Considering how politically oblivious I am now, and how even less attentive I was during the election this is about, I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was also a rather timely read considering Hilary's recent run and the current election.

I expected the book to really drag and blather on about politics and policy, but that's not what it's about at all. I did have a difficult time keeping track of some of the campaign staffers, but towards the end of the book it became more focused and easier to follow.

Some interesting points about politicians, race relations, media, and the workings of a campaign. I can certainly see why it was such a scandal at the time that it was released.

Surprisingly I didn't find it particularly dated, although slowly and surely I'm sure it will be.

As soon as I read ONE paragraph into this novel, I KNEW whether ya call him Jack Stanton or not, yep, that's Bill Clinton. And when Susan Stanton makes her entrance, that's Hilary--that's the boss. This fictional account is told through the lens of Henry Burton, a black man Stanton 'half-flatters, half-shanghais' onto his campaign. If you're old enough to remember the Clinton campaigns, you'll recognize the players and a lot of the incidents that paralleled true life.

Primary Colors is a strange beast of a political thriller, a novel based on the 1992 Clinton campaign, where the names have been changed and some events altered. Jack Stanton is a charismatic governor of a southern state, a new kind of democrat who blends populist politics with Ivy League credentials. Jack Stanton can light up a room, but he's got feet of clay. He avoided serving during the Vietnam War, and he can't stop sleeping around.

Our viewpoint is campaign manager Henry Burton, the grandson of a legendary civil rights leader (think Martin Luther King), and a consummate political staffer. Burton is brought on as deputy campaign manager, and joins the slog through the retail politics of the New Hampshire primary. Challengers arise, various flavors of strange cold Northeasterners, along with scandal, as Susan Stanton's hairdresser publicly accuses Jack Stanton of an affair, and the teenage daughter of the owner of Stanton's favorite BBQ joint accuses him of impregnating her. Burton, meanwhile has his own romance with media whiz Daisy, and teams up with the bipolar and aggressively queer "dustbuster" Libby (partially based on Vince Foster) to kill threats to the Stantons, and dig up opposition research on the other candidates, including a strange story of sex, drugs, and corrupt real estate deals.

When this book is good, it's very good, capturing the frenetic amphetamine rush of politics, the excitement of the game, and the larger-than-life quality of those who play it. Primary Colors gets the thrill of the great American experiment in democracy, what it means to be a Candidate, why people work such long hours for these people, the sordid deals and lies of what politics is, and the soaring ideals of what it might be.

But two things bring this down. The first is that the narrator is Black, and author Joe Klein so very White. I really do not need some white dude in TYOOL 2018 to pontificate about Blackness in America. And the second is that Henry is more a witness than a protagonist. I'm not sure if he makes a single real choice in the novel. He witnesses horrible things, he sees people destroyed by ambition, he finds love, loses it, regains it, but who is he? The political animal, a bag of reflexes watching C-SPAN, the ultimate empty suit.

I really liked this, much more than I was expecting to. The cliffhanger at the end was a little annoying but better than either of the alternative possibilities. It has stood the test of time quite well and it was interesting to draw parallels between Jack Stanton and the Obama administration.

Why do I do this to myself.

I had forgotten how much I loved this book, as, I haven't read it in nearly 20 years. The story is solid and stands the test of time well.

Interesting take on campaign politics.

Telling and Compelling

Audacious at the time and still packs a punch but post 2016 US election the world of politics is a lot different. Although fictional it is an insiders account. A standard for the art of politics as practitioner or observer.

The insider baseball comes fast and furious. I had a hard time keeping track of who everyone was (let alone who they were supposed to be). It took me a while to get into the story, mainly because the narrator is sort of a bland character (no offense, black George Stephanopolous). The minor characters kept things interesting, though.

Funny, interesting, intriguing, but somehow still missing something.