Anything for a Vote, Joseph Cummins
Anything for a Vote, Joseph Cummins
List: $17.99 | Sale: $12.59
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Anything for a Vote
Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots, and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Campaigns

Author: Joseph Cummins

Narrator: Tom Perkins

Unabridged: 9 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/27/2015


Synopsis

Today's political pundits express shock and disappointment when candidates resort to negative campaigning. But history reveals that smear campaigns are as American as apple pie. Anything for a Vote is an illustrated look at 200-plus years of dirty tricks and bad behavior in presidential elections, from George Washington to Barack Obama and John McCain. Let the name-calling begin!

• 1836: Congressman Davy Crockett accuses candidate Martin Van Buren of secretly wearing women's clothing: "He is laced up in corsets!"

• 1960: Former president Harry Truman advises voters that "if you vote for Richard Nixon, you ought to go to hell!"

Full of sleazy anecdotes from every presidential election in United States history, Anything for a Vote is a valuable reminder that history does repeat itself, that lessons can be learned from the past (though they usually aren't), and that our most famous presidents are not above reproach when it comes to the dirtiest game of all—political campaigning.

About Joseph Cummins

Joseph Cummins is the author of numerous books, including A Bloody History of the World, which won the 2010 Our History Project Gold Medal Award; and Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife and daughter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lindsay on April 04, 2014

What can I say? I love Presidential trivia, and this covers every Presidential election America ever had up until 2008. It's pretty biased toward the newer elections (probably for the simple reason that there's more information available), and the illustrations are goofy, but the information is good......more

Goodreads review by Alicia on August 07, 2015

This will become a popular nonfiction title for both young adult and adult readers. Those who have been fans of Georgia Bragg's titles that share information in a humorous way in easily digestible chapters with a uniquely beneficial layout that includes some illustrations, various sidenotes, highlig......more

Goodreads review by Michael on November 03, 2024

Kind of book that makes you feel like you’re being gaslit by everyone around you who says “We used to be a proper country!” The book’s Sleaze-o-meter is a helpful indicator of just how ugly some elections in our past have gotten. It’s a shame the book ends with 2004 - although I imagine what would b......more

Goodreads review by Deacon Tom on March 09, 2024

informative A well organized and well written book that summarizes the US Presidential races from Washington to Obama. It is chocked full of little stories that make the book a fast read.......more