“The greatest political saga, the one that has it all, that gets to the real heart of American politics, is the John Edwards story... This isn’t just politics, it’s literature. It’s the great American novel, the kind that isn’t written anymore.” --Michael Wolff on John Edwards's trajectory, on VanityFair.com
The underside of modern American politics -- raw ambition, manipulation, and deception -- are revealed in detail by Andrew Young’s riveting account of a presidential hopeful’s meteoric rise and scandalous fall. Like a non-fiction version of All the King’s Men, The Politician offers a truly disturbing, even shocking perspective on the risks taken and tactics employed by a man determined to rule the most powerful nation on earth.
Idealistic and ambitious, Andrew Young volunteered for the John Edwards campaign for Senate in 1998 and quickly became the candidate’s right hand man. As the senator became a national star, Young’s responsibilities grew. For a decade he was this politician’s confidant and he was assured he was ‘like family.” In time, however, Young was drawn into a series of questionable assignments that culminated with Edwards asking him to help conceal the Senator’s ongoing adultery. Days before the 2008 presidential primaries began, Young gained international notoriety when he told the world that he was the father of a child being carried by a woman named Rielle Hunter, who was actually the senator’s mistress. While Young began a life on the run, hiding from the press with his family and alleged mistress, John Edwards continued to pursue the presidency and then the Vice Presidency in the future Obama administration.
Young had been the senator’s closest aide and most trusted friend. He believed that John Edwards could be a great president, and was assured throughout the cover-up that his boss and friend would ultimately step forward to both tell the truth and protect his aide’s career. Neither promise was kept. Not only a moving personal account of Andrew Young’s political education, THE POLITICIAN offers a look at the trajectory which made John Edwards the ideal Democratic candidate for president, and the hubris which brought him down, leaving his career, his marriage and his dreams in ashes.
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"A book worth reading for its larger drama. With a title that ultimately works like a shiv in the ribs, Mr. Young’s book examines what a politician really is: the value of his words... the extent of his feelings of entitlement, the outrageousness of his ego...and the gap between his public convictions and private behavior" - Janet Maslin, TheNew York Times
“Mesmerizing...This is not a political memoir. It’s a morality tale with the chill of Hitchcock.” ---Tina Brown, The Daily Beast
“Replete with colorful anecdotes and vignettes, this forceful memoir offers a familiar, if a bit slippery, tale of lost youthful innocence.” --The New York Times Book Review
“How often does the quest for the White House become an unhealthy obsession, not just for a candidate and his spouse, but for the people around them?” --The Boston Globe
From the Back Cover
John Edwards’s longest-serving former aide gives us the inside story—in shocking, explosive detail—about the meteoric rise and scandalous fall of
THE POLITICIAN
Andrew Young volunteered for the Edwards campaign for U.S. Senate in 1998 and soon became the Democratic candidate’s right-hand man and most trusted friend. As Edwards became a national star, Young’s responsibilities grew to include a series of questionable assignments that culminated with being asked to conceal the Senator’s ongoing adultery. Then, days before his run in the 2008 presidential primaries began, Edwards was faced with a publicity nightmare: Rielle Hunter, the campaign videographer with whom he’d been having an affair, was pregnant. Edwards insisted that Young claim paternity—but America would eventually learn the truth…
“A book worth reading for its larger drama. Mr. Young’s book examines what a politician really is.”—Janet Maslin, TheNew York Times
Young believed that Edwards could be a great president, and was assured throughout the cover-up that one day Edwards would come clean to his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth—and the rest of the country—and take responsibility for his actions. Instead, Young watched as his own career and family life fell apart. With this memoir, he finally has the chance to share his account of what really happened—and go beyond the headlines to show who John Edwards really is.
“Mesmerizing...This is not a political memoir. It’s a morality tale with the chill of Hitchcock.” —Tina Brown, The Daily Beast
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Reading this book is like falling down a rabbit hole into a world where everyone is mad.
John Edwards is portrayed as a sociopath with a Cheshire grin. Elizabeth Edwards, (with her creepy voicemails), comes across as menacing and unstable. From where I'm sitting, the author appears to be a spineless, yes-man, flunky who repeatedly cites his "need for healthcare" as an excuse for his questionable behavior.
Not only is this book a devastating indictment of the Edwards family and their cronies -- it really gives one pause as to what is going on in Washington, in general. How can government ever improve when the inmates are literally running the asylum?
I wouldn't let any of these people within 100 yards of my family much less give them a vote for anything.
This is 301 pages of lying, cheating, power-grabbing and backstabbing. It is a veritable encyclopedia of how not to live your life.
If someone had asked me three years ago what the future for John Edwards would look like, I most certainly would have said he would one day be President of the United States. He had everything going for him--wonderful wife, lovely children, the story of a dad finding the strength to overcome the death of his teenage boy, wealth most of us can only dream of, a background as a tremendously successful lawyer, an already established career as a US senator, charismatic speaking ability, good looks, a clean past, a failed, yet flattering showing as John Kerry's running mate, and a reputation as a populist who was willing to fight for poor people like no one else. Enter 2008 and Edwards' admission of having an affair with Rielle Hunter. And then fast-forward to 2010 and the admission of fathering a child that all of us already knew was his. Oh how the mighty have fallen! The book is written by a true insider, and whether you agree with that idea or not, Andrew Young isn't shy about opening up.
I remember first hearing about the affair back in 2008. I couldn't believe it--not because I enjoy judging people who cheat--that's none of my business--but rather for the unforgivable timing of it...and I think most Americans felt the same way. His wife had incurable cancer for God's sake! And he had been a serious candidate for the democratic nomination. His asking for my vote made the affair "my business" because in most cases (save Clinton) cheating on your wife is an automatic political disqualifier--and Edwards knew this yet did it anyway. I remember saying, "You mean to tell me that this guy was running a serious campaign with the complete knowledge that he had had this intense affair?..." What if he had gotten the nomination, won the presidency, and just before the inauguration this had all come out? Democrats would have been ROYALY screwed and Republicans would have been dancing in the streets.
The book makes this point well beyond what I just said. Young not only points all of this out with great depth, but he tells us much more, and it is so shocking that it's hard to believe. But considering that ever since the book's release date was made public, Edwards has admitted fathering the child and the Edwards' have split up, I think the book has solid credibility as a result. They wanted to air all of their dirty laundry before the American people could read about it. Perhaps they were thinking that this would take some of the shock value away. Well, it did no such thing. Most of what is in the book is news to me and will be news to you. It will be interesting to see what parts of it the Edwards' try to deny and discredit, because right now, I want to believe that a lot of this is false.
At first I couldn't believe that a close Edwards ally was disgusting enough to spew all of this private information in a book. But it needed to be written because the Edwards' ran for the presidency while deceiving the American people. And they will pay a painful price for the rest of their lives. They don't need me to pile on. I have compassion for them. People don't have to be perfect for me to like them. Unfortunately, for the Edwards', many people want to worship unflawed individuals. But the book made me realize how the world of high stakes politics can tear even the most decent people down, eat away at them, and lead them to do the unimaginable. It made me wonder if Elizabeth wanted the White House more than John did. I read just about everything to do with the current political discourse and climate. I'm a political junkie. And if you like reading about the intimate details of a family clawing its way to the powerful, political top, and want to understand the mind-blowing things that can happen on that journey, "The Politician" is for you. I've read two books this year that stopped me in my tracks and shook the heck out of me--71 Days: The Media Assault On Obama by Michael Jason Overstreet and this one. Both are extraordinarily and shockingly eye opening and historically powerful. 71 Days: The Media Assault On Obama will likely get some people in the media FIRED!!!Read more ›
If one reads this book looking for salacious gossip on the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter affair than I actually recommend reading the articles from "The National Enquirer." As they have done a more in-depth job of the details. However, if one is seeking insight into the life of a political campaign staffer then I do recommend this book, highly. As a former staffer on local and state-wide campaigns I recognize many of the elements present in this book. The devotion to the candidate, to the point where higher principles such as right and wrong get blurred. The all consuming, twenty-four hour seven days a week, schedule dependent upon the candidate's whims. The intense competition and backbiting between the staffers. The ability of the candidates to just drop cold a friend they were previously close to. The ability of the candidate to switch personalities on and off in the blink of an eye. All these elements are present in this narrative and quite typical. What is revealing in this book is the author's flagrant willingness to participate in facilitating John Edwards' communication with Rielle Hunter. Sure he is concerned about providing for his family, but he seems unaware that in so doing he is enabling another family to be destroyed. The author is a "yes" man to the point where it is overdone. He ties his future so tightly with that of John Edwards that at times he sees no way out of the mess. When in reality, he could have just had his wife take up nursing again until the author found a less humiliating position. However, as one reads the author's narrative one gets pulled into his way of thinking. It isn't until one pulls away from the text that one realizes the author in a sense got what he deserved. He acted as a celestina and then was dropped when he was of no further use.... That is what happens when one makes a pact with the devil. So while at first one sides with the author and even sympathizes with him. Upon further reflection the author reveals himself to be just another one of these political wannabes who eventually gets caught in his own web of deceit that he has spun. The book in short is a worthwhile read.Read more ›
I was thinking this book could easily be written off as an extention of tabloid trash. It is well-written, obviously well-documented, and while I am writing this it is not the end of the story based on current developments regarding that sex tape and the 1 mil plus that was dedicated to this cover-up. John Edwards failed to man-up and admit he lied in increments to his wife, his jack-of-all-trades Andrew Young, and the american people when he confessed paternity re: Frances Quinn Hunter through a spokesman. Naturally he was in Haiti saving the people with his $400 haircut and his toothy grin. I bought this book because I figured his contrite prepared announcement was timed to deflect the publication of this tell all. What did he fear? Apparently there was a lot he hoped people would ignore such as this book which is fairly straightforward. The Politician is a compeling and factual account of John Edwards' grab for power and his subsequent downfall. It reads like a political thriller, but is somewhat creepy and frightening re: the depths of ambition, greed, lust, narcisism, and privilege that extends into the world of modern day american politics. I kept thinking how sincere Edwards came across while he was lying into a tv camera. Geez, he could have been president. Wasn't Bill Clinton enough? All these folks are hypocrites. No wonder most people don't trust politicians. Andrew Young portrays himself as an Edwards worshipper who thinks the man is going to save the world when he becomes president. Andrew might aptly be described as a gofer who hitches himself to the Edwards bandwagon in hopes of sunning himself in Edwards' reflected glory while incrementally increasing his personal income.... It appears as if Edwards accurately sizes up Young as the perfect fall-guy as his affair with the implausible Rielle Hunter picks up steam without much discretion. The rest might be tacked up as tabloid history except Young started documenting the Edwards' activities and retaining voice mails. When Edwards unceremoniously ditches Young, he decides to set the record straight with this book. The Politician manages to make sense of Edwards' half truths in increments and Mrs. Edwards frenzied communications with Young and his wife. Not surprisingly, no one comes off well in this book including the author and his wife. Even Elizabeth Edwards is portrayed as erratic, suspicious, angry, and crazed. Sadly, considering all she had to put up with re: her sleezy husband, it is amazing that she's managed to survive. Ultimately the real victims in this story are the children involved. This booked managed to nail it for me regarding what actually happened and when. I recommend this book to any political junkie or anyone who wants to know the facts surrounding this mess. The Politician proves that truth is stranger than fiction.Read more ›
I also live nearby and am looking forward to receiving the book from Amazon today (unless the snow prevents) but I watched Andrew Young and his wife Cheri on 20/20 last night and was riveted. I learned a lot I didn't know and a lot of my questions were answered, particularly how Andrew Young... Read more
I am very disappointed with the fairly recent pattern of withholding bestsellers from Kindle users until everyone in the country who is really interested in the book has already read and discussed it. I didn't purchase two Kindles (one for a gift) so that I could pack it away and get my reading... Read more
I heard the reason is that they want time to sell print books first. Publishers probably hope you do not want to wait the two months and buy the print version instead. That is the gold mine for them. They probably make more money off those books than they do the kindle books. As always, it's... Read more
You publishers keep forgetting that Amazon Kindle products are not REAL books. You can't loan them, sell them, donate them, share them or even burn them! These books are NOT like hard covers. Because of this, they need to be appropriately priced. If I recommend a book I have read on Kindle, my... Read more
Yes, according to the NY Times. Seems like a self defeating move. If people learn that other internet sellers have a better selection, those will become their default.
