The Shadow President: Ted Kennedy in Opposition - Hardcover

Burton Hersh

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1883642302 ISBN 13: 9781883642303

Publisher: Steerforth Press, 1997

Synopsis

At the heart of The Shadow President is a controversial idea - that, more than is brothers, Ted Kennedy has come to be the most influential political figure of this generation. His challenge to Jimmy Carter in the 1980 primaries, his bitter rearguard defense of social programs during the Reagan-Bush years, and the many upheavals in his personal life are all fully treated here.

About this title

About the Author

Burton Hersh is a veteran writer on American politics and the author of The Education of Edward Kenney (1972), still the standard treatment of the seantor's early career. Hersh's other works include The Old Boys: The American Elite and the Origins of the CIA, and The Nature of the Beast, a striking novel about the lengths to which the CIA does go to manipulate what the political elite think is good for them.

Reviews

How Ted Kennedy earned his reputation as a prodigious womanizer, drinker, and eater--and also, according to veteran Kennedy-watcher Hersh, as one of the most effective senators of our time. In this addendum to his 1972 biography (The Education of Edward Kennedy), Hersh chronicles 25 more years of Kennedy peccadillos and politics, but this time with a redemptive twist: Kennedy has allegedly gone straight, thanks to his 1992 marriage to Victoria Reggie, expedited by exhaustion from age (Jack and Bobby's baby brother became a senior citizen this year); repeated, scandal-driven, near-death political experiences; and liberation, at last, from the unwanted burden of being expected to run for president. Hersh labors not to appear to be writing an encomium to Kennedy, but despite the sordid details, that's what he ends up doing--not just because of his admiration of Kennedy's skills as a senator, but because he believes some mighty powerful demons drove Kennedy to his bad behavior. Ted was scorned as a lightweight by the older brothers he worshiped, and then had to live with the enormous expectations that came with being their survivor. His immediate family, living in constant fear that Ted would be the next to be assassinated, was plagued by alcoholism, drug abuse, and Teddy Jr.'s near-fatal cancer. And, like all the Kennedy brothers, Ted was scarred by having been raised in what many historians believe was a severely dysfunctional family. Hersh covers ground already well tilled in a multitude of chronicles of the Kennedy family, but his gruff, old-time journalistic style (``Ted Kennedy is larger than his appetites'' is one of his better-turned phrases) and the details of how Kennedy works the Senate, scoring remarkable victories for his liberal principles in a conservative era, make this a decent if unspectacular addition to the Kennedy canon. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Hersh, a freelance journalist, has followed Kennedy's career closely since 1967. A Kennedy admirer, Hersh emphasizes the senator's political strengths but does not gloss over his moral lapses. His interviews with his subject help illuminate why Kennedy had such staying power in the face of personal and political trials. Hersh devotes a lot of space to the 1994 elections and to Kennedy's steadfast adherence to Democratic ideals in the face of a Republican juggernaut. The senator's shaky relationship with President Clinton is also examined, especially Kennedy's behind-the-scenes efforts to keep the president ideologically on track. The author's previous book on the senator, The Education of Edward Kennedy (LJ 6/1/72), garnered mainly positive reviews. Complementary studies include Murray B. Levin's Edward Kennedy: The Myth of Leadership (LJ 7/80), and Theo Lippman's Senator Ted Kennedy (LJ 1/15/76). Recommended for academic and large public libraries.?Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hersh, author of The Education of Edward Kennedy, focuses almost exclusively on the senator's professional contributions in this winning biography. It isn't a matter of downplaying Kennedy's nearly Hogarthian reputation as a rake, womanizer, and boozer; Hersh simply zeros in on the politician who, like his hero Daniel Webster, has "defined an age" by using the power center of the Senate as a virtual counterpart to the presidency. Hersh lucidly portrays Kennedy as a man who built a career based on commitment to his political calling and an aptitude for coalition building. His personality and leadership skills, combined with innate instincts as a "field commander," have made him a considerable roadblock to sitting presidents and the creator of a veritable "shadow government" that uses public opinion to halt unpopular legislation. Kennedy is an indefatigable force and a formidable foe who sees his role as a critic with veto powers. Following an extensive period as a public pariah, he has emerged as a confident leader who has forsaken high jinks for hard work. Patricia Hassler

Edition details

• Publisher: Steerforth Press
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1883642302
• ISBN 13: 9781883642303
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 219