Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The best thing about television news is, it's immediate..." (more)
Key Phrases: campaign finance reform, New York, White House, New Hampshire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first book, the genial cohost ("from the right") of CNN's popular Crossfire details his adventures in the political business and in television, from the enlightening to the downright hilarious. Given Carlson's conservative label, some readers may be wary. That would be a mistake. Politicians is not about bashing liberals (indeed, Carlson admits that his Ober-liberal cohost James Carville is "one of my favorite people"), but about the colorful and at times irreverent people who make politics so interesting-and entertaining. The author reserves his criticism for stuffy politicians who take themselves too seriously, and he lavishes praise on those who make good on-air guests. Among these is the convicted former Ohio congressman, James Traficant, "because he was willing to appear on television drunk." Carlson's montage is packed with golden political nuggets ("if you're going to be shallow, I've always thought you'd better be amusing") as well as the secret to his success (just let people talk and they will tell you everything you need to know) and funny glimpses behind the scenes at live TV, including the producer from hell, the "seven forbidden words" on television and "easy turns," the "publicity hounds" without whom, he says, talk shows could not exist. At times, it's difficult to tell if Carlson is being serious or pulling your leg, but that is part of his charm. Anyone with a sense of humor will find this chronicle thoroughly enjoyable, and political junkies will likely laugh out loud more than once.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Carlson is the conservative team member, the guy in the bow tie, on CNN's political-debate program Crossfire. His book is both memoir and commentary on current politics and the media--all with a slant, of course. Although many readers will disagree with his attitudes and precepts, everyone has to admit he is a good storyteller, intelligent and witty and sure of himself. He recalls his climb to his current TV position, which included formative time spent on the CNN show Spin Room. In the process, we certainly learn how cutthroat the television world is. Never averse to expressing an opinion, Carlson offers his own interesting philosophy on how to behave in front of a camera, which includes the maxim that "arguing a position you don't really support is a sure way to wind up loathing yourself. Plus, genuine conviction makes for a good debate. Phoniness is easy to spot." And this, too: "As the host, it's up to you to decide what happens on the show. And no matter what the producer says, you have the power to do it." The bottom line is, of course, that readers' gut-level responses will depend on which side of the liberal-conservative spectrum they find themselves. Librarians should expect demand. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446529761
• ISBN-13: 978-0446529761
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #967,486 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Breezy and Entertaining Account of Carlson's Experiences, October 4, 2003

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

I was only passingly familiar with Tucker Carlson before cracking the binding of his book, POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES. I vaguely recalled a few articles he had done for The Weekly Standard and The American Spectator, and I knew that he was on CNN's Crossfire. The problem is that at casa de Hartlaub we don't really tune in to CNN all that much, and as for Crossfire ... if I started watching James Carville with any regularity it would be the mark of a behavior deviation so devastating that my family would probably ship me off for that long promised 30-day psychological evaluation. While Crossfire appears to be on its last legs, Carlson's career trajectory is only beginning, if POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES is any indication.

For one thing, Carlson is really funny. His written delivery is very conversational. Reading POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES is like having this hip, smart, observant guy over for dinner and being happy to let him monopolize the conversation for the entire evening. Carlson is right to center right politically, but he doesn't beat you over the head with it. He chooses his battles wisely and almost always wins them. But POLITICIANS, PARTISANS, AND PARASITES isn't a regurgitation of Carlson's views. It's a breezy, entertaining account of Carlson's experiences in television journalism and reporting.

Carlson's accounts of his adventures in the trenches of television news journalism are not presented in an orderly fashion. It's not quite stream of consciousness but the link between one topic and another can be a bit tenuous. You're not really going to care, however. Carlson is so entertaining and funny that you'll be more than happy to sit back and let him drive at 100 words per minute while he maintains a nonstop monologue concerning what is flying by. His most entertaining accounts concern being on the campaign trail with John McCain, his trip to Vietnam (again, with John McCain), the crashing and burning of his first television program, The Spin Room, and his dead-on descriptions of Carville.

But Carlson's literary audience will not be limited to conservatives. Liberals who have not lost their sense of humor will find plenty to enjoy in Carlson's accounts as well. Carlson pins Jerry Falwell and Larry Klayman to the wall with his laser-like scrutiny and does it so well that even if you like those gentlemen you won't mind. Well, you will, but you'll be too busy laughing to let it bother you for long.

POLITICIANS, PARTISANS AND PARASITES is a series of dead-on critiques and observations of current events, television news, and the people and personalities behind both. Its substance more than makes up for what it lacks in organization. This is Carlson's first book, but it hopefully will not be his last. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars little substance but wittily told, November 3, 2003

By	Yalensian - See all my reviews

A short, quick read, Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites is Tucker Carlson's account of his television career. It is mostly a personal, autobiographical account of his own experiences, rather than an analytical treatment of the business--although he does draw some general conclusions about the field. The book deals more with personalities than with issues.

Carlson begins with his largely accidental beginnings in TV--from his first brief appearance during the O.J. Simpson trial (a gig he landed somewhat randomly, by returning early from lunch to the Weekly Standard office) to the phone call during the 2000 election asking him, on the fly, to host a new show on CNN, The Spin Room. Throughout its life, that show always retained a thrown-together quality to it, with Carlson and Press often relying on gifts to furnish the set. They never did get custom coffee mugs, and Carlson's final attempt intersected with the end of the show--the promotional department knew of the show's end before Carlson and would not give him the mugs. From there, Carlson migrated to Crossfire, CNN's one-time premier political show, and watched as it, too, fell, unable to compete with Fox's primetime lineup.

Carlson despises partisans, whom he differentiates from ideologues. The distinction is rooted in partisans' blind adherence to the party line, but I'm not convinced that the distinction is an apt one. He likes people who speak their minds and go out on limbs, who aren't afraid to be outrageous. Jesse Jackson is a phony, whose phoniness is enhanced by TV. Al Sharpton, Carlson suggests, can think for himself, even if he is wrong. Jim Traficant added color when he showed up for an interview drunk and accosted the show's female floor director. John McCain--whose 2000 presidential campaign Carlson reported and covers extensively in the book--is praised for his never-mind-the-consequences approach to politics, but even the admiring Carlson admits that McCain played to the media. Bill Press, former co-host of The Spin Zone, comes off as a decent, funny, hardworking guy who loves to eat on the set.

In general, Carlson seems to believe that TV shapes its "participants" more than the other way around. Shows certainly are influenced by their hosts, but TV has a way of changing people. It enlarges not only physical traits but also personalities and idiosyncrasies as well: everything seems larger on television. It can give one an inflated opinion of himself. If a host isn't careful, his larger-than-life, seemingly all-knowing, accentuated personality can seep into his private persona (e.g. Bill O'Reilly, as Carlson posits). As a career, TV offers an unstable, fragile one that can disappear in the blink of an eye. Of media bias, Carlson doesn't seem to acknowledge its existence; instead, producers, he says, aren't driven by politics but by polls--the "ideology of the poll."

Carlson says nothing earth shattering, nothing surprising, nothing controversial. He provides little depth on the TV media business or on virtually anything that goes on behind-the-scenes. Nevertheless, written lightheartedly and humorously, the book will surely entertain media and political junkies alike.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Politics in moderation, October 1, 2003

By	Ernest Gundel (Marlboro, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I never saw Tucker Carlson on Crossfire, but I wish I had based on this book. Carlson strikes me as a moderate, not really a conservative, and this was one of very few books that delve into politics without an overload of spin. Limbaugh on the right, and Franken on the left, try to make their audiences angry while they entertain. Tucker appears to have no agenda. To some, that might make him seem tame, but to me, it was refreshing. He has many entertaining and enlightening stories to tell, so if you want a break from party warfare, but you are still fascinated by politics, this might be for you.