Worth Fighting For [Hardcover]

Dan Quayle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 1999

America is in crisis, and the stakes have never been higher. In Worth Fighting For, former Vice President Dan Quayle brings to the nation an experienced awareness of the many challenges ahead. The stakes are high. But, he knows that your dreams, your hopes, your family and your future are worth fighting for.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

While ungenerous readers might be tempted to consider former Vice President Dan Quayle's criticisms of the liberal "opinion elite" (which he claims "has tilted the country's culture in a direction that is counter to middle-class values") a case of sour grapes over his status as a recurring butt of jokes in Doonesbury, you really won't find much bitterness in Worth Fighting For. Instead, Quayle lays out one of the most explicitly "family values"-themed platforms of the campaign for the U.S. presidential election in 2000. Nearly everything on his docket--from education reform to tax cuts, from pro-life policy to judicial appointments--has been developed in line with the question, "Does it strengthen the American family?" (And, also, "Is this a proper function of the federal government?") Cyberlibertarians will be interested to note that while Quayle echoes the universal lament that something needs to be done about online pornography, he also comes down firmly against surrendering electronic encryption keys to federal law enforcement agencies: "Frankly," he says, "our private lives are none of the government's business." Perhaps that respect for privacy is why, while he's resistant to legalizing same-sex marriages, he says nothing explicitly condemnatory of gays and lesbians, basing his objections to gay rights legislation on the principle that as American citizens homosexuals are already entitled to "equal and fair treatment." Quayle is an acknowledged long shot for the Republican nomination in 2000; though coverage of his campaign in the press is somewhat uneven, the publication of Worth Fighting For ensures that his agenda can in theory be made accessible to voters.

From Publishers Weekly

In the first salvo of his campaign for the presidency in 2000, Quayle never fails to mention Al Gore, the likely Democratic nominee, in the same sentence as Bill Clinton, whose moral failings Quayle seeks to attach to the entire Democratic Party. And, in writing that "conservatives have always been compassionate," Quayle seeks to rhetorically outflank the early Republican favorite, George W. Bush, who has lately used the term "compassionate conservatism." Clearly, Quayle intends to run way to the right of Bush and to wage political culture war. "Incredible as it may seem," he writes, "we continue to be in the midst of debates begun in the '60s." When preaching family values, Quayle comes off as sincere and committed, but he spends more time attacking those he believes don't share his values than in articulating what his values are. His attacks on the "opinion elite" are boilerplate at best, disingenuous at worst. While he rails against "the septic shock that hit American universities," he's nevertheless happy to turn to academic experts when doing so supports his arguments. He also reveals that he took his manuscript to Random House before turning to Word and, as an example of elite contempt for mainstream America, reprints Ann Godoff's rejection letter in its four-sentence entirety. He's most interesting when pointing to lingering inequalities in wealth and when lamenting how consumerism has eroded Americans' sense of community. His call for an income tax cut appears rooted in concern for a squeezed middle class rather than in a desire to curry favor with the capital gains gang. As an extended stump speech, this is serviceable, though written with no more or less linguistic flair and conceptual reach than the average elected official displays before a battery of microphones. 200,000 first printing; $250,000 ad/promo; simultaneous audio; author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 225 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; First Edition edition (July 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849916062
• ISBN-13: 978-0849916069
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,835,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most issue-oriented book ever for a presidential candidate., October 5, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Worth Fighting For (Hardcover)

Never has a candidate for President issued such a detailed, issue-oriented book during a campaign.

"Worth Fighting For" is packed with facts, figures, and solid arguments for each of the policy positions Quayle espouses. The book is divided into 6 parts, each with a series of short chapters which give the reader a cogent treatment of an issue our country faces today. From the cultural divide, to the middle-class family, the global economy, to security abroad, the former VP shows us why America's future -- its ideals, truths, and children -- are worth fighting for.

The book's chapters on school choice, tax cuts, restoring justice through the proper appointment of judges, and China are especially compelling.

Quayle finishes with 10 detailed campaign promises. At the end of this book, you will know exactly where the former VP stands, and why.

This book is extremely well-written. Quayle grounds his positions in history, both his public service in the legislative and executive branches as well as world history. I challenge anyone to find a more comprehensive, issue-oriented monograph by a political candidate.

"Worth Fighting For" embodies a man who has staked out his position as the heir to Ronald Reagan. While the campaign has moved away from him now, as he says on p. 220: "The difficulty of the challenge is usually proportionate ot the reward."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good ideas from an underrated man..., August 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Worth Fighting For (Hardcover)

Former Vice President Dan Quayle puts out a credible manifesto for conservatives, and many others concerned with the direction our country is headed, to rally around. Much of what he touts is mainstream, common-sense conservatism, but sadly, given his initial introduction to the American electorate, and the unrelenting (and unfair) attacks upon him by much of the Big Media, his views will never be given their due. Quayle won't be our next President, but this book lays out a foundation for our next President to begin to repair the damage done to the office in recent years, and to forge a better plan to combat our existing problems.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quayle delineates the issues of the 2000 race., July 14, 1999

By 

Jon Carpenter ([e-mail]) (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Worth Fighting For (Hardcover)

This is a must read for anyone planning to vote in 2000. Former Vice-President Dan Quayle spells out the important issues facing the middle class for the 21st century. From values to civil rights to foreign policy, He clearly reveals his views and exposes the liberal agenda of the "New Aristocracy" or "Opinion Elitists." The book was well organized, well documented, and read quickly.