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Whistlestop: My Favorite Stories from Presidential Campaign History Hardcover – Aug. 2 2016

by John Dickerson (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 349 ratings
4.0 on Goodreads
911 ratings
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From Face the Nation moderator and contributing editor for The Atlantic John Dickerson come the stories behind the stories of the most memorable moments in American presidential campaign history.

The stakes are high. The characters full of striving and ego. Presidential campaigns are a contest for control of power in the most powerful country on earth. The battle of ideas has a clear end, with winners and losers, and along the way there are sharp turning points-primaries, debates, conventions, and scandals that squeeze candidates into emergency action, frantic grasping, and heroic gambles. As Mike Murphy the political strategist put it, "Campaigns are like war without bullets."

Whistlestop tells the human story of nervous gambits hatched in first-floor hotel rooms, failures of will before the microphone, and the cross-country crack-ups of long-planned stratagems. At the bar at the end of a campaign day, these are the stories reporters rehash for themselves and embellish for newcomers. In addition to the familiar tales, Whistlestop also remembers the forgotten stories about the bruising and reckless campaigns of the nineteenth century when the combatants believed the consequences included the fate of the republic itself. Some of the most modern-feeling elements of the American presidential campaign were born before the roads were paved and electric lights lit the convention halls-or there were convention halls at all.

Whistlestop is a ride through the American campaign history with one of its most enthusiastic conductors guiding you through the landmarks along the way.
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  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Twelve
  4. Publication date
    Aug. 2 2016
  5. Dimensions
    15.24 x 2.86 x 22.86 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    9781455540488
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1455540488
  8. See all details
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Product description

Review

"As much as we arrogantly think our present political moment is new, it is not. Now, along comes this wonderful book to set us straight. It connects and interconnects signal campaigns from our 'glorious' past, where the same sausage making we decry today is on vivid, sometimes impressive, sometimes hilarious, display. Dickerson's artful time travel, so accessible but so eloquently written, will be red meat for anyone who counts themselves a politics carnivore-or anyone who cares about the fascinating mechanics of getting elected in the United States."―Ken Burns

"Dickerson knows what he is doing...[This book] should be kept on the night stand and dipped into when you crave a good tale. Like Dickerson as an interviewer, it has sturdy charm; it is inquisitive, generous, probing, and thoughtful. You read Whistlestop to put the chaos of today into perspective - or, perhaps, to escape from it."―NYT Book Review

"Filled with colorful characters and rollicking tales, this chronicle of exciting presidential campaigns is fun, informative, and enlightening. John Dickerson has a storyteller's touch and a historian's insight. It's nice to be reminded of the beauty and glory of American democracy at its best."―Walter Isaacson

"With a delightful conversational style featuring casual asides and plenty of incisive commentary, Dickerson's many years of experience covering politics informs his intriguing inside looks at how certain stories begin and how they grow... A politically astute, timely book that will also have great historical value for future campaigns."―Kirkus Review

"Whistlestop is entertaining and informative, but it also is a timely reminder for those tempted right now to believe that, with the growing divisions in this country, all is lost. No matter how big the storm that throws us off course, we have a history of righting the ship and steering into calmer waters."―Connie Schultz, The Washington Post

"Dickerson's work 'connects and interconnects signal campaigns from our 'glorious' past, where the same sausage making we decry today is on vivid, sometimes impressive, sometimes hilarious, display.'"―Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press

"A gifted chronicler, Dickerson looks back over two centuries of election campaigns and zeros in on flashpoint episodes that somehow reset the collective national narrative."―The National Book Review

"Whistlestop, [a] breezy but substantive account of key presidential campaign moments."―Christian Science Monitor

"These stories illustrate that although this election is unusual, it's not unprecedented...Dickerson's book is an edifying reminder that human beings don't change. Politicians and voters alike often forget the past, and end up repeating the same mistakes."―The Federalist

About the Author

John Dickerson is Moderator of Face the Nation, Chief Washington Correspondent for CBS News, and a contributing editor for the Atlantic. He has been a reporter in Washington for almost 20 years covering the White House, Congress, and political campaigns. Dickerson is a co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest as well as the host of Whistlestop, a podcast of campaign history.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 145554048X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Twelve (Aug. 2 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781455540488
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1455540488
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 703 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 2.86 x 22.86 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 349 ratings

About the author

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John Dickerson

John Dickerson

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I am a correspondent for 60 Minutes and CBS News. I am also a contributing writer for The Atlantic magazine. Formerly I was co-host of CBS This Morning, moderator of Face the Nation and CBS Chief Washington Correspondent and Political Director. In my print career, I wrote for Slate magazine for ten years and Time magazine for twelve years before that. I sometimes write about topics other than politics, like family and risk-taking and baseball but those pieces have yet to be collected into a book of essays to read on a quiet Sunday afternoon. I also can be found on the Political Gabfest and Whistlestop podcasts.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
349 global ratings

Top reviews from Canada

Simon Turner
5.0 out of 5 stars The more things change, the more they stay the same
Reviewed in Canada on April 4, 2023
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Highly informative read, with regular injections of John Dickerson humour, a perfect follow-up to his Whistlestop podcasts.
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James Rodgerson
4.0 out of 5 stars many great stories - you don't have to be American t ...
Reviewed in Canada on September 3, 2016
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Many, many great stories - you don't have to be American t enjoy them - just human!
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Election 2016
Reviewed in Canada on August 24, 2016
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Lacks depth and discernment . Reasonable attempt to juxtapose current election cycle to the historical record .
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Top reviews from other countries

Henry
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this so much!
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2016
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From Evangeline:
From one of the earliest partisan elections in 1800 to more recent ones in the 1960s to 1990s, John Dickerson tells the often-forgotten primary stories of candidates who ran and lost as well as candidates who did achieve the presidency in the end in a straightforward and humorous style of writing that I absolutely loved. (I remember that he made me laugh by saying “including a certain Time correspondent who decided it was a good idea to grow sideburns that year and who hadn’t gotten off the road long enough to get a haircut”.). In all these years that I’ve seen him on TV I never knew about this awesome sense of humor that he has and this book made me think that I would love to get to know this side of him more.
More importantly, these stories reaffirm our need to learn history, and at the same time, seeing parallels between this election and past ones. There have been Donald Trump-like candidates in the past (George Wallace and Barry Goldwater) who were against racial integration and appealed to the race-related fears of some white voters in order to generate an audience for their campaigns, but fortunately they weren’t ever elected. In some respects, one could even argue that Andrew Jackson campaigned to the presidency in a manner similar to Trump---with emotional messages and rowdy parties. Jackson had a hot temper that many feared would make him unsuited to the presidency, and while he may have done some good things in power the one thing he did that sticks to my mind is pushing the Cherokees from their native land in violation of a treaty in order to satisfy the white settlers who would vote for him, leading to the “Trail of Tears”. As un-American as this is, Trump today is preying on similar fears against Muslims, Mexicans, and other minorities, even suggesting outrageously that there should be bans on immigration based on country or faith, or that maybe we could use nuclear weapons (apparently not understanding or caring about the implications of that). The example of Andrew Jackson convinces me more than ever that we cannot allow Trump to be elected.
It’s also eye-opening to know what kinds of less-than-honest or less-than-positive tactics candidates would sometimes exploit in order to achieve victory over their opponents, not caring whether it’s actually true or not but simply using them to drag down their opponents in the minds of voters. It’s a piece of campaigning that’s virtually remained unchanged throughout our history, reflecting on the selfish nature of politics that has permeated every culture since the dawn of civilization. Unfortunately, a moral of these past election stories is that politics is often a speaker that amplifies the egos and the greed of those in public office or those seeking public office.
Overall, I believe Whistlestop indeed deserves its place (or one even higher) on the New York Times bestseller list! It's funny and easy to understand but also digs deep into the psychology around elections. Would 10/10 recommend.
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Dennis Comeau
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, terrible editting
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2016
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A great collection of American history. Totally fascinating and well compiled. The editting is abysmal - the book has so many spelling and grammatical issues, missing words and typos that it's appalling.
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Tony Ettwein
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly enjoyable collection of stories about presidential politics
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2016
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading John Dickerson's Whistlestop. Since you're reading my comments, there's a good chance that you're a politics geek, and you probably love good books. John's great knowledge of politics (supplemented by notes and memories from his mom Nancy and many others) is reflected in this book, and incorporates a great amount of good humor. John includes stories from our country's first presidential elections right up to the current 2016 contest. John writes with a hint of stream-of-consciousness that makes the book very readable, with occasional journies back and forth in time between elections to help emphasize what's new under the sun and what's been seen before in politics. I learned a lot from the book, and also enjoyed revisiting events that I remember from my lifetime, including people like McGovern, Eagleton, Wallace and Nixon. I purchased the book in good ol' paper hard cover so that friends and other family members can enjoy it.
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Al Goldman
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, Instructive and Laugh Out Loud Funny
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2016
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This was a very fun book to read. The stories are well-told and the author is adept at finding humor and sharing it with a wink to the reader. Fascinating, instructive history with some laugh out loud moments. I'm not kidding - I have laughed out loud many times while reading the book!
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars It's great, but most chapters are slightly longer versions of the podcast with typos
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
Entertaining, interesting stories from various presidential campaigns. But, there's not a lot new in here if you listen to the podcast, and proofreading didn't happen. Almost every chapter I had to read a sentence out loud a couple times to try and figure out what he was trying to say due to a misplaced word, incorrect verb tense, or missing punctuation.
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