Confessions of a Political Hitman: My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy and Dirty Attacks That Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn't) - Hardcover
Synopsis
Describes the author's role as a political hitman who dug up scandal on opposition candidates for the Republican Party, his growing disillusionment with politics, and what goes on behind the scenes in American political campaigns.
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Reviews
Part memoir, part industry exposé, Marks's account relates how he became a Republican Party operative digging up dirt on Democratic candidates. His field goes by the name opposition research. It is mostly legal, according to Marks, but usually secretive and, by his own evolving standards, frequently immoral. Marks drifted into the field during the first half of the 1990s and became a true believer in the GOP cause. The book names names and cites examples, from local races to statewide campaigns (Jeb Bush vs. Lawton Chiles) and includes contests for the U.S. Senate (Jesse Helms vs. Harvey Gantt) and U.S. House of Representatives, as well as presidential elections (Bob Dole vs. Bill Clinton and John Kerry vs. George W. Bush). Marks began writing the book after coming to doubt his vocation's ethics. Despite this turnabout, he is not an admirable whistleblower with a likable personality. Marks's tone and language drip with sleaze heightened by passages about his womanizing. In fact, that and often poor treatment of candidates and staff members might lead readers to conclude that Marks fell lower than his clients. Marks has written an important book that fills a gap in the popular literature about American politics, but it is not a pleasant read. (Jan.)
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The public professes to hate it, advocates of civil dialogue deplore it, yet no political campaign unilaterally dispenses with digging up derogatory dirt on its rivals. Describing how such research is conducted, Marks illustrates the process through his political adventures on behalf of the Republican Party from the 1990s forward. Reading files in county courthouses and newspaper back issues in libraries makes up the basic legwork, Marks explains, and then higher-ups in the campaign strategize if, how, and when to drop the load on the target. To these vocational elements, Marks adds his personal political migration from liberal Brooklynite to Reaganite Republican to independent—disillusioned, he says, by Republican hypocrisy on family values, among other disappointments. Marks’ vantage point within the Republican ascendance from 1994 to 2006, along with his raft of war stories, will entertainingly educate politicos about the underside of battling their adversaries. --Gilbert Taylor
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Confessions of a Political Hitman : My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy and Dirty Attacks That Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn'T)
Published by
Sourcebooks, Incorporated, 2008
ISBN 10: 1402208545
ISBN 13: 9781402208546
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Confessions of a Political Hitman: My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy and Dirty Attacks That Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn't)
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Confessions of a Political Hitman: My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy and Dirty Attacks That Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn't)
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Confessions of a Political Hitman: My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy and Dirty Attacks That Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn't)
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Confessions of a Political Hitman: My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy and Dirty Attacks That Decide Who Gets Elected (and Who Doesn't)
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Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. A gripping tell-all from the dark side of American politics The most influential people in a political race aren't the campaign managers, the strategists or even the candidates themselves. In fact, you won't even find them on a campaign's list of official members or volunteers. Enter the world of the political hitman. Few know that these operatives exist, and campaigns go to great effort to distance themselves from the people who dig up their dirt. But political hitmen wield a secretly powerful position in today's American politics, where scandals derail campaigns and negative campaigning decides who gets elected and who doesn't. For the past 12 years, Stephen Marks has worked silently behind the scenes as one of the country's top opposition researchers: a political hitman and an assassin of reputations. Confessions of a Political Hitman is Marks's intensely personal and explosive story through more than a decade in the underbelly of American political campaigns. From his early days in politics through his rapid movement into the secret world of opposition research, Marks discovers a talent for digging up dirt. His work involves a wide scope of American politics, from state governments to presidential elections to the Republican Revolution. But the exciting work soon leads to disillusionment as candidates he believed in turn out to be worse than expected, and hypocrisy abounds on both sides of the political fence. Eventually Marks finds himself living in the shadows, both politically and personally, and searching for escape. In Confessions of a Political Hitman, Marks reveals the fascinating and incredible details of what really goes on behind the scenes inAmerican campaigning--the political realities behind the campaigns, careers and attack ads of some of Washington's heavy hitters, including George W. Bush, John Kerry, Jack Abramoff and countless others. Confessions of a Political Hitman is one man's story about secrets, lies, hypocrisy and influence--painting a troubling picture of whom we elect and how they get elected. Stephen Marks has been an opposition research specialist for more than 12 years, beginning with the historical Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 through the equally historic Democratic takeover of Congress in 2006. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes and Fox and Friends. Due to age and/or environmental conditions, the pages of this book have darkened. Former library book. Mylar protector included. Solid binding. Moderate edgewear on the boards. Moderate shelf wear. Please note the image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item. Ex-Library. Seller Inventory # 123764474
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Confessions of a Political Hitman : My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy and Dirty Attacks That Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn'T)
Published by
Sourcebooks, Incorporated, 2007
ISBN 10: 1402208545
ISBN 13: 9781402208546
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Confessions of a Political Hitman : My Secret Life of Scandal, Corruption, Hypocrisy and Dirty Attacks That Decide Who Gets Elected (And Who Doesn'T)
Published by
Sourcebooks, Incorporated, 2008
ISBN 10: 1402208545
ISBN 13: 9781402208546
Used
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First Edition
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 15338525-6
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