Product Description
Timed to re-release simultaneously with Chris Matthews’s new book Jack Kennedy, which Simon & Schuster will publish this fall, this national bestseller explores the fascinating, largely unknown, relationship between Nixon and Kennedy and the crucial ways in which it shaped them—and the nation.
Hardball is a tough, funny, tell-all revelation of how politics really works. From tales of raw ambition and brutal rivalry to behind-the-scenes stories of famous disagreements, Matthews reveals the truth about master politicians such as JFK, LBJ, and Richard Nixon, while he explains the real meaning of rules such as “Only talk when it improves the silence;” “Positioning is everything;” and “Always concede on principle.”
Whether addicted to Washington politics or office politics, readers will enjoy this unprecedented guide to grown-ups’ favorite game—the game of position, power, and survival in the world today.
Amazon.com Review
Hardball, first published in 1988, is like a modern version of Machiavelli's The Prince, only much more richly illustrated, with anecdotes drawn from talk-show host Chris Matthews's stint as a congressional staffer (where he worked for, among others, renowned Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill). Discussing such basic principles as "It's not who you know; it's who you get to know" and "Don't get mad, don't get even--get ahead," Matthews not only dishes out choice Washington insider info, he has over the years inspired many readers to apply his principles for political success to their own professional lives.