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9781629220178

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This second collection by Jerry Austin of stories from the campaign trail is a fun read, with some important implicit messages for students of politics woven throughout. The firsthand accounts from different perspectives--operatives, candidates, reporters, and others--tell about the rich variation in U.S. campaign politics, with accounts from urban and rural America, all regions, and contests ranging from the most obscure to the presidency. These accounts span decades, but some things are timeless: failures are as instructive as successes, and campaigns revolve around people, sometimes ones who would appear to have no overt connection to the political world. There's a particularly good takeaway for this current era with its celebration of data, analytics and the science of campaigns: Politics is every bit art as it is science. And for scholars and students, these accounts offer real-word grist for their understanding of campaign politics. --Barb Trish, Professor, Grinnell College Every campaign is nothing more than a story, a snapshot of our time. And the best storytellers are the people who work on the campaigns. The tales in this book will touch your heart and make you laugh out loud. --Nan Whaley, mayor of Dayton, Ohio Who knew politics could be this much fun? Campaign pro Jerry Austin and his co-conspirators take readers on a rollicking ride aboard media zoo planes chasing presidential candidates, traveling press buses rolling across rural Iowa and rental cars carrying nervous political consultants through the California night. Al Gore downing a shot of vodka in a Palm Beach synagogue? It's here. Running against Clint Eastwood in California, Barack Obama eyeing his first campaign, explaining soybeans to Mitt Romney, mixing rotgut gin and tonics for Queen Elizabeth, read all about it. These short stories--ranging across the American political landscape from the White House to seedy hotels and even brothels--are told here in a delightfully conversational style, ringing with authenticity. --Tom Diemer, reported for The Associated Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, co-authored the political biography, James A. Rhodes, Ohio Colossus, and taught at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Jerry Austin's True Tales from the Campaign Trail, Volume 2 offers real insight into what it is like to be out there with the candidate on the campaign trail, but it is much more than that. It is a reminder that politics, at its best, is important and meaningful, but also can be fun-and even occasionally funny. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in politics and campaigns either as a student, practitioner or, most importantly, any citizen who wants to understand this a little better. --Lincoln Mitchell, author of San Francisco Year Zero: Political Upheaval Punk Rock and a Third-Place Baseball Team We thought we knew what Jerry Austin was doing the last fifty years as we watched him wage political combat in races from governor to president. What we didn't know is that he also was collecting some of the best anecdotes from the strategists, pollsters, and reporters he met along the way. Come for the lucky dwarves of the Dominican Republic and the friendly whorehouses of Louisiana. Stay for the fresh insights on Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson, and John Glenn. --George E. Condon Jr, a staff writer (White House) with National Journal. Former political reporter (Cleveland Plain Dealer, San Diego Union). Former Chair, Washington Correspondents Association Both volumes of this collection of campaign vignettes are just enormous fun. But there is so much in these stories that reveal the importance of injecting values into campaign strategies. With all respect to James Carville, political campaigns are not just about the economy. They involve values like trust, empathy, authenticity, credibility, justice, and more. Jerry Austin is among the best of the strategists out there because he understands this and can execute better than almost anyone. This book is rewarding for the political professional and junkies, as well as the student hoping to learn about how campaigns win, how some lose, and simply how to really play the game. I loved it. --John Zogby, Founder of the Zogby Poll and author of We Are Many, We Are One: Neo: Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America Jerry Austin teaches American politics. His text is composed of tales from the field--he lives, collects, and publishes them, his own and those of some of America's foremost practitioners of political arts and sciences. Austin leads us in learning from them. Or just grabbing a favorite beverage and enjoying the hell out of them both. Either way these are great stories and this is a terrific read and you'll learn more about politics than you ever got from any poli-sci course. Because Jerry Austin is one super teacher. --Tom Sawyer (congressman, state senator, mayor of Akron and state representative) Politics and politicians are about people. True Tales from the Campaign Trail provides the true stories of the flesh and blood that make our system work. People are fallible. Campaign consultants are there to observe it and either report it or at least remember it. There are plenty of remembrances in this book. Jerry and his fellow storytellers go beyond the press releases and public statements to give you a real insider's view of how it all happens. Enjoy the ride. --Congressman Steve Cohen Tn.9 --various blurbs for True Tales, vol. 2

"This second collection by Jerry Austin of stories from the campaign trail is a fun read, with some important implicit messages for students of politics woven throughout. The firsthand accounts from different perspectives--operatives, candidates, reporters, and others--tell about the rich variation in U.S. campaign politics, with accounts from urban and rural America, all regions, and contests ranging from the most obscure to the presidency. These accounts span decades, but some things are timeless: failures are as instructive as successes, and campaigns revolve around people, sometimes ones who would appear to have no overt connection to the political world. There's a particularly good takeaway for this current era with its celebration of data, analytics and the science of campaigns: Politics is every bit art as it is science. And for scholars and students, these accounts offer real-word grist for their understanding of campaign politics. --Barb Trish, Professor, Grinnell College ""Every campaign is nothing more than a story, a snapshot of our time. And the best storytellers are the people who work on the campaigns. The tales in this book will touch your heart and make you laugh out loud."" --Nan Whaley, mayor of Dayton, Ohio Who knew politics could be this much fun? Campaign pro Jerry Austin and his co-conspirators take readers on a rollicking ride aboard media zoo planes chasing presidential candidates, traveling press buses rolling across rural Iowa and rental cars carrying nervous political consultants through the California night. Al Gore downing a shot of vodka in a Palm Beach synagogue? It's here. Running against Clint Eastwood in California, Barack Obama eyeing his first campaign, explaining soybeans to Mitt Romney, mixing rotgut gin and tonics for Queen Elizabeth, read all about it. These short stories--ranging across the American political landscape from the White House to seedy hotels and even brothels--are told here in a delightfully conversational style, ringing with authenticity. --Tom Diemer, reported for The Associated Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, co-authored the political biography, James A. Rhodes, Ohio Colossus, and taught at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Jerry Austin's True Tales from the Campaign Trail, Volume 2 offers real insight into what it is like to be out there with the candidate on the campaign trail, but it is much more than that. It is a reminder that politics, at its best, is important and meaningful, but also can be fun-and even occasionally funny. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in politics and campaigns either as a student, practitioner or, most importantly, any citizen who wants to understand this a little better. --Lincoln Mitchell, author of San Francisco Year Zero: Political Upheaval Punk Rock and a Third-Place Baseball Team We thought we knew what Jerry Austin was doing the last fifty years as we watched him wage political combat in races from governor to president. What we didn't know is that he also was collecting some of the best anecdotes from the strategists, pollsters, and reporters he met along the way. Come for the lucky dwarves of the Dominican Republic and the friendly whorehouses of Louisiana. Stay for the fresh insights on Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson, and John Glenn. --George E. Condon Jr, a staff writer (White House) with National Journal. Former political reporter (Cleveland Plain Dealer, San Diego Union). Former Chair, Washington Correspondents Association Both volumes of this collection of campaign vignettes are just enormous fun. But there is so much in these stories that reveal the importance of injecting values into campaign strategies. With all respect to James Carville, political campaigns are not just about the economy. They involve values like trust, empathy, authenticity, credibility, justice, and more. Jerry Austin is among the best of the strategists out there because he understands this and can execute better than almost anyone. This book is rewarding for the political professional and junkies, as well as the student hoping to learn about how campaigns win, how some lose, and simply how to really play the game. I loved it. --John Zogby, Founder of the Zogby Poll and author of We Are Many, We Are One: Neo: Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America Jerry Austin teaches American politics. His text is composed of tales from the field--he lives, collects, and publishes them, his own and those of some of America's foremost practitioners of political arts and sciences. Austin leads us in learning from them. Or just grabbing a favorite beverage and enjoying the hell out of them both. Either way these are great stories and this is a terrific read and you'll learn more about politics than you ever got from any poli-sci course. Because Jerry Austin is one super teacher. --Tom Sawyer (congressman, state senator, mayor of Akron and state representative) Politics and politicians are about people. True Tales from the Campaign Trail provides the true stories of the flesh and blood that make our system work. People are fallible. Campaign consultants are there to observe it and either report it or at least remember it. There are plenty of remembrances in this book. Jerry and his fellow storytellers go beyond the press releases and public statements to give you a real insider's view of how it all happens. Enjoy the ride. --Congressman Steve Cohen Tn.9 --various blurbs for True Tales, vol. 2"

This second collection by Jerry Austin of stories from the campaign trail is a fun read, with some important implicit messages for students of politics woven throughout. The firsthand accounts from different perspectives--operatives, candidates, reporters, and others--tell about the rich variation in U.S. campaign politics, with accounts from urban and rural America, all regions, and contests ranging from the most obscure to the presidency. These accounts span decades, but some things are timeless: failures are as instructive as successes, and campaigns revolve around people, sometimes ones who would appear to have no overt connection to the political world. There's a particularly good takeaway for this current era with its celebration of data, analytics and the science of campaigns: Politics is every bit art as it is science. And for scholars and students, these accounts offer real-word grist for their understanding of campaign politics. --Barb Trish, Professor, Grinnell College ""Every campaign is nothing more than a story, a snapshot of our time. And the best storytellers are the people who work on the campaigns. The tales in this book will touch your heart and make you laugh out loud."" --Nan Whaley, mayor of Dayton, Ohio Who knew politics could be this much fun? Campaign pro Jerry Austin and his co-conspirators take readers on a rollicking ride aboard media zoo planes chasing presidential candidates, traveling press buses rolling across rural Iowa and rental cars carrying nervous political consultants through the California night. Al Gore downing a shot of vodka in a Palm Beach synagogue? It's here. Running against Clint Eastwood in California, Barack Obama eyeing his first campaign, explaining soybeans to Mitt Romney, mixing rotgut gin and tonics for Queen Elizabeth, read all about it. These short stories--ranging across the American political landscape from the White House to seedy hotels and even brothels--are told here in a delightfully conversational style, ringing with authenticity. --Tom Diemer, reported for The Associated Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, co-authored the political biography, James A. Rhodes, Ohio Colossus, and taught at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Jerry Austin's True Tales from the Campaign Trail, Volume 2 offers real insight into what it is like to be out there with the candidate on the campaign trail, but it is much more than that. It is a reminder that politics, at its best, is important and meaningful, but also can be fun-and even occasionally funny. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in politics and campaigns either as a student, practitioner or, most importantly, any citizen who wants to understand this a little better. --Lincoln Mitchell, author of San Francisco Year Zero: Political Upheaval Punk Rock and a Third-Place Baseball Team We thought we knew what Jerry Austin was doing the last fifty years as we watched him wage political combat in races from governor to president. What we didn't know is that he also was collecting some of the best anecdotes from the strategists, pollsters, and reporters he met along the way. Come for the lucky dwarves of the Dominican Republic and the friendly whorehouses of Louisiana. Stay for the fresh insights on Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson, and John Glenn. --George E. Condon Jr, a staff writer (White House) with National Journal. Former political reporter (Cleveland Plain Dealer, San Diego Union). Former Chair, Washington Correspondents Association Both volumes of this collection of campaign vignettes are just enormous fun. But there is so much in these stories that reveal the importance of injecting values into campaign strategies. With all respect to James Carville, political campaigns are not just about the economy. They involve values like trust, empathy, authenticity, credibility, justice, and more. Jerry Austin is among the best of the strategists out there because he understands this and can execute better than almost anyone. This book is rewarding for the political professional and junkies, as well as the student hoping to learn about how campaigns win, how some lose, and simply how to really play the game. I loved it. --John Zogby, Founder of the Zogby Poll and author of We Are Many, We Are One: Neo: Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America Jerry Austin teaches American politics. His text is composed of tales from the field--he lives, collects, and publishes them, his own and those of some of America's foremost practitioners of political arts and sciences. Austin leads us in learning from them. Or just grabbing a favorite beverage and enjoying the hell out of them both. Either way these are great stories and this is a terrific read and you'll learn more about politics than you ever got from any poli-sci course. Because Jerry Austin is one super teacher. --Tom Sawyer (congressman, state senator, mayor of Akron and state representative) Politics and politicians are about people. True Tales from the Campaign Trail provides the true stories of the flesh and blood that make our system work. People are fallible. Campaign consultants are there to observe it and either report it or at least remember it. There are plenty of remembrances in this book. Jerry and his fellow storytellers go beyond the press releases and public statements to give you a real insider's view of how it all happens. Enjoy the ride. --Congressman Steve Cohen Tn.9 --various blurbs for True Tales, vol. 2

Author Information

Jerry Austin has been one of the nation's most experienced and successful political consultants. Austin has consulted on races throughout the United States at every level from precinct committee person to President of the United States. Raised in The Bronx, Austin learned his politics in Cleveland in the late 1960s. after helping elect Richard Celeste Governor of Ohio twice, he served as campaign manager for Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign. He was the senior political director for Senator Paul Tsongas' campaign for President in 1992 and helped elect Paul Wellstone to the United States Senate in Minnesota. In 1992, he was the lead consultant and media advisor for Carol Mosely Braun's historic campaign for the Unites States Senate from Illinois. His work also includes witnessing the Marcos/Acquino election in the Philippines; the Pinochet plebiscite in Chile; and many trips to Northern Ireland to consult for the SDLP party in Belfast. Mr. Austin earned a BA in American History for the City College of New York(CCNY); a Masters in Public Administration from New York University(NYU); and a Masters in Education form the University of Akron. He has recently retired as an Adjunct Professor and the Director of the Campaign Fellows program and The Global Classroom at the University of Akron Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

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