Product Description

Updated with more on the real race in 2000!

First came Theodore White's The Making of the President, 1960. Then All the President's Men. Now the searing chronicle that will forever change the way we view the man and the office...

Why Not Me?

...chronicles the dramatic rise and dizzying fall of Al Franken, who would become the first Jewish president of the United States. Meet the president as a young man. Witness the Franken campaign in its infancy, as the candidate pledges "to walk the state of New Hampshire, diagonally and then from side to side." Go behind the scenes and meet Team Franken, the candidate's brain trust: including brother and deputy campaign manager Otto, a recovering sex addict and alcoholic, and campaign manager Norm Ornstein, the think-tank policy wonk who masterminds the single-issue (ATM fees) campaign. Cheer as Franken stuns the pundits by defeating Al Gore for the Democratic nomination, then is swept into office carrying all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

Then, through excerpts from Bob Woodward's detailed account of the first hundred days, The Void, go inside the Franken White House, which is gripped by crisis from day one. After the highly medicated chief executive exhibits a roller coaster of bipolar behavior, Franken is forced to cooperate with the Joint Congressional Committee on the President's Mood Swings. And when the committee releases Franken's personal diaries to the public, his presidency faces its ultimate crisis.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #265875 in Books
• Published on: 2000-02-08
• Released on: 2000-02-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Amazon.com Review
In this hilarious political satire, Al Franken reveals how, by focusing relentlessly on the issue of ATM fees, he managed to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination away from Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 elections and become the 44th president of the United States. He then wound up running the second-shortest administration in American history, announcing in his resignation speech: "It is my fondest wish that, in the fullness of time, the American people will look back on the Franken presidency as something of a mixed bag and not as a complete disaster."

Why Not Me? is divided into three main sections. The first, "Daring to Lead," is Franken's "authorized campaign autobiography," in which he lays out his life story and his reasons for seeking the nation's highest office. Then, in his campaign diaries, we follow Franken and his team of advisers--including former Clinton pollster Dick Morris and Dan Haggerty, TV's Grizzly Adams--across New Hampshire and Iowa. Finally, there's "The Void," the behind-the-scenes account by Bob Woodward of Franken's first 100 days in the Oval Office. As a writer, Franken takes aim at a lot of targets, with nary a miss; there are enough great jokes in Why Not Me? to make almost anybody break down with a fit of the giggles at some point (especially at pages 132 to 133, but don't peek! It'll spoil the buildup). --Ron Hogan

From Publishers Weekly
For all those who want their political humor more political?and funnier?than the usual late-night TV fare, there's Al Franken. Here's the scenario: the millennial presidential campaign is nearly upon us, and Franken (Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot) has not merely thrown his hat in the ring?he's provided the three-ring-plus circus as well. With dead-on parodies of several forms of political media (campaign diary, strategist's memo, televised debate, Sunday morning talk show, newspaper story, magazine feature, Bob Woodward expose, etc.), this book tells the story of the improbable Franken candidacy, the humorist's more improbable success and his scandalous downfall. The pandering single issue is lower ATM fees, which allows Franken to win the Democratic primary by painting front-runner Al Gore as a tool of the banking interests. The loose-cannon campaign chief is the candidate's brother, Otto, who pops up in selected states as chief supporter "Dotto Dranken" or "Botto Branken." The effective fund-raising strategy is a 900 number for Franken info and lesbian phone sex. There's also a narrative of presidential scandal as written by Woodward, which includes chronic fatigue syndrome, bipolar episodes, misprescribed medication, an attack on the revered Nelson Mandela (Franken ruptures the great man's spleen) and an abortive attempt to assassinate Saddam Hussein?personally. This leads to the first-ever Joint Congressional Committee to Investigate the President's Mood Swings. While the book drags in a few places, it remains consistently?often howlingly?funny, as well as slyly subversive in the way it punctures the conventions of our highly ritualized campaign system. Did we mention the first all-Jewish Cabinet (including Ralph Lauren as secretary of the interior) arguing about Chinese food? First serial to George; BOMC and QPB alternates; BDD audio; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Franken, author of Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (LJ 1/96), is perhaps best known for his work on Saturday Night Live. This irreverent satire is a blow-by-blow account of candidate Al running for president in the year 2000. In "Daring to Lead," Franken waxes autobiographical, setting the stage for his decision to run. His "Campaign Diary" goes behind the scenes with Team Franken and the masterminding of his platform: ATM fees. With his brother, a recovering sex addict and alcoholic, and a team of questionable advisers, Franken chronicles each day on the campaign trail. The diary eventually finds its way into the hands of those who intend to do him harm. The final section, "The Void: The First One Hundred Days of the Franken Presidency," is a Bob Woodward-esque expose of the new president and his dizzying fall from power, overcome by chronic fatigue syndrome. The account of Franken's hilarious inaugural address is not to be missed. Essential reading for public library patrons and students of political(ly incorrect) science. ?Joe J. Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib., Chicago
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

The first half of the book was hilarious...
As a big fan of Al Franken, perhaps I hold him to too high a standard, but I found that the first half of the book more than lived up to his previous works. The campaign trail and his combination of both clever and ridiculous commentary made the book truly a fun read. I especially loved the extra effort to put in action photos and newspaper headlines, making the whole spectacle of the Franken candidacy seem all the more outrageous.

Once in office, I found the book a little lacking. It almost seemed like Al ran out of steam and wanted to stop writing. Beyond the all Jewish cabinet, I really did not read a whole lot to laugh or at least smirk about. The wit that was present during the campaign trail really disappeared.

I plan to read the campaign trail part of the book again, since it is really good stuff. Just be warned that it goes downhill from the moment Al enters office.

Where did the funny Al Franken go???
I was a great fan of Al Franken during his SNL days. I bought this book hoping for some flashes of that comic genius, however, it's not to be found in this effort. The ATM fee angle gets real tired and the whole work lacks the subtle wit that we were treated to in his glory days. Maybe his work on Newsline should have been a clue, but I recommend skipping this one. My advice: save your money and watch SNL reruns.

Almost funny.
An extended joke that fails to sustain. The idea is funny enough, if you buy the idea of Franken as a celebrity, but he doesn't have enough to sustain much more than a five minute comedy routine. Some people find Franken terribly witty. Then again, some people find Howard Stern to be an brilliant talent. Who can explain why?