An Independent Man: Adventures of a Public Servant

Description

Review One of the unintended consequences of this memoir by Vermont senator James Jeffords is a blunt reminder that the tides of history are relentless. While its narrative wends inexorably towards Jeffords's courageous defection from the GOP in May 2001 (a move that denied Republicans control of the Senate and threatened the conservative agenda of the George W. Bush administration), that drama was ultimately undercut by the midterm elections of '02, which unexpectedly threw control of both houses of Congress to the Vermont senator's former party before his book was even published. But cruel historical fate hardly detracts from Jeffords's story of a life driven by conscience, courage, and true compassionate conservatism. Indeed, its plainspoken, often self-effacing tone may make one yearn for more politicians naïve--or committed--enough to put long-term public policy ahead of lockstep party politics. The senator may have risen from the privileges afforded the son of the Chief Justice of the Vermont State Supreme Court (meager though they seem in his telling), but his conscience and sense of duty seem more informed by his state's own rich historical traditions and a distinctly Capra- esque view of politics and human nature that's as full of optimism as it is anachronistic. Political passions--education, the environment, health care, equality for the disabled--are tempered by disappointments of a more human scale, his exile from the Singing Senators (a quartet that included now- Attorney General Ashcroft and Senator Trent Lott) but one example of a political pettiness Jeffords views as more worthy of a grade school playground than the halls of Congress. As insiders' tales go, it's low-key and virtually dirt-free, a folksy reminder that Machiavelli was definitely not from Vermont. --Jerry McCulley Read more From Publishers Weekly This political autobiography by Vermont senator Jeffords will disappoint readers expecting a no-holds- barred, sensational expos of why he left the Republican Party, an act that gave control of the Senate to the Democrats in one of the biggest political stories of 2001. Instead, consistent with his endangered-species status as a moderate Republican, Jeffords writes with the sensibilities of another vanishing breed, the gentleman politician who eschews political diatribes and partisan name-calling to offer considered and principled explanations. According to Jeffords, and contrary to the pundits who attributed his actions to "mishandling" by the Bush administration, he left the party he had served for 35 years because the gap between his beliefs and party dogma had grown too wide to breach. As he describes his political service, which included time as a Vermont state senator and attorney general, the only real question is why he stayed with the party so long. His differences with Republican orthodoxy began early in his career and included his support for environmental regulations, expanded federal funding for health care and federal involvement in education, and his opposition to Clinton's impeachment. Jeffords is generally reticent about his personal life, but he does provide insights into the stresses and strains in political marriages. As it turned out, Jeffords's flight had little lasting effect since the Republicans retook the Senate in 2002, but his articulation of the difficulties moderate Republicans face working with their party's mainstream may foretell a growing polarization within the political establishment.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details:

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074322843X
• ISBN-13: 35
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.1 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds

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