Stickin': The Case for Loyalty

by James Carville

It's been said that if you want a friend in Washington, you should buy a dog. Unfortunately, there's some truth to there are few places in the world where the turncoats and careerists are so highly rewarded and where loyalty is equated with stupidity. Luckily, another bit of wisdom about the Beltway is also the people in Washington aren't like the ones in the rest of the country. The American people treasure loyalty. They stick by a friend when he needs them. They forgive him when he's wrong. They understand the difference between politics and friendship. They are true to their ideals and their schools, loyal to their families and their God. In Stickin', the always colorful and insightful political strategist James Carville, who has been accused of being loyal, examines this much-maligned and misunderstood political good. Along the way, he looks at loyalty in the family and among friends, in theory and in practice. He praises some loyal people and skewers some deserving backstabbers. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Carville book if he didn't provide recipes for some good home cooking.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

James Carville is an former U.S. Marine, political consultant, commentator, actor, media personality and pundit. Known as "the Ragin' Cajun," Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill Clinton. Carville was the co-host of CNN's Crossfire until its final broadcast in June 2005. Since its cancellation, he has appeared on CNN's news program, The Situation Room. As of 2006, he hosts a weekly program on XM Radio titled 60/20 Sports with Luke Russert, son of NBC's Tim Russert. He is married to Republican political consultant Mary Matalin.

Reviews

[Haplea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book’s starting pretext is an explanation why the author has stick with his friend President Clinton during the Monica affair difficult period. But the book is an entertaining essay about the virtue of loyalty in general: loyalty to friends, family, principles, own country, our kind, ourselves, and so on. It discusses the limits of loyalty, when a line is drawn, line which depends on one’s personal morality and cannot be one size fits all. For example, to the author, a friend’s stupid mistake is pardonable, but if the friend does not take care of his family and children, the loyalty evaporates, or if the country is enmeshed in a wrong war, like the Vietnam War, the loyalty to fight for his country does not apply anymore, at the same time recognizing that nobody, except maybe God, is perfect, therefore tolerance for human failures within certain limits is part of loyalty associated with friendship.

The author seems a decent, honest and direct person, and this book is unlike his other political books where he is either preaching to the choir, or failing to totally convince the reader that his proposals are the answer; it is not a pedantic, academic or dry writing, but a book easy to read, promoting true morality and inviting to a personal introspection about the values we hold dear. To me, having lived half of my life under communism, it is a subject I am very sensitive to, as well as to betrayal, diametrical opposed to loyalty. I think that traditional values like loyalty, honesty, respect, appreciation of culture and high education, etc., are nowadays on a kind of endangered species list, under attack from the free market and globalization forces which make everything tradable given the right amount of money: love, integrity, human organs, people’s freedom, loyalty, and so on. In mid 1950’s, as a schoolboy I first hand witnessed how in a few years the traditional expression “on my word of honor” has disappeared forever, because honor was no longer a value in communism.

Here, I witnessed in media betrayals like Linda Tripp or that schoolgirl in Houston who denounced to the police her best friend for having a self induced abortion at home (because of an abortion law as stupid as the prohibition was), and destroyed forever the destiny of a friend who trusted her. I was appalled that media did not comment on the moral monstrosity of such betrayals, in a way lying, as Mark Twain has considered as being the worst form of lie, the one using omission and pretending that nothing unusual happens. I am not commenting on the wrongs of spying on every citizen, the hypocrisy of government and politicians, the jungle of the work places, doubletalk as a new language, in short the moral down trend, all part of the new normality. As a baby boomer I am glad that I will not live enough to see the brave new world, leaving to future generations to face it.

I liked the book and the way the subject was treated, despite the fact that the author is slightly naïve in thinking that loyalty will be an eternal human value and will be celebrated as such by society (it is already dying in most work places). I would warmly recommend the book, but as the ancient Romans were saying, “no dispute about tastes and colors”, personal testes vary so much, and what I like may not please others.

[Will Byrnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

JC explains his concept of loyalty, to whom and what he is loyal and why, most particularly as regards Bill Clinton. The latter portion of the book seemed liked filler. In that he devotes individual chapters to religious loyalty, military, sports and so on and meandersd away from his core points.

[Tony Bake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carville explains why he stuck with Clinton after the affair. This would have been an AMAZING editorial or even 5 page article, but even at its slight page count (I remember it being like 120 pages or so), it's far too long. Lots of filler.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like James Carville a lot because he's a fairly self-aware caricature of himself, which is all we can hope for a talking head to be. I think his personality is more interesting than the book, but the book is mostly just his personality. Disjointed, but a fun guy to spend time with.

[Sharon Daley Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this guy. His attitude, his loyalty, his Cajun recipes.

[Nathan Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stick with your friends and stick it to your enemies. A book that goes down easy but leaves you with empty calories. Fun to look back on the political atmosphere of 1999 heading into bush v gore but not much in here you won’t get from just jumping to the back and reading the last few pages.

[LP · Rating 1 out of 5]

Loyalty as an absolute virtue is anathema to me because sooner or later, it pits people against principles and the commonweal. It also induces people to nurse grudges. The Clintons, notorious for the premium they place on loyalty, have now insisted the women voters support a woman candidate over the candidate that most inspires them.

Contrary to what the inimitable James Carville argues in this rambling, longwinded essay, "stickin'" is vastly overrated. At times, it's even downright immoral and undemocratic in spirit.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

On and in defense of his relationship with Bill Clinton.