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Fat Man Fed Up: How American Politics Went Bad
For more than forty years, Jack Germond has been covering politics for Gannett newspapers, the Washington Star , and the Baltimore Sun, and talking politics on the Today show, The McLaughlin Group, and Inside Washington . Now, in Fat Man Fed Up , Germond confronts the most critical issues raised by our election process and offers a scathing but wry polemic about what’s wrong with American politics.
Is there any connection between what happens in campaigns and what happens in government? And if not, where does the blame for the discontent lie? Was Tocqueville right? Do we get the leaders we deserve? Indeed, according to Germond, the politicians aren’t the only ones to blame, or even the chief culprits. He describes how he and his colleagues in the news media have been guilty of dumbing-down the political process–and how the voters are too apathetic to demand better coverage and better results. Instead, they simply turn away and too often end up enduring third-rate presidents.
This no-sacred-cows manifesto faces the problems many are reluctant to
• Polls and how they are used and abused by politicians and press to mislead gullible voters.
• The critical failure of the press to accurately portray figures in the political realm, from Eugene McCarthy to Barbara Bush to Al Sharpton.
• How the complaints about liberal bias in the press miss the real whether that bias, if it exists, colors the way editors and reporters work.
• The staggering influence of television, and the networks’ inability to provide anything but the most simplistic coverage of politics.
• The “big lie” school of campaigning. From “Where’s the beef?” to “compassionate conservatism,” the politics of empty slogans has always placed noise above Say anything loudly enough and long enough, and voters are bound to mistake it for the truth.
Along the way, Germond illustrates his arguments by drawing from his war chest of priceless anecdotes from decades in the business. With his inimitable combination of incisive journalism and sardonic and witty straight talk, Germond guides us through the fog created by candidates and the media. In this timely, outrageous, and compulsively readable book, no one is let off the hook. Fat Man Fed Up is a bracing look at how we never seem to get the truth about the people we’re electing.
Is there any connection between what happens in campaigns and what happens in government? And if not, where does the blame for the discontent lie? Was Tocqueville right? Do we get the leaders we deserve? Indeed, according to Germond, the politicians aren’t the only ones to blame, or even the chief culprits. He describes how he and his colleagues in the news media have been guilty of dumbing-down the political process–and how the voters are too apathetic to demand better coverage and better results. Instead, they simply turn away and too often end up enduring third-rate presidents.
This no-sacred-cows manifesto faces the problems many are reluctant to
• Polls and how they are used and abused by politicians and press to mislead gullible voters.
• The critical failure of the press to accurately portray figures in the political realm, from Eugene McCarthy to Barbara Bush to Al Sharpton.
• How the complaints about liberal bias in the press miss the real whether that bias, if it exists, colors the way editors and reporters work.
• The staggering influence of television, and the networks’ inability to provide anything but the most simplistic coverage of politics.
• The “big lie” school of campaigning. From “Where’s the beef?” to “compassionate conservatism,” the politics of empty slogans has always placed noise above Say anything loudly enough and long enough, and voters are bound to mistake it for the truth.
Along the way, Germond illustrates his arguments by drawing from his war chest of priceless anecdotes from decades in the business. With his inimitable combination of incisive journalism and sardonic and witty straight talk, Germond guides us through the fog created by candidates and the media. In this timely, outrageous, and compulsively readable book, no one is let off the hook. Fat Man Fed Up is a bracing look at how we never seem to get the truth about the people we’re electing.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Jack W. Germond
8 books5 followersJack Germond was a famous political columnist. He was most well known for his work at The Baltimore Sun, but he was involved in everything from newspapers to television. For a while, he regularly appeared on The McLaughlin Group.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 19, 2016
I'm a fan of Jack Germond, especially the election books that he jointly wrote with his former partner (more about him later). I enjoyed both of his "Fat Man" books, and I agree with his opinions and analysis. I especially enjoy his anecdotes from the campaign trail.
The premise of this book is that the press does not serve its readers/viewers well in helping them pick leaders, focusing instead on trivial gaffes, and voters allow themselves to be manipulated, giving political operatives little incentive to change their tactics. (Germond notes that both Dukakis and Kerry gave the voters too much credit, thinking voters were too smart to fall for the slurs used against the candidates. They were both wrong.) In the end, we get the leaders we deserve: an empty suit like Bush I, the self-absorbed like Clinton, and Bush II, who under no stretch of the imagination should have held the office.
I did, however, get annoyed at one point in this book, where Germond shows contempt for his fans. He describes how a garage attendant was parking his car and was talking to Germond about the opinions he expressed while a panelist on "The McLaughlin Group", and Germond views him as a political junkie watching too much TV and thinks to himself, "Get a life."
Germond may have contempt for television opinion shows, but he was a willing participant in TMG. He describes how the show gave him some celebrity and enough extra cash so he could still be a reporter but live in a lifestyle better than most reporters. His contempt for the TV "news" discussion format (and especially TMG) should not extend to those who are interested enough in politics to pay attention. I actually thought he should be more considerate to a fan who was interested in what he had to say. Without their viewership, he'd just be an old news reporter that most people don't remember. For instance, other than political junkies, does anyone know who Germond's former partner is? (Answer: Jules Witcover, who is still writing columns.)
And, further, let me note that political junkies who watch the TV news discussion programs are also quite likely to read about politics as well, and are therefore the kind of informed Americans that Germond should appreciate.
Other than that, Germond is still great. And I agree with his premise: We get the leaders we deserve.
The premise of this book is that the press does not serve its readers/viewers well in helping them pick leaders, focusing instead on trivial gaffes, and voters allow themselves to be manipulated, giving political operatives little incentive to change their tactics. (Germond notes that both Dukakis and Kerry gave the voters too much credit, thinking voters were too smart to fall for the slurs used against the candidates. They were both wrong.) In the end, we get the leaders we deserve: an empty suit like Bush I, the self-absorbed like Clinton, and Bush II, who under no stretch of the imagination should have held the office.
I did, however, get annoyed at one point in this book, where Germond shows contempt for his fans. He describes how a garage attendant was parking his car and was talking to Germond about the opinions he expressed while a panelist on "The McLaughlin Group", and Germond views him as a political junkie watching too much TV and thinks to himself, "Get a life."
Germond may have contempt for television opinion shows, but he was a willing participant in TMG. He describes how the show gave him some celebrity and enough extra cash so he could still be a reporter but live in a lifestyle better than most reporters. His contempt for the TV "news" discussion format (and especially TMG) should not extend to those who are interested enough in politics to pay attention. I actually thought he should be more considerate to a fan who was interested in what he had to say. Without their viewership, he'd just be an old news reporter that most people don't remember. For instance, other than political junkies, does anyone know who Germond's former partner is? (Answer: Jules Witcover, who is still writing columns.)
And, further, let me note that political junkies who watch the TV news discussion programs are also quite likely to read about politics as well, and are therefore the kind of informed Americans that Germond should appreciate.
Other than that, Germond is still great. And I agree with his premise: We get the leaders we deserve.
September 22, 2007
He was the best thing about The McLaughlin Group. I'm sorry he left, though I can understand why he was fed up.
July 19, 2008
Germond's take on national politics and politicians is interesting and scary. We probably should be glad so few people vote--imagine if all the uninformed voted.
March 6, 2011
Loved the book. Had lots of interesting anecdotes related to the processes today.
December 26, 2010
"Books like this one are supposed to end with an optimistic chapter describing "solutions" to the problems the author has been whining about in all the previous chapters. But I doubt there is any easy way - or, for that matter, any way at all - to fix the things that are wrong with American politics today."
Educational, quick read. His perspective on politics from the 70s to present was new to me. Nicely takes aim at everyone involved: both parties, the media, and the voters. Colorful anecdotes throughout provide touchstones for the high level points.
Only critique of the book is the lack of proposed solutions. 30+ years in the business and only a handful of dismissed ideas for improvement? Perhaps he's challenging the reader (and voter) to recognize they have to do some work to make the system work...
Educational, quick read. His perspective on politics from the 70s to present was new to me. Nicely takes aim at everyone involved: both parties, the media, and the voters. Colorful anecdotes throughout provide touchstones for the high level points.
Only critique of the book is the lack of proposed solutions. 30+ years in the business and only a handful of dismissed ideas for improvement? Perhaps he's challenging the reader (and voter) to recognize they have to do some work to make the system work...
February 3, 2008
Not as good as his first book, "Fat Man in a Middle Seat," because he has lost much of his sense of perspective and hence humor. Everyone who says "politics now is so acrimonious and getting worse" should read "Adams vs. Jefferson." Electoral politics in the U.S. have always sucked the souls out of those involved. Its just that more of us are aware of it now. But Germond is still a keen observer and has some very good stories about the inside of our politician's lives, so it is worth a read if you like that kind of thing.
September 11, 2008
I always liked this now retired journalist. He has some political stories that gave me a good laugh. A quick read and entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews