself into the position of Chief of Staff to Ronald Reagan. Previous to this, Reagan had always surrounded himself with people with very long track records with him. How did Baker manage to leap over every one of the loyalists?

The answer is that this is a very SPECIAL MAN. I have known a lot of people in Washington up close and personal. If you are perceptive, and interested, it really doesn't take long to figure out who's real, who's a phony, who gets things done, and who doesn't. There are very few people in James Baker's league. There are only two other people I can compare him to.

The first was Abe Fortas, a former Supreme Court Justice who was one of the most brilliant men to ever serve in government. I value a picture I have of him sitting in Lyndon Johnson's White House, not at the table, but in a seat by the window. It was obvious Fortas was pulling the strings in the room.

The second man, I would compare Baker to would be Clark Clifford. He was another magnificent power broker who served every Democratic President from Harry Truman forward for 30 years. What's interesting is that both of these men Fortas, and Clifford had problems late in their careers that tarnished their reputations. Baker remains untouched by scandal.

Nobody in the last 40 years has enjoyed better relations with the press than James Baker. I do not ever recall at any point while he served in government reading anything negative that was written about him. The only person that came close is Colin Powell, and Baker is at the game longer.

The reason is that nobody cultivated the press like James Baker. Did Baker leak to the press? He says no, but he does admit to providing background to reporters without allowing attribution back to himself. It was more than background. Baker probably provided anything, and everything the press required in order to keep his reputation intact. There is no other explanation for the continuous favorable press this man received during his entire stay in Washington DC, a truly cutthroat town.

He also doesn't have a bad word to say about anybody else. He simply doesn't burn bridges. This attitude goes all the way back to his days as a society lawyer. If you never say anything negative about people, you have an opportunity to have them all as clients. Everybody loves James Baker. I particularly enjoy reading a book like this because you pick up certain ideas, and possibilities about politics that you will just never learn any other way, because there's just so much noise out there that it's overwhelming. Let me give you a couple of notions:

· "When wounded, stop the bleeding immediately" - Here Baker is telling us that when it goes bad for you in politics, you have to deal with the issue immediately and kill the issue. Don't wait, or you're dead. An example would be Senator Kerry's failure to respond to the misleading Swift Boat accusations made against him in the 04 Presidential election cycle.

· "First time out, win or lose, you learn a lot" - He's telling you that there is no substitute for experience. You may not win the race the first time, as Baker lost with Ford in 1976, but it prepared him for 1980, where he became the gold standard in politics.

· "Proximity is POWER" - Yes, absolutely. You want an office close to the President. The closer the office, the more power you absolutely have, and are perceived to have.

· "Tax hikes without spending restraints never balance the budget, Congress always spends the new money and more" - How brilliant is this statement. It explains perfectly the last six years under a Republican dominated Presidency, and Congress. Whoever is in power spends money. It doesn't matter who it is, or what party he's from.

· "Image Trumps Substance" - Wow, did he get this one right. It's all about PERCEPTION, or better yet, take credit for all miracles occurring within 50 miles.

· "Better to assume the worst, and try to do something about it, than to assume the best, and get blindsided" - This is a lesson we could all take with us.

· "Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance - He learned this from his father, and mentions it many times throughout the book. Practicing what he called the five P's held him in good steed throughout his career, and he continues to practice this behavior today.

If you have an interest in politics and history, you would do well to take the time to peruse this book. It's an easy read, Baker is not looking to sell you, or persuade you in this book. Read it, and you will learn what life at the top of Washington was like during a very interesting period in our nation's history. Good luck.

Richard Stoyeck

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Memoir filled with Credability., October 9, 2006

By	Peter Senese "A book is a free ticket to anyw... (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

In reflecting upon the life of James Baker through his second memoir 'Work Hard, Study . . . and Keep Out of Politics!' the one thing that continued to stay in my mind is Baker's openess that one of the reasons why he stayed in politics was 'power'. What a refreshing statement: the Truth! This is not so minimal a statement when reading the many self-serving political memoirs published, particularly from the Reagan-era politicians who have published throughtout the years. The life of Jame Baker is quite remarkable, and the sharing of his life and decisions as shared in this memoir are encompassing of service to this nation well done. I may not necessarily agree with all the decisions made by Baker during the years he served 3 different presidents, but I do respect the man and the integrity of this book. There rings certain truths throughout, and his openess about 'power' provide a sense of credability to his perspectives.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Less About Baker Himself, Of Course, Than American Politics, October 16, 2006

By	Penny Dreadful (Under Your Skin) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I did not know a great deal about James Baker before I read this book, but I mean it as a compliment to the clarity of his reminiscences when I say I think I do now. In the field of political autobiography, it is not always the case that one emerges knowing more about the author and subject than when one began. From the pages of his book I discern that James Baker is not without wit, albeit at times a distinctly biting one. He is also less a statesman than a politician, and less a politician than a man with protective loyalty to his friends. He is perhaps above all someone with a talent for inserting himself into a situation and calling on a lifetime's worth of well-placed contacts when there is a need to get things done. In short, to his party and to its inner circle, Mr. Baker is invaluable.

James Addison Baker began his adult life as an apolitical Texas Democrat, and emerges today four decades after he took up campaigning as a form of therapy (after his wife's passing) as an elder tactician of the Republican Party. His is the sort of book that will deservedly please Republicans, understandably miff Democrats, raise a few eyebrows and hackles here and there among independents, and ultimately I fear its anecdotes about such varying matters as families ties surpassing race, the "real" way politics in America works, his compliments on the brilliance of Presidents Ford, Reagan, and Bush, as well as others with whom he has served---in short the best part of the book---will unfortunately be lost on many who purchase it for strictly political reasons.

Let me point out now that this book is NOT about Baker's political neutrality, nor was it expected to be, but one of its strengths is that I think James Baker wrote candidly. That's also one of its weaknesses, for while I admired the similar candidness that went into Jesse Helms' memoir last year, this book does make Baker come across a few times as something of a power-hungry, vindictive man. I think in large part Baker used this often interesting re-telling of his role in modern political affairs as a platform to get even a time or two with those against whom he feels grudges, particularly former Vice President Al Gore, whose attacks on both Baker and Baker's boss, former President Bush, during the 1992 White House race became as Baker seems to have seen it, a little too personal.

What is interesting about Baker's book is of course its recounting of his service in several Republican administrations, and also his role as a major behind the scenes player in the election campaigns that placed many of those politicians there. Baker most recently was a strategist who oversaw the current President Bush's 2000 White House run, and while there does seem some merit in his reminder that the final Supreme Court decision that settled the disputed 2000 election was rendered 7-2, in my opinion I couldn't help but see Baker leaving behind some of his candidness and resorting to becoming a hard-line strategist even after that particular battle is long over.

This is a relatively short and surprisingly fast-flowing sort of trek back through the life of an extremely well-connected man, and while I disagree with Baker on many issues, I did think much of what he had to say was interesting and that it serves as a unique view into a realm of politics typically closed-off to most of us.