Dirty Little Secrets : The Persistence of Corruption in American Politics (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Americans are cynical about the political system and Larry J. Sabato and Glenn R. Simpson have undertaken considerable research to determine why. What they found was a system of democracy that "serves special interests more than the general citizenry." Simpson, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and Sabato, a political scientist and author of Feeding Frenzy, lend credibility to this report and lob volleys at both political parties for promising to change the system while at the same time working to perpetuate it.

From Library Journal

Political scientist Sabato (When Should the Watchdogs Bark?, Center for Media & Public Affairs, 1994) and journalist Simpson offer a work that is much more journalistic than academic in tone. Loosely drawn definitions, spotty and anecdotal evidence, and a lack of statistical or analytical proof fail to establish an overall picture of political corruption. Yet through careful investigation the authors demonstrate a disturbing variety of the political tricks and outright crimes that are polluting the American political scene. They are even-handed in showing that a lot of skullduggery can be attributed to both major political parties and to most shades of public opinion. Their suggestions for improving the situation are sensible and realistic. Recommended for public and most academic libraries.?Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 430 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (April 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812924991
• ISBN-13: 978-0812924992
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,170,946 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Underappreciated book now very timely!, December 1, 2000

By	Robert L. Dixon (Marin County, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I first read this book a couple years ago and was very impressed with the thoroughness of the authors' research. They make some very forceful points but they provide all the evidence needed to back them up.

The chapter on Voter Fraud in particular is now quite timely. They point out that voter fraud is rampant throughout the U.S., but somehow the media rarely talks about it. Now everyone is shocked about the goings-on in the Presidential election in Florida, but if more people had acted on the findings in Dirty Little Secrets perhaps we'd have reformed things by now.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great anecdotes, unsatisfactory analysis, useful suggestions for reforms, June 6, 2006

By	Arthur Digbee (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This book has an accurate title and inaccurate subtitle. It deals with dirty politics, not corruption. Innuendo that your opponent is a child molester is despicable and unethical, but it's not "corrupt." Buying and selling votes is "corrupt."

Why do I insist on the distinction? It's important because it affects how we think about reforming the system. Reforms addressing the role of money in politics are different than reforms addressing sleazy campaigns.

Though the authors wrongly mix corruption and dirty tricks throughout their book, their last chapter on reforms does a much better job distinguishing the two. It presents a pretty clear analysis of causes and effects, and the recommendations are pretty sensible.

The book rests on a series of stories about candidates Jones or Smith behaving badly. It must be admitted that these candidates and their staffs do behave badly indeed. But how typical are these examples? The book has no evidence that they are widespread, other than the fact that their interviewees said, "Everybody does it." Well, I am sure that not *everybody* does it, and even Sabato and Williams interviewed some people who don't do it. Any reformer might start with the honest politicians and think about how we can make more of them, rather than trying to make fewer dishonest politicians.

Why do candidates and staffs engage in dirty tricks? Sabato and Williams say that these tricks help them win. Do they? Sabato and Williams have no evidence other than the beliefs of their interviewees.

What does that tell us about our ethical heroes who refuse to engage in dirty tricks? Presumably, they do it because not doing dirty tricks help *them* win. Does ethical probity help a candidate win? Perhaps. Do the answers to these questions matter - - a lot - - for how we think about reforming the system? Almost certainly.

As these comments suggest, I found much of the book unsatisfactory in analytical terms. However, it's built on a great litany of dirty tricks. Chapter after chapter tells stories about both corruption and dirty tricks, and it's a real eye-opener despite my objections above.

Finally, the authors make much of the fact that the book is written by a journalist and a political scientist, presumably gaining from the strengths of each approach. However, the book reads like straight journalism, so it's not clear what, if anything, "political science" contributed. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS, August 8, 2004

By	P S. Kania (Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book about five years ago and am now reading it again. It's well-written, well-documented and as enjoyable the second time as it was the first. From vote fraud, to how they keep getting re-elected, it's all in this book. I highly recommend it.