Too Funny to Be President

A profile of the political career of Democratic Congressman Morris Udall also features an appendix of jokes, stories, and anecdotes arranged by subject

A long-time congressman from Arizona, Udall ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976 and, finishing second in any number of primaries, ultimately lost out to Jimmy Carter. One of the reasons for his defeat, he implies here, may have been his irrepressible sense of humor, and he presents examples of it in this lighthearted autobiography. There is serious information about his life and political career, but the book begins and ends with scores of anecdotes, most of them political, from such diverse sources as Leo Tolstoy and Will Rogers. Some of the most telling stories are credited to Mark Twain, Abe Lincoln and Adlai Stevenson, and almost all of them are trenchant and amusing. The editing is haphazard, however, for several of the jokes are repeated.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Noting that "we live in a country where public figures and a free press can laugh together," Udall writes on the value of wit. Drawing on his upbringing in small-town Arizona and years as a Congressman, this statesman contends that "humor is possibly the most potent tool a politician can wield." He discusses his defeat in the 1979 presidential primaries, his legislative triumphs, and his misguided battle to dam up the Grand Canyon, and encourages public speakers to borrow jokes and stories from his "black notebooks." Contemporary, anecdotal, and highly readable; recommended for those weary of political antics. Kimberly G. Allen, Supreme Court Lib., Washington , D.C.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.