Hardball : How Politics Is Played Told By One Who Knows The Game

How politics is played by one who knows the game...

Chris Matthews has spent a quarter century on the playing field of American politics -- from righthand man of Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill to host of NBC's highest rated cable talk show Hardball. In this revised and updated edition of his political classic, he offers fascinating new stories of raw ambition, brutal rivalry, and exquisite seduction and reveals the inside rules that govern the game of power.

On his TV show, Chris Matthews comes across as a cranky anti-intellectual motor mouth - - one who can have 7 guests, and not a single one will get a word in likewise... The myth of Chris Matthews is best characterized by SNL's Darell Hammond's routine where he's always cutting people off with that hillarious, "Yeah... yeah... yeah... yeah.. shut up !"
In fact, it was through SNL that I actually began tuning into Chris's show - - and I actually took a liking to him... Rather than finding him to be "anti-intellectual", I found him "anti-rhetoric" - - On the surface it sounds like he's hostile, rude and won't let his guests get in a word likewise, but if you listen in closely, what he does is not allow his guests (who are ALL in the P.R. game some way or another) to lay on their carefully rehearsed soundbits... He listens when they shoot straight, but all hell breaks lose when they start to launch into the same diatribe that they delivered on "Meet The Press" - - when he questions them, rather than eliciting the rhetoric talk show hosts are expected to do, he often lays their own rhetoric on them and cuts them off when they go for their carefully rehearsed speeches. - - After reading this book, it seems clear that Chris Matthews isn't Darell Hammond's cranky old big mouth... the truth is, he knows the game and is having fun throwing side pitches - - in reality, few will fluster or break down and cry (most simply resort to doing little other than repeating themselves over an over), but I think being able to outmouth any powerhouse with a big ceeeeeeegar is somewhat of a fete in itself.

Incidentally, despite the rumors, its hillarious to find out that he was actuall Tip O'Neil's right hand man, and practically learned the game from the old Democratic sage of Capitol Hill ! ! !

Long after Chris's stint as a popular cable TV show talk show host is forgotten, this book will be mandatory reading at high schools, colleges and in the game of life (of course, played hardball style !)


A Book that Gets More Interesting the More You Read   February 16, 2000
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

Chris Matthews combines insights gleaned from both experience and his knowledge of political history to write a truly engrossing battle plan for how to be successful in politics or just about any vocation. Matthew's voluminous store of events, stories and insider vignettes from 20th century politics adds weight to the strategic insights he dispenses in what is really a fun and engaging book. You'll be amazed and fascinated at the tales Matthews tells and how he is able to weave those into a coherent narrative dealing with what makes for a successful politician, which lessons are translatable into just about any walk of life. Matthews' writing style makes this book all the more enjoyable. You'll find it hard to put down and what you learn from it will stick with you for a long time.


the only way to really learn politics.....   February 17, 1999
TK (Maine, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

For an undergraduate Political Science major, there is no better piece of literature to teach the truth of the political scene in America. Through intriguing and often comedic anecdotes, Matthews lays out how politicians operate, how to get things done and how to make the right friends in any political field. Easy to read and follow, Hardball evokes an interest in the reader that makes it hard to put down. Matthews opens the introduction with the statement that it is not a civics book; after reading it, it is obvious that Hardball does something that no civics book can. It creates a genuine interest through honest truth.


Recommended by a McCain strategist   December 23, 2000
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I took a class on political strategy with a key aide on the John McCain campaign. Of the reading he assigned, the one book he said we MUST read was Hardball. This book is a classic political strategy manual. It is the best of its kind, it is timeless. A must read for anyone who wants to understand or be involved in the political world, and that comes not just from myself, but from one who "knows the game."


A Guide for Winning at Life   July 24, 2000
Kevin
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

HARDBALL was a required reading for my AP Government class, but upon reading it I discovered that it different from traditional assigned books in a few ways. The book was easy to read, highly interesting, full of information, and very logical and understandable. The book teaches a series of axioms that all politicians ought to learn to succeed. There are also myriad examples of how some of today's most successful politicans, LBJ, JFK, Nixon, Reagan, etc, became to be. Beyond this, I believe that the tactics that Matthews writes about can be used to succeed in life. In fact, I would make the analogy that it is tantamount to a modern version of Sun Tzu's ART OF WAR in that both of these works teach important lessons to succeed in today's society. This is definitely a book I will read many more times to understand how to succeed in the future.