All Politics Is Local: and Other Rules of the Game

All Politics Is Local: and Other Rules of the Game by Thomas P. O'Neill. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780812922974.

No one knows the inside rules of politics better than Tip ONeill, former Speaker of the House and a master of his trade. Having spent fifty years in elected office, from the back wards of Cambridge to the back rooms of Congress, ONeill has learned what it takes to get elected - and what it takes to stay in power. In All Politics Is Local, ONeill shares his secrets of success. With colorful humor and street-corner smarts, ONeill explains the rules of the game in a straightforward and entertaining manner. First, he states a fundamental rule of politics, such as "Your Word Is Everything," "Dont Give Speeches That Are Pure Bunk," and "Todays Adversary May Be Tomorrows Ally." Then ONeill tells a story to illustrate why these rules are true. "Storytelling is the easy part," ONeill writes. "Sometimes I had to think hard what the principle was." ONeill has spent a lifetime studying our greatest politicians at work, from Franklin Roosevelt and James Michael Curley to Bill Clinton. He has played poker with Richard Nixon, wheeled and dealed with LBJ, and feuded with Ronald Reagan. In All Politics Is Local, ONeill reveals what he learned from those experiences and many others. Along the way, ONeill provides a lifetimes worth of insight and advice about the political process - the four ingredients to every campaign; why every politician should have a good accountant; how to work the press; why its so important to use clout; and when to protest. Tip ONeill is a national treasure. All Politics Is Local will be enjoyed and studied for generations.