Hardball: How Politics Is Played, Told by One Who Knows the Game

Though the book has 1 1988 copyright date, the information is essentially timeless. It could have been written as a weekend conference hosting Prince Machiavelli, King Solomon, Sun Tzu and Dale Carnegie as its collective writing staff. The only facet that establishes a time frame is its real-life cast of characters, from Wendell Wilke and LBJ to Edmund Muskie and Ronald Reagan. Chris Matthews picks no favorites as he shows the merits and faults of many players quite candidly. His endless series of anecdotes are divided into chapters with unique central points which are wisely matched with exponents who mastered those techniques. Matthews takes many of the stories from firsthand experience as an operative with the respective master as he was employed in a variety of ways with many of the highlighted pols over a lengthy career in Washington.As the author points out, virtually all of the techniques, systems and characteristics are universal and could be used in sports, business, for-profit and non-profit environments as well as high-level politics. It is a book that is fun to read and does not bogged down with details or tedious issues of the day, choosing to focus more on the actions and reactions of the proponents and antagonists as they fought for their cause de jour. It's a primer for PoliSci 101, not too heavy but not kindergarten either. Neither a Pulitzer candidate or a coffee table tome, it will keep your interest especially as you relate the chapter's characters with the chapter's title.

This is an anecdote-fueled volume that is a page-turner for anyone who loves politics and, as Matthews puts it, seeing how the game is played. Many of the anecdotes stand on their own, although sometimes Matthews weighs in with an appropriate-length explanation of the lesson to be learned. Priceless material. BUT the book advertises itself as updated (at least that's how I read the advance material) and that's mostly untrue. I found one ever-so-brief reference to Hillary Clinton; otherwise the book stands on material from prior decades (that's fine, though). I would have liked if Matthews had updated pronoun gender references to acknowledge that sometimes politicians are women.

I read a couple of chapters and I gained some much knowledge about the Former President Lydon and is mannerisms and I keep notes too.The next time I plan a trip Washington DC I hope to visit the White House and look for some of the noted mentions in the book.

After decades of watching Hardball almost every night, I was very saddened to see Chris Matthews say goodbye last night. I bought this book and one other by Chris to help keep some kind of connection with him. I obviously haven't read it yet so this is not so much a review of the book as it is a kind of tribute to a great journalist and political mind. It's hard to say what someone is really like whom you have never met, but I feel as if I've known him for years, and will miss his company in the days and years to come. Good luck Chris.

I bought the book just so I could leave a comment on the day after Chris’ retirement from Hardball. I have always admired and appreciated Chris’ passion for politics, which extended to being able to be gracious to people playing for the other team. Sportsmanship is an important principle; that we play the game so that we all can be at our best, and reach the best outcomes. Chris showed that in his love for the game. I share Steve Kornacki’s sorrow.

This book was pretty good and was greatly instrumental to the learning in my AP Governmental Class. We discussed short narratives found in the book regarding "popular" well known politicians and they wheel and deal. Wheel and deal a term for lobbying and influencing other politicians and other members that are directly and indirectly involved in the US Political System. It has stories of how people came to be rising stars in D.C. and their methods, tactics of politiking. It is a good book but it makes alot of assumptions and may not be relevant in today's age as much. This I believe because the modernization has brought along new methods that were not available before of campaigning and publicizes a candidate. Society as a whole is also changing, thus the old methods of wheeling and dealing may not be as effective.

This is an amazing book; Matthews specifically points out that Politics is a game and can not be played by everyone. There are particular rules that have be taken into consideration during the game, otherwise one would fail miserably. I loved the author's added humor in some parts of the book because it was a way to connect to the common people who hardly knows about anything going on in the present-day American politics. The only thing I disliked about the book was that some areas were confusing and Matthews failed to explicitly explain them. Overall, Hardball is great and informative!

Great condition for a used book!My daughter needed this book for her high school AP Gov class and she wanted to be able to take notes in the book. So loaning from the library wasn’t an option. But we didn’t want to spend a ton for the book because it’s not really something she’ll hold onto forever. This was the perfect option!

I was disappointed with this book as it seemed a little bit disjointed. I think Chris Matthews knows his subject but I didn't take to his writing style, as it seemed to skip from example to example to example. By comparison, Dick Morris' book "Because He Could" was fantastic, as it was funny, it flowed, it contained key themes and was an enjoyable read.

Non male, anche se "troppo americano". E' basicamente focalizzato su politici americani. Interessanti le dinamiche dietro certe scelte o comportamenti politici.

Very interesting book, great insights.

Excellent read; sent on time.