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Spoiling for a Fight: The Rise of Eliot Spitzer
The rise to power of Eliot Spitzer, the scourge of Wall Street and one of America's most controversial politicians, by the reporter who knows his crusade best
Few politicians have burst onto the American scene with as much impact as Eliot Spitzer. He has exposed wrongdoing by stock analysts, mutual fund managers, and insurance brokers, and he has investigated corporations that have misled or defrauded investors and consumers. When federal regulators have fallen down on their responsibilities, Spitzer has stepped in to protect ordinary, middle-class Americans. His actions as the New York State attorney general have made companies change the way they do business, which in turn affects every American with a retirement plan, an insurance policy, or a prescription to fill.
No reporter has had better or more complete behind-the-scenes access to Spitzer's operation--and to the strategies that have underpinned his crusade against these powerful forces in the American economy--than Brooke A. Masters of The Washington Post. In Spoiling for a Fight, she presents a portrait that is at once dramatic and revealing, raising the question of whether Spitzer's way of conducting government business is good or bad for America.
Combining passion and zeal with a savvy understanding of the press, Spitzer has brought down some of the biggest names in American finance and now has his sights set on higher office. This revelatory book shows Americans how Spitzer has transformed their lives and what his crusade could mean for the future.
Few politicians have burst onto the American scene with as much impact as Eliot Spitzer. He has exposed wrongdoing by stock analysts, mutual fund managers, and insurance brokers, and he has investigated corporations that have misled or defrauded investors and consumers. When federal regulators have fallen down on their responsibilities, Spitzer has stepped in to protect ordinary, middle-class Americans. His actions as the New York State attorney general have made companies change the way they do business, which in turn affects every American with a retirement plan, an insurance policy, or a prescription to fill.
No reporter has had better or more complete behind-the-scenes access to Spitzer's operation--and to the strategies that have underpinned his crusade against these powerful forces in the American economy--than Brooke A. Masters of The Washington Post. In Spoiling for a Fight, she presents a portrait that is at once dramatic and revealing, raising the question of whether Spitzer's way of conducting government business is good or bad for America.
Combining passion and zeal with a savvy understanding of the press, Spitzer has brought down some of the biggest names in American finance and now has his sights set on higher office. This revelatory book shows Americans how Spitzer has transformed their lives and what his crusade could mean for the future.
353 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 24, 2008
I LOVED the fact that I was in the penultimate chapter -- and I love being able to use that word there :) -- of this book when this scandal broke. It was like, well of course, I'm ready for the ending.
A well-written book about a great and interesting man. Some good balance about his negative sides (which she puts into a good context, which is that these characteristics are largely the extension of his good sides). I have been interested in him for awhile and this gave me a much fuller and nuanced picture of him. Helped me rethink my perspectives on him as well. Even pre-prostitution...
A well-written book about a great and interesting man. Some good balance about his negative sides (which she puts into a good context, which is that these characteristics are largely the extension of his good sides). I have been interested in him for awhile and this gave me a much fuller and nuanced picture of him. Helped me rethink my perspectives on him as well. Even pre-prostitution...
Want to read
July 14, 2007Spitzer is one of a new generation of young, progressive, reformist politicians who gives me hope for the future. (Others are Barack Obama, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, and Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker) He did awesome things for consumers in his years as New York Attorney General, and it seems to me he could be running for President or Vice-President at some point. A political blog I like suggested this book for those who want to learn more about Spitzer, and I do.
August 11, 2008
Some might say what's the point of reading this for we know how this story ends. Agree. And even though the writer is too much in love with her subject, interesting reading for anyone with an interest in corporate malfeasance, federalism and hubris.
March 28, 2008
See my review on my book blog.
April 8, 2010
Very well written, before the big scandal. I'm waiting for the rest of the story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews