What A Party!: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals (Hardcover)

by Terry McAuliffe (Author), Steve Kettmann (Author) "I've never had more fun in politics than I did roaming around the 2004 Republican Convention in New York..." (more)
Key Phrases: voter files, finance chairman, White House, Bill Clinton, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The ex–Democratic National Committee chair and political super– fund-raiser lives up to his nickname Mad Dog in this boisterous memoir. McAuliffe is rabidly aggressive toward Republicans (whom he describes as "willing to lie and cheat any way they could"), savaging them on talk shows and facing them down in bristling social encounters. He relentlessly pursues donors, happy to wrestle alligators and sing karaoke for checks ("for $500,000 I didn't mind humiliating myself"). He golfs, dances and plays cards with his political masters Hillary and Bill Clinton ("the Babe Ruth of American presidents"), forever preening over the role his advice and prodigious fund-raising played in their success. But on the exchange of money for access implicit in his activities, he is blustery but evasive. McAuliffe has incisive comments on the Democrats' shortcomings, especially their faintheartedness in fighting Republicans. Though he champions the Democrats as the party of the little guy—contrasting their jeans-and-barbecue shindigs with "swank, hoity-toity" GOP fund-raising events —that stance is undercut by all the name-dropping ("Ben Affleck joined Robin, Marsha, Dorothy and me for a quick tour of the skeet range") and elbow rubbing with grungily dressed billionaires. McAuliffe's inflated self-regard may give more ammunition to Republican opponents than his partisan vitriol does to Democratic allies. Photos. (Feb. 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
McAuliffe, who has been involved with Democratic campaigns for the past 25 years as fund-raiser, advisor, and chairman of the Democratic National Committee during President Bush's first term, offers an energetic, behind-the-scenes look at politics. He began his career as a fund-raiser with the Carter campaign in 1980 when he became famous for wrestling an alligator. McAuliffe has gone on to raise more than $1 billion for Democrats. As an entrepreneur and millionaire, McAuliffe might be assumed to have more in common with the Republicans. But he traces his bona fides back to his childhood and his family's long-standing interest in Democratic politics. Despite his love for Democrats, he lambastes his party for failing to fight harder when the 2000 presidential election popular vote--and arguably the electoral votes as well--favored Al Gore; the Kerry campaign's reluctance to challenge Bush's qualifications as commander in chief when he allegedly had not completed his National Guard duty obligations; and a host of other sins. McAuliffe's exuberance and insider status combine to make this a fascinating look at political campaigns. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (January 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312357877
• ISBN-13: 978-0312357870
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #524,147 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Storyteller!, January 31, 2007

By	Paul E. Begala "Paul Begala" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've known Terry McAuliffe for almost 20 years. I've worked with him, fought alongside him -- hell, our boys play on the same basketball team. But this book told me a lot about Terry I didn't know. And (I'm embarrassed to say) a lot about politics as well. Terry didn't just kiss the Blarney Stone, he chewed it up, swallowed it and made it part of every fiber of his being. But more than an Irishman's gift of gab, this book is filled with insights into politics, including the answer to the toughest question: Why would a guy worth millions, with a gorgeous wife and five great kids, spend so much time helping Democrats win elections? Because he's never forgotten that the Democratic Party is the party of the people, the party of the American Dream, the party of the forgotten middle class. And all of us who have climbed from immigrant roots to the top can only justify our rise by helping the next bunch of folks climb as far as they can.

No one would begrudge McAuliffe if he'd retreated into his wealth, golfing with tycoons at exclusive country clubs. Instead, he's used all the blessings of liberty he's been given to widen the winner's circle, deepen the meaning of freedom, and broaden the American Dream for everyone.

If you want to tell your neighbors why you're a Democrat, or if you've ever wondered what we Clinton Democrats stand for, this book is a must-read.

I don't review a lot of books. And Terry has no idea I've written this. But unlike most Washington phonies, I've actually read this book, and so I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Paul Begala

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hustling through life!, February 7, 2007

By	Jon Hunt "musician, teacher" (Old Greenwich, Ct. USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you're a loyal Republican (and I'm anything but) you'll probably want to read the first few pages of "What a Party!"...up to the point where Terry McAuliffe starts his McAuliffe Driveway Maintenance business at the age of sixteen. You'll get the idea that Terry works hard and thinks big. Beyond that point, however, watch out! This book is one big delightfully funny partisan romp from the Carter years through Bush 43. Along the way, McAuliffe raises tons of money for the Democrats, becomes close to the Clintons, butts heads with more than a few, knocks back a few cold ones from time to time and tells some of the best stories from the political world. Terry McAuliffe is a self-described "Irish storyteller" and if you like Democrats, you'll love this book.

"What a Party!" has such a frenetic pace to it that you might get a little winded just trying to keep up with Terry McAuliffe. If he's not on a plane somewhere he's on the phone raising funds, arranging loans, allocating monies...and all the while seeming to have a great time doing it. You get the feeling that if someone accused McAuliffe of being self-promotional he'd take that as a huge compliment. What makes this book intriguing as well is that McAuliffe takes you behind the scenes of what campaigns are like and into the White House for that rare glimpse of personal time spent with Bill and Hillary Clinton. You could describe the author as the most partisan of partisans and that would be not only an apt reflection but a necessary one, given his job as DNC chairman.

It's really the stories, though, that make this book shine. There's always a smile that comes to my face when I read the name Zell Miller and Terry McAuliffe doesn't disappoint here! When the author is welcomed back to the White House by Bush 43, then told by the president not to steal the silverware, the possible retorts sent in by Washington Post readers are hilarious!

"What a Party!" is indeed a party. Terry McAuliffe may have to present a colder, more calculating side to his business life, but underneath you get a sense of his being a warm family man, happy to share his experiences with us. I highly recommend his book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, February 25, 2007

By	Josh Warren (Hanover, NH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book in 24 hours and found it equal parts insightful and inspirational. Terry keeps it light, but the book is full of interesting anecdotes and helpful advice. Its a quick read only because its full of engrossing, entertaining stories.

Disclaimer: I came to know Terry while working for John Kerry during the 2004 campaign and what I like most about this book is it matches its author. Terry is energetic, irreverent, and talented, but above all a class act who is capable of working at the highest levels of democratic politics while never forgetting foot soldiers on his staff and people who he was trying to help.

So, its fair to say I was predisposed to like the book anyway, but I didn't expect learn as much from it or enjoy it nearly as much as I did.