Reviews
Karl Rove, who knows a thing or two about presidential campaigns, looks back at a watershed election over a century ago and shows how the winner, William McKinley, used it to change his party, the political process, and the nation. It's all here: the big themes, the backstage maneuvers, the personalities, the hoopla. A great read for historians, political junkies, and--in our own wild election cycle--Americans., McKinley's rise to the presidency is one of the major turning points in U.S. history, but it has never received the attention it deserves. . . . To help his readers understand McKinley's accomplishment, Mr. Rove . . . must take on the herculean task of explaining the meaning of the tariff and monetary controversies to 21st-century readers. . . . Few readers will have any idea about these debates, and it is to Mr. Rove's great credit that he brings them to life. . . . Mr. Rove's narration of the fall campaign is lively and compelling. . . . A rigorous book that should be studied by anyone interested in following McKinley to the White House., The Triumph of McKinley is the Triumph of Karl Rove. This is a rousing tale told by a master storyteller whose love of politics, campaigning, and combat shines through on every page. Both the man and his times are brought to such vivid life that I felt myself catapulted back to the turn of the last century. And it was great fun to be there!, "With his groundbreaking book, The Triumph of William McKinley , we gain deep insights into Rove's genius, an important episode in American history, and the fundamentals of modern politics. . . . [A] valuable contribution to the study of American history [and] practically a scientific manual any would-be "influencer" should digest deeply and thoroughly until the insights gained become instinctive reactions. One also discovers the deep insights which, love him or hate him, made and make Karl Rove himself a fixture in today's political scene.", A brilliant new book on the first modern presidential campaign. . . . It's a pleasure to read and piquantly relevant to today. . . . Rove delved deep into the primary sources and has produced a work that is meticulously researched . . . well written, and extremely discriminating with an eye for the telling detail. There are many fascinating, unjustly forgotten sagas from American political history revealed. . . . Rove provides a wonderful blend of narrative, scholarship, and knowing mastery of political campaign strategy. If you find politics, political intrigue, or American history compelling you will devour The Triumph of William McKinley ., This substantive book by a political practitioner will appeal to and inform all readers, especially aficionados of American political history., "An incisive look at what veteran political strategist Karl Rove calls "the first modern presidential primary campaign," and astute advice on how the modern Republican Party could benefit from the examples set by the 1896 William McKinley campaign. . . . Rove puts his accumulated knowledge of history to use to craft a superb political read.", Informed by his passion for history and by his love of strategy, Karl Rove has painted a colorful and detailed portrait of an important American moment. Highly recommended!, McKinley, perhaps best known by Americans for the Alaskan mountain that once bore his name and the infamy of being one of the few American presidents to have been assassinated, was a vital and critical link in the history of the presidency. . . . Rove proves himself a surprisingly nimble and adept writer, juxtaposing shrewd political analysis with narrative verve. He expertly breaks down the challenges of McKinley's 1896 campaign, which he calls 'the first modern presidential primary campaign.' . . . A well-informed and -researched dissection of McKinley's overlooked influence., Having run--and won--two presidential campaigns, Karl Rove knows elections. The Triumph of William McKinley is a deeply informed and highly engaging account of one of the seminal elections in American history, the 1896 victory that ushered in more than a generation of Republican dominance. A vivid, intriguing and compellingly modern rendering of one of the most underappreciated episodes in American political history., Rove [has] feeling for the personal, human cost of politics . . . Rove reminds us that presidential campaigns were no less grueling in the era before the direct primary than they are today, at least for candidates who hadn't sewed up the victory in advance, and he brings a professional's appreciation to McKinley's patient planning., The Triumph of McKinley is the Triumph of Karl Rove. This is a rousing tale told by a master storyteller whose love of politics, campaigning, and combat shines through on every page. Both the man and his times are brought to such vivid life that I felt myself catapulted back to the turn of the last century. And it was great fun to be there!, An interesting and well-researched book. . . . [Rove's] analysis of political strategy and reasons for McKinley's victory is excellent. . . . The book should please and interest political junkies of both parties., Either politics used to be more fun or Karl Rove just makes it seem that way. Whichever, his account of the 1896 election is written with great verve, even as it is informed by thorough research and illuminated by shrewd insight. This is political history at its most engaging., [Rove's] richly detailed, moment by moment account in The Triumph of William McKinley brings to life the drama of an electoral contest whose outcome seemed uncertain to the candidate and his handlers until the end. But there is more to this book than simply recounting the details of what was arguably the country's first modern presidential campaign. . . . The significance of Rove's book outruns this ambition. For it implicitly raises questions about the causes of electoral success and the rhythms of partisanship. . . . All that said, as Rove demonstrates, candidates and campaigns do matter. The durable electoral and policy outcomes produced by McKinley's victory over a dramatically dissimilar vision remind us how much can be at stake in a presidential election at a time of political polarization., The Triumph of William McKinley ultimately is another reminder of the valuable lessons of the past, not to mention the reality that there is nothing in the world today that hasn't happened before, no matter the pesky belief that the world revolves around us., Rove's fascination with and understanding of how the [political] process has worked throughout our history shines through in his new book, The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters ., [A] fine new study of the 25th president and his election in 1896. . . . [Rove] proves a reliable guide to the machinations of gilded Age politics. . . . Much has been made of Theodore Roosevelt as the first modern president, but Rove convincingly shows that it was McKinley who helped usher presidential politics into the modern age. . . . Rove has done an admirable job of putting a historical spotlight on a once-beloved leader, reminding us that McKinley led his country into the 20th century in more than just the literal sense., The Triumph of William McKinley is not only readable but also engrossing, a rare relevant history of the mechanics of politics. It educates today's America about politics of another time that are important to understanding our own America and a past now almost completely lost to the public memory.
