The Pact: Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and the Rivalry that Defined a Generation [Hardcover]

Steven M. Gillon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 2008

Most Americans saw President Bill Clinton and Speaker Newt Gingrich as staunch foes--"the polar extremes of Pennsylvania Avenue." But as Steven Gillon reveals in The Pact, these powerful adversaries formed a secret alliance in 1997, a pact that would have rocked the political landscape, had it not foundered in the wake of the Lewinsky scandal.

A fascinating look at politics American-style, The Pact offers a riveting account of two of America's most charismatic and influential leaders, detailing both their differences and their striking similarities, and highlighting the profound and lasting impact the tumultuous 1960s had on both their personal and political lives. With the cooperation of both President Clinton and Speaker Gingrich, interviews with key players who have never before spoken about their experiences, along with unprecedented access to Gingrich's private papers, Gillon not only offers a behind-the-scenes look at the budget impasse and the government shutdown in 1995--the famous face-off between Clinton and Gingrich--but he also reveals how the two moved closer together after 1996--closer than anyone knew. In particular, the book illuminates their secret efforts to abandon the liberal and conservative wings of their own parties and strike a bi-partisan deal to reform the "third rail of American politics"--Social Security and Medicare. That potentially groundbreaking effort was swept away by the highly charged reaction to the Lewinsky affair, ending an initiative that might have transformed millions of American lives.

Packed with compelling new revelations about two of the most powerful and intriguing figures of our time, this book will be must reading for everyone interested in politics or current events.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An unlikely, fleeting and largely unknown alliance between the former president and speaker of the House occupies center-stage of this thoughtful book that recreates the tumultuous years of the Clinton administration. Gillon (10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America) provides compelling evidence suggesting that political foes Clinton and Gingrich formed a secret alliance in 1997 and were prepared to forge a bipartisan compromise on Social Security and Medicare, a plan that was derailed when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. In slightly shapeless early chapters, Gillon surveys the parallels and divergences in the early lives and careers of both men, casting his two protagonists as mirror images of each other: deeply intelligent children of the 1960s greatly affected by the politics of the decade, they became passionate, charismatic leaders who succumbed to personal weaknesses and saw their brilliant careers overshadowed by ignominy. Though Gillon slightly overreaches in framing his story as an epilogue to the culture wars of the '60s, he nevertheless renders a fraught moment in American political history with clarity. (June)
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From The New Yorker

The story of how Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich came close to secretly making a deal on Social Security by cutting out their respective political allies, only to be derailed by Clinton’s philandering (and, to an extent, by Gingrich’s), is far from edifying. Gillon, a professor and a History Channel host, interviewed both men, but he had better access to Gingrich, and it shows. Arguing, plausibly, that his subjects had much more in common than one would expect, Gillon points to their difficult stepfathers and love of technology, but what comes across most strongly is a shared habit of self-aggrandizement. This account, sheathed in a rote cultural history of the sixties, never really rises above the pettiest logic of the Beltway—whether various policy initiatives "scored points"—so that the final, Monica-induced collapse of the initiative seems only as poignant as a triumph of sordidness over cynicism can be.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195322789
• ISBN-13: 978-0195322781
• Product Dimensions: 2.6 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Knew?! May 21, 2008

By Ken M.

Format:Hardcover

Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich working together?! Despite the fact that these two political heavyweights have made careers out of bashing one another, this book shows that once upon a time they worked together on a secret alliance that might have fixed Social Security. Once the Lewisnsky scandal broke, Gingrich felt like he had to distance himself from Clinton and everything fell apart. The author uses a lot of first-hand resources (letters and interviews) to help tell this fascinating story.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Missed Opportunity? March 2, 2009

By Marc Korman

Format:Hardcover

I have a bit of a secret. I am a liberal Democrat with a soft spot for Newt Gingrich. Hearing Gingrich talk and reading his work has always fascinated me. I do not agree with all of his conclusions or prescriptions, but have always been impressed by his intelligence and political skill. Regarding the former, he has an incredible mind for policy and history, can think broadly about complex problems, and is always generating new ideas (even if they are ones I disagree with). Regarding the latter, his long view of returning Republicans to power and building a GOP farm team was a brilliant strategy that paid huge dividends for his party. Part of my admiration in Gingrich may be because I was not politically active until I entered college in 1999, so I missed the day to day political warfare that Gingrich was at the forefront of.

What I know of those days comes from history and books like The Pact. The Pact traces the careers of two figures with more in common than one would think when approaching the material, Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich. Although the book uses the period immediately following the 1996 presidential election and preceding the Lewinsky scandal as its hook, it is really a quick biography of these two figures from their early political careers, through their collision in 1994, to their brief attempt to do big things before impeachment crowded out their hopes.

The author may be a bit too optimistic on what these two big brains could have done had impeachment not gotten in the way. The book demonstrates that Gingrich's partisanship often overshadowed his desire to get something done when it came to the Clinton White House, for example during the budget negotiations that led to two government shutdowns. And Clinton too was often held captive by the demands of his own political base. Even without impeachment, these two barriers may have prevented the major deals on Social Security and other issues the book almost takes for granted would have occurred.

Bill Clinton, like Gingrich, also had an incredible mind and political sense. But where Gingrich's political skills were broadly applied to a movement, Clinton's were more about his personal elections and survival. But they were both leaders who seemed to implicitly understand the coming challenges of the 21st century. Clinton's attempts to tackle healthcare, energy, and some limited gay rights in his first term appear more prescient with each passing year.

I think most Americans have a general sense that Bill Clinton's presidency was a missed opportunity due to his own personal failing and the partisan divide. The Pact puts a little substance on that broad sketch of history. But it is just a little substance. If you have already read extensively about the period or these two figures, you may not find the book that enlightening. Although the author conducted extensive interviews to complete the work, many of the stories are ones I had read before.

But if you have not read much on these topics, give this quick read some of your time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Behind-the-Scenes Tale January 14, 2012

By MasterAP

Format:Hardcover

Telling the, until recently, top secret story of how President Clinton and Speaker Gingrich almost solved the Social Security/Medicare problem.

If you were old enough during the 90s, you may remember how heated the political climate was between Democrats and Republicans. This era was based on two personalities: Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich.

Author Gillon takes us back to these two personalities and how their upbringing through the 1960s shaped what was to come thirty years later.

While I would call this book slightly pro-Clinton, I do think this is one of the most balanced political book I have ever read. Gillon points out the values of both men as well as their vices.

When you boil both men down, you'll actually find two very similar people. Although they never trusted each other, they wanted to be part of something historic.

After the Republican take-over of Congress and some public venom from Gingrich, the two men realized that they needed to work together in order to accomplish something no politician ever wants to touch.

Meeting in secret, so secret that Hillary didn't know about it, Speaker and President met in the White House to talk about how they could create a new coalition of middle ground in order to pass significant legislation.

Everything was in place to succeed until "Monica happened".

The Pact is a wonderful political epoch. It provides a wonderful behind-the-scenes narrative which will lead you to imagine, What if...

This book was provided for review, at no cost by Oxford Publishing