Out next month: The Great Alignment by Alan Abramowitz.
“This statistically based analysis shows that racial anxiety is by far a better predictor of support for Donald Trump than any other factor, including economic discontent.”
Political Books
Shitshow!
Out next week: Shitshow!: The Country’s Collapsing and the Ratings Are Great by Charlie LeDuff.
To End a Presidency
Out this week: To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment by Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz.
The Soul of America
Out today: The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham.
Key line: “The good news is that we have come through such darkness before.”
A White Southerner Confronts History
It’s New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s last day in office. He spoke to Chris Riback while he was still packing up his office. They talked about why he removed statues from his city that honored the Confederacy, his new book, and of course the question many have for him: Are you running for president?
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What If McCain Had Picked Lieberman?
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Quote of the Day
“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll have another five years. Maybe with the advances in oncology, they’ll find new treatments for my cancer that will extend my life. Maybe I’ll be gone before you hear this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable.”
— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), in the audio recording of his new book, The Restless Wave.
McCain: ‘This Is My Last Term’
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), “who is battling brain cancer in his home state of Arizona, says in his new book that his current term is his last,” CNN reports.
Said McCain: “This is my last term. If I hadn’t admitted that to myself before this summer, a stage 4 cancer diagnosis acts as ungentle persuasion. I’m freer than colleagues who will face the voters again. I can speak my mind without fearing the consequences much. And I can vote my conscience without worry.”
The Rise of the Right
Recently published: Whip: The Rise of the Right by former Rep. David Bonior (D-MI).
Comey’s Book Outselling Other Recent Political Books
Former FBI director James Comey’s book, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, “has dominated headlines for more than a week, and became an instant blockbuster, selling more than 600,000 copies in all formats during its first week on sale,” the New York Times reports.
“The early sales figures for Mr. Comey’s book dwarfed other recent political best sellers. Hillary Clinton’s memoir, What Happened, sold more than 300,000 copies in all formats in its first week on sale. And Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff’s explosive look inside the Trump White House, sold around 200,000 hardcover copies in its first full week on sale.”
The President Is Missing
Coming in June: The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson.
“Set over the course of three days, The President Is Missing sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of our nation. Filled with information that only a former Commander-in-Chief could know, this is the most authentic, terrifying novel to come along in many years. And a timely, historic story that will be read — and talked about — for years to come.”
Collins Slams Comey for ‘Cashing In’ with Book Deal
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) slammed former FBI Director James Comey for releasing his memoir during the ongoing Russia probe, saying she worries the book could interfere with the investigations, NBC News reports.
Said Collins: “I cannot imagine why an FBI director would seek to essentially cash in on a book when the investigation is very much alive. He should have waited to do his memoir.”
Pressure to Release Comey Memos May Have Backfired
“For days, top Republicans in Congress demanded the release of James Comey’s memos about President Trump, threatening Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, with a subpoena if he failed to share the highly anticipated documents written by the former FBI director,” the New York Times reports.
“But if Mr. Trump and his allies believed that Mr. Rosenstein’s refusal would deliver a pretext to call for his firing, as Democrats asserted, his decision to quickly release all the memos late Thursday night foiled that plan. The memos leaked to reporters hours after being delivered to lawmakers in both parties.”
“And the seven memos, in which Mr. Comey methodically documented his interactions with the president in real time, did little to help Republicans undermine Mr. Comey’s credibility or expose contradictions with his best-selling, tell-all book. Taken together, the 15 pages of detailed notes largely back up the stories that Mr. Comey told in congressional testimony, in the pages of his memoir, A Higher Loyalty, and during numerous television and radio interviews.”
The Hellfire Club
A new novel from Jake Tapper is out next week: The Hellfire Club, a political thriller set in 1954.
New York Times: “It’s an ambitious debut, a meticulously researched work of historical fiction with a byzantine plot punctuated by explosive, Dan Brown-esque twists: a shootout at the Capitol, blackmail, murder, corruption, a stolen dossier, a terrorist attack at the House of Representatives and a top secret society made up of senior lawmakers, lawyers, chief executives and lobbyists, whose elite members engage in absinthe-fueled debauchery and other unsavory acts.”
Biden Feared Clinton Attacks If He Ran
Amy Chozik writes in Chasing Hillary that Vice President Joe Biden had confided — off the record — to the White House press corps that he wanted to run for president, but he added “You guys don’t understand these people. The Clintons will try to destroy me,” according to the Daily Beast.