Show Time:: The American Political Circus and the Race for the White House

by Roger Simon

The author follows up his highly acclaimed account of the 1988 presidential campaign with a scathing and hilarious chronicle of the 1996 contest and the back-room negotiations and money-mongering that led to Clinton's reelection. 20,000 first printing. Tour.

345 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 1998

About the author

Roger Mitchell Simon (1948–2026) was an American writer and commentator, the chief political columnist of Politico and a New York Times best-selling author. He won more than three dozen first-place awards for journalism, and is the only person to win twice the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award for commentary. His book on the 1996 presidential race, Show Time, became a New York Times best-seller.

Reviews

[Sissy Boy Bot]

Simon's book details the 1996 presidential election and the politics-is-entertainment theme.

In 1908, the New York Times claimed the presidential election was the "dullest national campaign in the last quarter of a century," so, as Simon says, "politicians had an obligation to be entertaining." Presidential debates are a part of the entertainment. People watch them to "see who crashes and burns." Bill Clinton is explicit about his goals, telling the LA elite, "I always wanted to be in the cultural elite." As entertainers, politicians are products, so Ronald Reagan quips, "Hi guys. I'm a bar of soap." To help sell Bill Clinton, his advisors consulted David Letterman, a late night talk show host (an entertainer).

Bob Dole wasn't entertaining, so his advisors tried keeping him "in the box." Bob Dole was hurt in World War II, and Dole claimed he had "one more mission," which was to become president. Dole praised the blockbuster movie, Independence Day, because it demonstrated "American values." Dole didn't actually see the movie.

Simon links the aspects of a successful politician to their personal lives. He asks, "If you spent most of your life seducing crowds, how could you not seduce an individual or two?" Clinton probably "seduced" more than that, and "seduce" is likely a euphemism for something else.