Rating: 
Summary: A political wonderland
Review: Imagine putting your 80 cents into a soda machine and having a bottle of expensive wine roll out. This is essentially what will happen to the reader who begins The Running Mate looking for an easy weekend read. Joe Klein had taken us through the looking glass to a world that while not unlike ours has one key difference: the political landscape, in all it's complexities and intricacies, is open for all of us to see. This in turn creates a novel that, while remaining an entertaining read, also works on the level of a socio-political commentary on the order of Orwell's Animal Farm. Characters may appear larger than life and events may seem otherworldy but that's Klein's point: the current political environment and those who participate in it have become detached from the rest of us and now live in a world of cartoon-like wackiness. As you might imagine, it's not a pretty place- one would not blame Klein for staying anonymous. With books like this he won't have to worry about running out of enemies but for the reader with an open, adventerous mind this is the guy to vote for.
Rating:
Summary: Feeds the Addictions of Political Junkies
Review: It is hard to come across contemporary political fiction for those of us who follow politics like most Americans follow sports (don't you think it should be the other way around).I won't make this a long since I don't want to waste time rehashing what others have already said. My take on it is that "Primary Colors" ran along the backdrop of a political revolution. "The Running Mate" chronicles the counter-revolution leading to the Gingrich era. The rapid extreme pulls from left to right and back and to confusion (1992-2000) were unprecedented in our history and will be the subject of historical debate for this era, IMHO. Even though there is no "anonymous" behind the writing, it is still fun to try to peg down the real life doppelgangers to the novel's characters, such as the overbearing Irish-American Senate Majority Leader from Massachusetts, the drawling Alabama senator in charge of Defense, and the smarmy political consultant who runs the campaign through polling while cavorting through France.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Really Not About Republicans and Democrats
Review: It's about the political life. Sure there is a Republican senatorial candidate who isn't someone you'd like to have a beer with, but there also is a sleazy Democrat president, and a Democrat appointee for the Cabinet who has some very bad habits. Our protagonist, Senator Martin, is running for re-election in a midwestern state. The author shows the forces that constrain the life of a politician. Behavior is political; decisions are political. Our elected representatives are often less than admirable people, but you already know that. Senator Martin considers trips back to "poke the folks" in his home state as equivalent to "paying the bills", a tedious repetitious task that he is quite skilled at. The story weaves together Martin's political life with his romantic life. Both are often at risk. His election rival is a gentleman who thumps the bible, but is he really that righteous? The fact that he is a Republican should not be upsetting. Remember that all of our recent presidential hopefuls have managed to tell us how religious they are. Author Klein's sanctimonious candidate simply reminds us that Thomas Jefferson and many of his peers felt that religion in politics only serves to demean religion; we are in deep trouble if God needs politicians to be His spokesmen. Yet despite the campaigns managed by Lee Atwater act alikes, we see candidates who do have beliefs, and one of those is that if their opponent wins the country will be severely damaged. Succumbing to the temptations of negative campaigning results from concluding that all is lost if they take the more honorable road. Yet Klein does show some honorable behavior sandwiched in with the compromises, cover ups, and pat political responses to constituents. Indeed should we be critical of only the politicians? Klein points out that we the voters mercilessly pressure our elected officials to yield to our vested interests. Are we any better than they are when we prod our congressmen to continue the lucrative, job producing defense contract in our district? That defense contract that produces something no one, not even the Pentagon, seems to want? The book is a good one, the characters interesting, the dialogue often witty.
Rating: 
Summary: Tell us something we don't already know
Review: It's clear that Joe Klein fancies himself as the consummate political insider, but "The Running Mate" fails to deliver anything that might back up his claim to that throne. This book is page after excruciatingly slow page of political stereotypes and charicatures, without a solid plot line to hold it together.
Rating:
Summary: Smart, fun, funny, and even tender
Review: Joe Klein gets it. He gets Washington dinner parties, grip-and-grin photo sessions with constituents and their kids, blended families, old friends, grown-up romance, and what people think about during -- and after -- the really tough moments. Who knew that inside the sharpest (in both senses of the word) political reporter there was a tender-hearted novelist struggling to get out? Freed from the stunt aspect of the "anonymous" first novel, we get to see Klein's real chops as a 21st century Balzac. What fun to see him having fun making it all turn out the way he'd like to see it. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: The Running Mate --
Review: Joe Klein is, without doubt, a gifted writer when it comes to the liberal political scene in Washington. He captures the spirit of what surely goes on in the Washington elistist circles and brings it to us in a format at once enthralling and amusing. From his novels, one gets some insight as to the contemporary political drama, a decoding of the liberal messages 'spun' across our news media each day, and an insider's look at liberal elitism in full flower. Charlie Martin is the quintessential liberal Democrat, filled with his own self-importance mixed with what he believes are noble motives. I can believe Charlie is a composite personality made up of Viet Nam veterans Klein has known and that he represents the mix of behaviours one would find in today's Congress. When I meet him in this book, however, I find that Charlie is nothing but a hollow man whose every act is one of self-service disguised as public service. Nell is the quintessential liberal ideal: the liberated female, single mother, who is uniquely gifted and well-connected as well as a beautiful middle-aged woman. When she is described by Charlie, she has a reality as seen through his eyes; when she is described by the narrator, she does not have authenticity. When Klein ventures into the American heartland, he loses much of his credibility. The stereotype of the right-wing conservative candidate with a Bible in his hand and a midday talk show as a forum stretches credibility far too much and does not fit the obvious Iowa setting where a conservative candidate stands as much chance as a snowball in July. Lee Butler is too unreasonable to be a credible candidate for dogcatcher let alone the Senate. Perhaps Butler represents what liberals think about conservatives, or those they think of as conservatives at any rate, but to my mind Lee Butler is the undoing of Joe Klein as an objective reporter of the national political scene. Klein insults the conservative mind and values with Butler. Klein does not know how to see conservatives with the same insightful humor, appreciation, respect and sensitivity that he gives to liberals. We are to stand in awe of the breadth and depth (however shallow) of Charlie Martin and his arrogance; we are to blanche with shame at the simplicity of Lee Butler. Perhaps Klein's goal is to point out how different are the perspectives of our national political parties; how little we truly see into the hearts and minds of each other. He may want to illustrate how out of touch Washington is with its constituents. I do not know. The book is interesting, fast-paced and amusing so long as one remembers that this is the voice of a liberal commenting on the values of the American heartland -- a place he does not know.
Rating:
Summary: Sorry. . .just a lousy novel
Review: Joe Klein shot his wad with "Primary Colors" (writing as "Anonymous"). This book is peopled largely with stereotypes and shallowly portrayed, very unsympathetic characters.
As a political novel, it is awful.
As a love story, it is worse.
As modern political commentary, it is banal.
Having grown up on the (admittedly now dated) political novels of Allen Drury, I have a relatively high standard for such forms of fiction. Mr. Klein has a looooong way to go.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Stuff - And Right
Review: More so than "Primary Colors," this is truly the book for political junkies. Where the "Anonymous" book tittilated, "The Running Mate" provides a realistic view of the dilemma every candidate faces in any election contest (local to Presidential): How to control a staff and consultants bent on winning at any cost. The ethical choices presented in the book are real: There are now symposiae on ethical campaign conduct that are begging for participants. The "Muffler Man" of the book would never a) attend and b), if he did, understand what it's all about. And perhaps the same could be said for Charlie. As someone who has been on the rooms that Klein describes when talking about campaign strategy, he hits a home run every time. And unlike "Primary Colors," he provides us with characters we care about. Nell is one of the finest female characters to come along since Teddy White did the Camelot thing. Perhaps the most interesting thing in the book is the postscript in which Klein mentions that only six sitting senators served in combat in Vietnam. Four are Democrats. As someone who has only worked for conservative Republicans, and served in the Army during the Vietnam era, there is something wrong with this picture. Which Klein beautifully paints to the discomfort of many. This is not a book George W. would recommend to his friends.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Stuff - And Right
Review: More so than "Primary Colors," this is truly the book for political junkies. Where the "Anonymous" book tittilated, "The Running Mate" provides a realistic view of the dilemma every candidate faces in any election contest (local to Presidential): How to control a staff and consultants bent on winning at any cost. The ethical choices presented in the book are real: There are now symposiae on ethical campaign conduct that are begging for participants. The "Muffler Man" of the book would never a) attend and b), if he did, understand what it's all about. And perhaps the same could be said for Charlie. As someone who has been on the rooms that Klein describes when talking about campaign strategy, he hits a home run every time. And unlike "Primary Colors," he provides us with characters we care about. Nell is one of the finest female characters to come along since Teddy White did the Camelot thing. Perhaps the most interesting thing in the book is the postscript in which Klein mentions that only six sitting senators served in combat in Vietnam. Four are Democrats. As someone who has only worked for conservative Republicans, and served in the Army during the Vietnam era, there is something wrong with this picture. Which Klein beautifully paints to the discomfort of many. This is not a book George W. would recommend to his friends.
Rating:
Summary: Klein does it again
Review: Mr Klein builds on the success of Primary Colors, writing another book that makes the reader feel he is a fly on the wall in the political process. It's amusing, it's realistic...that is, if the view we get of the political system through the eyes of the media is truly "reality."
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