Book picks similar to
The Almanac of American Politics 2012 by Michael Barone


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Power Grab: The Liberal Scheme to Undermine Trump, the GOP, and Our Republic


Jason Chaffetz - 2019
    Things were bad then, but during the Trump administration, liberals have reached a new level of hysteria and misconduct.Democrat anger has grown so irrational that it has burst through the constitutional guardrails which protect our institutions and our republic. While they constantly label the right “fascist,” the left imposes policies which suppress speech, limit freedom, and empower federal bullies. In Power Grab, Chaffetz pulls back the curtain on the world of hypocrisy, political intrigue, and procedural malfeasance that is Washington D.C. With stories you won't read anywhere else, he shows how the left weaves false narratives, drums up investigations in search of a crime, and refuses to direct congressional oversight towards its appropriate target: the government. Democrats weaponize nonprofit advocacy groups and monetize partisan anger to line the pockets of their political allies. They use “voter enrollment” as a smokescreen to hide their plans to destabilize free elections and seek to politicize federal agencies like the Federal Election Commission, the IRS, and the Department of Justice.It shouldn’t be this way. Democrats have abandoned the wisdom set forth in the Constitution for short-term political wins. Power Grab shows the lengths to which Democrats will go to maintain their grip on power, and how the only thing that will stop them is a return to our founding principles.

Easy Dairy-Free Ketogenic Recipes: Family Favorites Made Low-Carb and Healthy


Maria Emmerich - 2018
    People with dairy intolerances or allergies often struggle to adapt keto recipes, many of which rely on dairy staples like butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. And good dairy-free alternatives can be hard to come by.Maria Emmerich solves that problem with her latest book, Easy Dairy-Free Keto. Maria has been advising her clients to avoid dairy, at least during the initial stages of their foray into ketosis, for many years. She finds that even high-fat dairy products can stall weight loss and healing. That's why she set out to create an entire book of recipes that are safe for people who are avoiding dairy. With Maria's delicious high-fat, low-carb recipes, dairy-free keto home cooks will never feel like they are missing out. Those recipes include: Almost Deviled Eggs Snickerdoodle Mini-Muffins Super Keto Pancakes Curry Chicken Meatballs Paella Broth Fondue Avocado Salmon Ceviche Juicy Pork Loin Avocado Toast Mint Chip Gelato Banana Bread. And much more! Maria has gone out of her way to create an entire book of keto recipes that will appeal to everyone, whether they consume dairy or not. With over 175 recipes, multiple meal plans catering to many different dietary needs and allergies and including AIP and vegetarian meal plans, Easy Dairy-Free Keto strives to be the book that reaches the entire keto audience and becomes a staple in your keto kitchen.

Angler


Barton Gellman - 2008
    Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman parts the curtains of secrecy to show how Cheney operated, why, and what he wrought.Angler, Gellman’s embargoed and highly explosive book, is a work of careful, concrete, and original reporting backed by hundreds of interviews with close Cheney allies as well as rivals, many speaking candidly on the record for the first time. On the signature issues of war and peace, Angler takes readers behind the scenes as Cheney maneuvers for dominance on what he calls the iron issues from Iraq, Iran, and North Korea to executive supremacy, interrogation of Al Qaeda suspects, and domestic espionage. Gellman explores the behind-the- scenes story of Cheney’s tremendous influence on foreign policy, exposing how he misled the four ranking members of Congress with faulty intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, how he derailed Bush from venturing into Israeli- Palestinian peace talks for nearly five years, and how his policy left North Korea and Iran free to make major advances in their nuclear programs.Domestically, Gellman details Cheney’s role as “super Chief of Staff ”, enforcer of conservative orthodoxy; gatekeeper of Supreme Court nominees; referee of Cabinet turf; editor of tax and budget laws; and regulator in chief of the administration’s environment policy. We watch as Cheney, the ultimate Washington insider, leverages his influence within the Bush administration in order to implement his policy goals. Gellman’s discoveries will surprise even the most astute students of political science.Above all, Angler is a study of the inner workings of the Bush administration and the vice president’s central role as the administration’s canniest power player. Gellman exposes the mechanics of Cheney’s largely successful post-September 11 campaign to win unchecked power for the commander in chief, and reflects upon, and perhaps changes, the legacy that Cheney—and the Bush administration as a whole—will leave as they exit office.

The Oath: The Obama White House and The Supreme Court


Jeffrey Toobin - 2012
    Both men are young, brilliant, charismatic, charming, determined to change the course of the nation—and completely at odds on almost every major constitutional issue. One is radical; one essentially conservative. The surprise is that Obama is the conservative—a believer in incremental change, compromise, and pragmatism over ideology. Roberts—and his allies on the Court—seek to overturn decades of precedent: in short, to undo the ultimate victory FDR achieved in the New Deal.   This ideological war will crescendo during the 2011-2012 term, in which several landmark cases are on the Court's docket—most crucially, a challenge to Obama's controversial health-care legislation. With four new justices joining the Court in just five years, including Obama's appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, this is a dramatically—and historically—different Supreme Court, playing for the highest of stakes.   No one is better positioned to chronicle this dramatic tale than Jeffrey Toobin, whose prize-winning bestseller The Nine laid bare the inner workings and conflicts of the Court in meticulous and entertaining detail. As the nation prepares to vote for President in 2012, the future of the Supreme Court will also be on the ballot.

The Gore Supremacy


James Wolcott - 2012
    (He died on July 31st, 2012 at the age of 86.) The triumphant arc of Vidal’s literary career wasn’t solely a mastery of language, though that never hurts. Handsome, poised, slim, charismatic, able to hold his own in verbal fisticuffs without losing his imperious cool, Vidal was the premiere star author of his generation, the one who elevated the role of talk-show guest to a command performance--a theatrical event. He brought the electronic crackle of the TV screen to his prose and the tactical precision of his prose to combat debate on TV. His near-violent altercations on camera with William F. Buckley, Jr. and Norman Mailer are the stuff of YouTube legend and the secret to The Gore Supremacy. A contributing writer to Vanity Fair, a partisan observer of pop culture, and the author of the New York-in-the-70s memoir Lucking Out (which comes out in paperback this fall), James Wolcott has been a closeup observer of Vidal on-camera and off for more years than seems respectable. This, his first Kindle Single, is his way of paying homage--and saying goodbye.

The Mystic Arts of the Ninja the Mystic Arts of the Ninja


Stephen K. Hayes - 1985
    That single word conjures up images of mystery and power. The ability to move swiftly and silently, to mesmerize one's victim, to strike infallibly, and then to disappear into the night--this is the legend of the "ninja." These nearly sorcerous aspects of the "ninja," as well as the exotic weapons they use, are the focus of "The Mystic Arts of the Ninja." Its author, "Shidoshi" Stephen K. Hayes, is the sole American to be granted teaching credentials by the 34th grandmaster of the Togokure School of "Ninjutsu" in Japan. Going beyond the basic conditioning and training techniques of his best-selling "Ninjutsu: The Art of the Invisible Warrior," Hayes explains the most sought after secrets of his ninja training:Hypnotism: Saiminjutsu, the ninja's hypnotic powers are described and explained. Sample exercises are provided to help develop your hypnotic powers.Invisibility: Stealth walking and camouflage are discussed. Hayes provides examples of how to move silently across various kinds of terrain and how to blend into your surroundings to become invisible.Weaponry: The Hanbo cane, the sword, and the infamous shuriken throwing stars are ninja trademarks. Hayes fully describes their use in grappling as well as in attacking. More than 400 black-and-white photos are used to illustrate the secrets and techniques that have been used by the ninja to surprise and outwit their foes over the past 800 years. The authenticity of "Shidoshi" Hayes's instruction is perhaps the most important aspect of this book: no other book represents the true ninja tradition.

Pact: Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and the Rivalry That Defined a Generation


Steven M. Gillon - 2008
    A fascinating look at politics American-style, The Pact offers a riveting account of two of America's most charismatic and influential leaders, detailing both their differences and their striking similarities, and highlighting the profound and lasting impact the tumultuous 1960s had on both their personal and political lives. With the cooperation of both President Clinton and Speaker Gingrich, interviews with key players who have never before spoken about their experiences, along with unprecedented access to Gingrich's private papers, Gillon not only offers a behind-the-scenes look at the budget impasse and the government shutdown in 1995--the famous face-off between Clinton and Gingrich--but he also reveals how the two moved closer together after 1996--closer than anyone knew. In particular, the book illuminates their secret efforts to abandon the liberal and conservative wings of their own parties and strike a bi-partisan deal to reform the "third rail of American politics"--Social Security and Medicare. That potentially groundbreaking effort was swept away by the highly charged reaction to the Lewinsky affair, ending an initiative that might have transformed millions of American lives. Packed with compelling new revelations about two of the most powerful and intriguing figures of our time, this book will be must reading for everyone interested in politics or current events.

The Obama Hate Machine: The Lies, Distortions, and Personal Attacks on the President---and Who Is Behind Them


Bill Press - 2012
    In The Obama Hate Machine, Press returns to show how the Right has taken rhetoric to slanderous new levels in attacking the nation’s forty-fourth president.While presidents and presidential candidates routinely have been subject to personal attacks, the outright disdain Obama’s extremist opponents have for the facts has inspired an insidious brand of character assassination unique in contemporary politics.Obama was born in Kenya . . . Obama sympathizes with Muslim terrorists . . . Obama is a communist who wants to institute death panels and touch off class warfare…The extent to which these unfounded assertions have taken hold in the American mindset shows just how ruthless, destructive, and all-powerful the right-wing machine—hijacked by extremists in the media and fueled by corporate coffers—has become. The author reveals how corporate interests such as the infamous Koch Brothers continue to steer political coverage away from fact-based dialogue into the realm of hysteria. Bill Press also observes this phenomenon is not limited to the airwaves and provides an “I Hate Obama Book Club” list, calling out the scores of anti-Obama tomes—and even some from the Left—that have helped drag politics even deeper into the mud. In his characteristic on-the-mark arguments sure to appeal to anyone on the Left or in the Center, Press shows how the peculiar nature of Obama-hating subverts issue-driven debate and threatens not only the outcome of the 2012 election but the future of the American democratic system.

Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect


Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn - 2008
    Largely autobiographical, the author shares her rise from a nervous rookie agent to a successful real estate broker in Denver, Colorado. The book also contains detailed instructions and checklists for many of the activities a new agent must master, such as building a contact database, learning the market, working with buyers, marketing listings and negotiating inspections. Allan-Hagedorn also shares more than 60 stories from her own career - some positive and others not-so - that will help the new agent better understand her cautions and recommendations. Sell with Soul also speaks out against the status quo. Allan-Hagedorn describes the differences between the "Old School" philosophy of real estate thought and her own "soulful" philosophy. She asks agents to consider the needs of their clients first, before considering their own personal need for a paycheck. She counsels them to welcome every "learning experience," even when the experience does not result in a closed sale. She urges new licensees to strive to be competent and knowledgeable before they ask the general public to honor them with their business. Many new agents have written to tell Allan-Hagedorn how her book gave them hope that they could succeed without sacrificing their principles or changing their personalities. Even experienced agents have expressed that reading Sell with Soul changed the direction of their real estate careers.

Crossfire Hurricane: Inside Donald Trump's War on the FBI


Josh Campbell - 2019
    “A must-read indictment of the ‘mob boss’ in the White House.” —The Guardian “An indispensable and riveting insider’s account of one of the most dramatic and controversial periods in the history of the FBI. Crossfire Hurricane is a must-read for all Americans.” —Daniel Silva, New York Times bestselling author “Campbell speaks both from the heart and experience. A dynamite read.” —Dan Rather, former anchor of CBS Evening News and bestselling author of What Unites Us It is January 6, 2017, two weeks before the inauguration. Only a handful of people know about the Steele dossier, and the nation is bitterly divided by the election results. As rumors begin to circulate that something might be brewing with the newly elected president and Russia, FBI special agent Josh Campbell joins the heads of the US intelligence community on a briefing visit to Trump Tower in New York City. He does not yet know that this meeting will eventually lead to the firing of his boss, James Comey, or that within weeks his former boss Robert Mueller will be appointed to investigate collusion and obstruction of justice at the highest level. He does not yet know that the FBI will come under years of sustained attacks from the commander in chief of the very nation its agents have sworn to protect. But, from his unique position within the FBI, he will watch it occur. In this gripping fly-on-the-wall narrative, Campbell takes readers behind the scenes of the earliest days of the Russia investigation—codename: Crossfire Hurricane—up to the present. Using both firsthand experience and reporting, he reveals fresh details about this tumultuous period; explains how the FBI goes about its work and its historic independence from partisan forces; and describes the increasing dismay inside the bureau as the president and his allies escalate their attacks on the agency. Appalled by Trump’s assault on the bureau’s credibility, Campbell left the FBI in 2018 to sound the alarm about unfair political attacks on the institutions that keep America safe. Smart, clear, passionate, Crossfire Hurricane will captivate readers struggling to make sense of a news cycle careening out of control.

Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan


Craig Shirley - 2014
    Both the Republican and Democratic parties are radically different today, mainly as a result of Ronald Reagan and the force of his ideas. No twentieth century president shaped the American political landscape so profoundly.Craig Shirley’s Last Act is the important final chapter in the life of Reagan that no one has thus far covered. It’s the kind of book that widens our understanding of American history and of the presidency and the men who occupied it. To tell Reagan’s story, Craig has secured the complete, exclusive, and enthusiastic support of the Reagan Foundation and Library and spent considerable time there reviewing sealed files and confidential information.Cast in a grand and compelling narrative style, Last Act contains interesting and heretofore untold anecdotes about Reagan, Mrs. Reagan, their pleasure at retirement, the onslaught of the awful Alzheimer’s and how he and Mrs. Reagan dealt with the diagnosis, the slow demise, the extensive plans for a state funeral, the outpouring from the nation, which stunned the political establishment, the Reagan legacy, and how his shadow looms more and more over the Republican Party, Washington, the culture of America, and the world.