Overview

Designing and operating an effective White House are critical to the success of any presidency—and to democracy in the United States. Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Christopher Liddell offers a strategic approach to building a strong and successful presidency. An astute and experienced operative, he demonstrates persuasively that action must be taken early, comprehensively, and visibly, starting in what he calls Year Zero, the year before governing. His book lays out concrete nonpartisan steps and recommendations that would significantly improve how the White House functions and thus rebuild trust in one of our most fundamental institutions.

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9780813951133

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Reviews

"Liddell's thesis is grounded in an important underlying reality: Our federal government is unimaginably vast; its structures are impossibly complex; and its pace of operation is frustratingly slow. . . . Liddell knows whereof he speaks, having worked for decades in the private sector--as chief financial officer at Microsoft and at General Motors, among other positions--before becoming a deputy chief of staff in the Trump White House.. . . . [and he] has a healthy understanding of the limits of any government process, no matter how well thought out and improved it might be.-- ""Wall Street Journal"" A former Trump White House insider suggests a program of reform for better preparing candidates to serve in the highest office in the land...with advice that candidates for higher office should surely take under consideration.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"""

"""Drawing on wisdom earned from decades navigating the halls of power, Liddell's Year Zero is a definitive nonpartisan playbook for presidential success. Focusing on the critical 'how' rather than 'what' or 'who, ' this must-read contribution offers candidates on both sides of the aisle a blueprint for running an effective White House that is ready to govern with impact after the votes are counted."" -Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group ""Year Zero presents a bold yet entirely logical and convincing approach to managing presidential transitions. Rather than criticize candidates for being presumptuous ('measuring the drapes'), Liddell insists that presidential candidates create a transition team as soon as they announce their candidacy. The sheer size and complexity of the modern presidency require incoming presidents to arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue fully prepared to govern. Liddell's ringside seat on history (having served on the Romney transition team and both of the Trump transitions) legitimize his plea for early planning. Who would know better? Year Zero is a must read for every candidate, campaign staff member and citizen who cares about the future of American democracy.""--Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, The Brookings Institution, author of Presidents as Candidates: Inside the White House for the Presidential Campaign ""A veteran of three presidential transitions--and in my view one of the key people who ensured that the Trump White House delivered results as well as tweets--Chris Liddell has written a book that every would-be president must read and every likely voter should read. Why, he asks, do we manage the transition from one administration to another so hastily, in a manner wholly unsuited to the immense task of running the huge, complex and powerful U.S. government? It's pure superstition to condemn a presidential candidate for 'measuring the drapes' before Election Day, argues Liddell. On the contrary, anyone seriously aspiring to be our commander in chief needs to start preparing for power a full 365 days before the results come in. Year Zero is not only a superb guide to the way the modern presidency works--or doesn't work. It's also a compelling manifesto for modernizing presidential transitions.""--Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution ""Against all odds, during the perilous final days of the Trump White House, Chris Liddell helped preserve American democracy by ensuring that the wheels of the presidential transition kept turning. In Year Zero, he brings his White House experience and corporate savvy to bear on the question: When and how should planning for a presidency begin? The answer, contrary to popular misconception, is not after the election but at least a full year before. This is a must-read for every outgoing and incoming administration."" --Chris Whipple, New York Times bestselling author of The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency ""Few Americans realize how vulnerable our country is during presidential transitions. All Americans owe Chris Liddell a debt of gratitude for his unsung heroics during the 2020 transition - the most dangerous in modern history. Now, in Year Zero, Liddell offers something equally important: a practical roadmap for creating a more effective government by improving the structures and processes of the White House - above all by smart early planning. Mandatory reading for the leadership of every presidential campaign, and for everyone who cares about the efficacy of American government.""-Josh Bolten, former White House chief of staff for George W. Bush ""Compelling, constructive, and oh-so timely, Year Zero is a welcome guide to the 'how' of an effective presidential transition. Chris Liddell speaks with rare authority, drawing on his high-level White House experience, his oversight of the 2020 presidential transition, and his years of Fortune 50 executive leadership, to make the case for intensive preparation for the most critical of handovers of power. If you care about reinvigorating trust in our democracy, read this book!"" -Mack McLarty, former White House chief of staff for Bill Clinton ""Liddell draws upon his remarkable experiences in three presidential transitions to lay out, in clear prose and simple diagrams, the exact logic of how to run a presidential transition - including (critically) how to organize, staff, and operate a modern White House. Scrupulously non-partisan, it is a handbook teaching the people tasked with a transition and then running a White House, how to do it. I have little doubt that this book will become the Bible of presidential transitions, required reading and re-reading in every serious presidential campaign and in every White House for the foreseeable future."" -Charles M. Cameron, Princeton University ""A well-organized transition is often the key to a successful presidency. In Year Zero, Christopher Liddell has given us a useful roadmap to an effective transition. Future presidents will be wise to follow his advice."" -George C. Edwards III, Texas A&M University ""Chris Liddell argues compellingly that it takes a full year to prepare adequately to become president. Year Zero presents a comprehensive road map to the plans, policies, and personnel needed to run a successful transition. The wise, nonpartisan, counsel in this book comes from a professional who has worked on all sides of presidential transitions and who orchestrated, from the inside, the most challenging transition in the history of the presidency. All serious candidates for the presidency should insist that their transition teams read this book carefully."" -James P. Pfiffner, George Mason University"

"A former Trump White House insider suggests a program of reform for better preparing candidates to serve in the highest office in the land...with advice that candidates for higher office should surely take under consideration.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"""

Author Information

Christopher P. Liddell has held senior roles in politics, the private sector, and philanthropy. He was a White House Deputy Chief of Staff and has been involved in three presidential transition cycles. In the private sector, he has been Chief Financial Officer of several major companies, including Microsoft and General Motors.

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