Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms: My Life in American Politics

by Ed Rollins

In a book as fierce and stunning as a prize fight, Ed Rollins tells of his many triumphs and sometimes spectacular blunders during a thirty-year career in American politics. From the Reagan presidency to the campaigns of Ross Perot and Christine Todd Whitman, Rollins has long been at the red-hot center. Now, in Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms , he gives us the inside story on Washington and many of its most prominent players with sharp reflections, revealing and frequently irreverent anecdotes, and always astonishing candor.

Once a champion amateur boxer, Rollins brings the pugnacious spirit of a born fighter to everything he does. Never shy about his opinions, he now delivers the kind of take-no-prisoners honesty for which he is notorious. He dissects the personalities of Richard Nixon, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, George Bush, Ross Perot, James Baker, Michael and Arianna Huffington, and Newt Gingrich. He shows how political campaigns really operate, and he offers keen insight on this year's contenders, from Bill Clinton to Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan.

Part autobiography and part political primer, this is a deeply compelling story and a highly personal look into the inner workings of government and campaigns. Ed Rollins's passion for the game and thoughtful insight into our political system make this a must-read for anyone interested in how the game of contemporary politics is really played.

Genres: Politics, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, History

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Ed Rollins refreshingly honest in his writing. So many political writers lie to make themselves look better in retrospect. Rollins admitted when he made mistakes. My views are like many others - fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I watch both sides of the political spectrum and choose the best candidate. Bare Knuckles is a good history lesson in politics for those of us who haven't been in the fight since 1968. So much of today's political climate is divided because of what happened 20 years ago. Rollins was right about money and politics. Huffington may not have won his race but we now have several billionaires in office just as Rollins forecast.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a self-serving political memoir by one of the lyingest liars of all time, and one more book that will make you despair for the future of this country. But it's not uninteresting or unentertaining to read, and if you don't mind suspending your disbelief about the specifics of who said what and when, etc., you might find this kind of fun to read, as I did. It sure does make you feel like you're in the front row for all of this chicanery anyway.

[Anna Ligtenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

ISBN 0553067311 – LCCC #96-19723 Printed in the United States of America. Paperback, 386 pages. Published by Broadway Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc., in 1996. By Ed Rollins and Tom DeFrank, cover design by Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich, cover photograph by Kelly Campbell.

Ed Rollins tells his life story, beginning with a middle class childhood in Vallejo, California all the way through to the "end" of his fascinating career as a political consultant. From his political beginnings as a Kennedy Democrat and through his conversion to Reagan Republican, Rollins presents a mostly-balanced, apparently honest, look behind the scenes of political campaigning. His own disastrous comments (not the first of his career) about the campaign he ran for Christine Todd Whitman in New Jersey in 1994 and the eyerollingly painful campaign work that he did for Ross Perot and Michael Huffington – easily amongst the low-lights of his professional life – get just as thorough a look as do the highlights. A couple appendices and an index are included.

"I believe in sometimes getting mad and always getting even." – Ed Rollins, page 180.

No kidding. When I used the words "apparently honest," I meant precisely that. Rollins gives every impression that he's just being honest in this book, and maybe he is, but don't think for a minute that he doesn't also "get even" here and there. There are passages, scattered throughout, that seem to serve no purpose other than to even the score. And I'm not criticizing – those are some of the most interesting vignettes!

Rollins seems to come from that era that everyone talks about and no one believes ever happened – when civil discourse in politics actually happened, when competitors weren't enemies, when the shop closed at some point and everyone from every side could gather at the bar... His praise comes across as evenhanded, as does his criticism (other than the get-even jabs), which makes the book a truly interesting read. Tearing into Bill Clinton or Dianne Feinstein is easy for a Republican, but he also gives it to Newt Gingrich, the Huffingtons (Arianna was then Republican) and others on the right.

Some things stood out. His mention of Fred Frome, his fraternity brother who died in Vietnam and a "nobody" in the grand scheme of things, was touching for the utter pointlessness of it as far as the story went. The only reason for the mention was a sentimental hat tip to a brother, and that (on page 28) made Rollins very human, coloring the way I read the book. His love/hate brother/rival relationship with Lee Atwater was another stand out part of the book. Unlike Frome, Atwater existed in the world of politics, and was by Rollins's side and in his face for a long time. That he died young certainly romanticized him to the political world; that he and Rollins were able to repair the rifts of a lifetime was sublime – and, again, colored my reading.

For ironic/funny-in-hindsight moments, there was John McCain with the audacity to ridicule Dan Quayle as a bad VP pick (page 191), long before his own ludicrous choice of Sarah Palin and the suggestion of Joe Paterno floated as Executive Director at the NRCC (page 200) - talk about dodging a bullet!

Rollins's admiration of President Nixon doesn't get the sort of detailed attention that it should have. If you're going to list him, as Rollins does, among the best presidents, this is one you're going to need to sell to people. Rollins fails to do that. I'd like to see Ed spend his retirement selling America on Nixon in his next book, to be honest.

On the "huh?" side, Rollins praises Ronald Reagan to heaven and back but skims over the Iran-Contra story and fails to even mention Reagan's Alzheimer's (known in 1994; book published in 1996). Also odd was that at the end of the book, this generally balanced and smart political consultant praises Pat Buchanan – yes, the loony racist one – almost as fervently as he'd praised Reagan. Mind blowing, to me, but then Rollins did come out of retirement and work for Mike Huckabee (only a little crazy, so far) in 2008 and Michele Bachmann (quite possibly a certifiable lunatic) in 2012. So maybe he didn't learn as much as he thought he did from working for the probably-insane Ross Perot and Michael Huffington.

In the end, Rollins wraps things up nicely. He puts forth a somewhat obvious but still kinda prescient observation about rich people running for office. "If rich people looking for a little drama in their lives buy up television air time...they can become significant players in American political life. They can...discourage more qualified candidates from running... Someday, somebody like Michael Huffington or Ross Perot won't fail." And, contrary to the recent Republican stance, Rollins makes clear that that would be a bad thing. You know what else he says is bad? Money in politics. Huh. He sounds like a Democrat to me, to tell you the truth.

I like Rollins, even if I don't like his party, and I really did like this book.

- AnnaLovesBooks

[John Keats · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to get a sense of what a campaign manager does, or what political consultants are all about--if you're afraid that your vague, cynical conceptions of them as malicious spinners or greedy opportunists are narrow and biased and uninformed--Ed Rollins' book will give you some excellent, day-to-day details and anecdotes about the more complex intricacies of those occupations. Is the reality that far off from the depressing picture I had formed from inference and imagination? Not really. Rollins goes out of his way to tell you he's an idealist with principles, and yet all we see, from his college days to his California political ventures to his time in the White House and through the several campaigns he manages or clients he advises as a consultant, is a relentless willingness to shift sides, parties, or loyalties. He'll tell you it's for principle, or for the thrill of battle, but his own narrative usually suggests it's just because the other side didn't want him. As with most people who brag about their abstract character traits--I never lie; I believe in this or that--he's constantly screwing up and acting shocked at how that could have happened. This man whose job is to manage reality is baffled at how often he says or does something ugly and stupid and mean, as if it's fate's fault, or someone's trickery, or anything but his own character. He'll tell you he won't stand for a candidate's treatment, and then go back to that candidate. He'll tell you he never quits, and then he quits. There are some nice, quick portraits of Lee Atwater, Arianna Huffington, George Bush, Ross Perot, and others, and while they're clearly biased, they're colorful and informative. And it's not as if Rollins is the greatest sinner in the world; he clearly isn't, and probably does believe in decent things. I wouldn't want someone to document each time I went back on my word, or contradicted what I'd said I believed in. But when he goes off on his righteous proclamations about what's honorable and admirable, he doesn't always seem to have the awareness--and this kind of awareness is required in any worthwhile memoir or autobiography--of how wrong, or blind, or disingenuous he's being. Real integrity, defined in the old terms he wants to use, is absolutely impossible in the political, capitalist reality we've made for ourselves. Maybe the players in Washington would be better off admitting that, instead of preaching about a morality our system cannot facilitate.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Mr. Rollins' excellent book. It is well written and quite readable. Although it was published 20 years ago, it foresaw a lot of the mess that we now call the 2016 Presidential primary elections. Mr. Rollins described the difficulties he had in managing campaigns for wealthy candidates, such as Michael Huffington and Ross Perot. He wrote, "There are plenty more Huffingtons out there, salivating to be senators, governors, and even president. Someday, somebody like Michael Huffington or Ross Perot won't fail."

He also wrote about Pat Buchanan's insurgent primary effort against President George H.W. Bush in 1996. Here are some of his warnings for the Republican party at that time: "By tapping into anger and alienation voters feel today, he's made a lot of converts. ... If voters who support Pat Buchanan don't have a place in the Republican Party, we'll be a minority party well into the foreseeable future." You can't help but feel that what went around in the 1990's is now coming around in the 2010's.

The book details Mr. Rollins' political career and contains lots of fun and interesting anecdotes about many of our presidents and would-be presidents. Being a long-term Reaganite, I especially enjoyed his Reagan stories. Mr. Rollins makes it clear that the staffers brought into high levels of the federal government by then Vice President and later President Bush were often times combatants against the Reagan Revolution. As was pointed out, Mr. Bush only reached those high levels of power because of the graciousness of Ronald Reagan.

The book is 20 years old, but I found it a great companion read to this year's Presidential election process. Say what you will about politics, but it is the way that we select our leaders and divide our power in the United States of America. You can tell Mr. Rollins enjoyed "the game," and this book is a wonderful tribute to how that game was played.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I do not agree with all of Mr. Rollins' views it was a good read. It was tough to put down. Perhaps it should be noted here that my degree was in political science and I have worked on several campaigns (although not at the level of Mr. Rollins). He takes the reader through his life. Mr. Rollins' up and down experiences in boxing really prepared him for the ups and downs of campaigns. Although Primary Colors was good and gave a campaign as the backdrop; this is the book people should read if they want to learn about campaigns and whether they want to get heavily involved or make a career of it.

[Jfarley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ed is the quintessential misfit... he's up, he's down, he's up, he puts his foot in his mouth... and he realizes he has a problem. Good thing, because I had to laugh when he jinxed himself, yet again, on the Huckabee campaign.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book alot. The guy swears more than me so he can't be that bad? I liked it because he gave strong opinions of the people that he liked, and more importantly the people he didn't like such as Ross Perot and Michaela and Arianna Huffington. Pretty entertaining and I liked it.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rollins provides a great deal of insight into the world of political campaigns. It is a great book for political junkies or those simply wanting to learn what political campaigns are all about.

[Jesterguru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening. As my father used to say about the television show, Cops: "Lessons from the enemy, bud."

[Foughty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book about what it's like to be a campaign manager ever.

[Maryellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't care for his entire political view...but still some good insight into what it is to run a campaign.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written look at just what a political campaign is all about from a Republican consultant. Honest and witty.

[Velma Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, it is the only one I have read three times.

[Del Lunde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presently appearing on TV talk shows 2019 discussing current politics. See also in ads to endorse Trump for 2020.