NYT Best Seller/Anti-Bush book claims: Jeb's 1994 Running Mate was a Marxist (who died in 1942)

March 21, 2004 | summer

[summer]

Note from summer: This is a true story.

I was in Barnes & Nobel today, and I happened to pick up a new, non-fiction, NYT best-seller, anti-Bush book, published in January 2004, titled:

American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush
by Kevin Phillips

It is currently ranked #3 on the NYT Best Seller list for hardcover, non-fiction. Here is the cover of the book:



I was reading a few pages about FL Gov Jeb Bush, and thinking it was nothing I hadn't seen before on some Dem web site, until I got to page 221.

On that page, the author informs us that the person who ran as Gov Jeb Bush's running mate in the 1994 FL Gov Race was "Tom Mooney."

Now, I do not know everything, but I was pretty sure that was wrong. And, it only took me about 2 second to look up Gov Bush's running mate on google, and confirm I was right: The name of his running mate in 1994 was Tom Feeney.

I then looked up the name "Tom Mooney" who is alleged by the author of that book, above, to have been the running mate of Gov Jeb Bush, and found that "Tom Mooney" is a Marxist who died in 1942.

Needless to say -- I did not buy the book.

[summer]

FYI. Seeing such a simple piece of factual information be so wrong like that made me wonder how much of the rest of the book was likewise tossed together, without any regard for facts.

[sultan88]

Sadly, Kevin Phillips used to be a conservative.

[summer]

And he's got a string of impressive journalism credits a mile long. What's with these people? Do they all want to be Jayson Blair?

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Yeah - but he sure has a hard-on for the Bush family. What in the world did they do to him personally to deserve his obsession?

[PeaceBeWithYou]

A Marxist Fruedian slip perhaps?

[Cinnamon Girl]

BARNES & NOBLE! I think they have an agenda. I went in last week and on both sides of the escalators were tables set up with piles of anti-GOP anti-Bush books. You couldn't avoid it.

[Qwinn]

By Al Franken's standards, this makes the author one seriously lying liar.

Qwinn

[TimSkalaBim]

Kevin Phillips sounds like Paul Krugman and looks like Bernie Sanders.

[summer]

Re your post #7 - Yes, that thought crossed my mind as well.

[IVote2]

I used to read Kevin Phillips a long time ago and thought he was a good writer, but in the past few years, I cannot stand him. I am probably much more perceptive now than I used to be. Particularly after the bubba years, I know propaganda the minute I see it.

Jen

[summer]

I know propaganda the minute I see it.

I read some of what he wrote about FL in Election 2000, and was surprised, at first, at how much and what he chose to include - and omit. Never mind that Gov Bush recused himself from that committee overseeing the votes, and appointed a Dem in his place; no never mind. No need to mention that - because that might make it look like Gov Bush was trying to do the right thing.

[KC_Conspirator]

BARNES & NOBLE! I think they have an agenda. I went in last week and on both sides of the escalators were tables set up with piles of anti-GOP anti-Bush books.

I think they do too. I went to Barnes & Pedophile last week and the hate-Bush books were in your face right when you walked in.

[Reagan Man]

Through the years, Kevin Phillips has digressed from a reasonable conservative and loyal Republican, into a career opportunist and anti-Bush propagandist.

[summer]

And a sloppy one, at that.

[writer33]

"BARNES & NOBLE! I think they have an agenda. I went in last week and on both sides of the escalators were tables set up with piles of anti-GOP anti-Bush books. You couldn't avoid it."


The whole incestuous publishing industry has an agenda. Until recently, it has been hard for a conservative to get published because of this bias. With the exception of Crown Forum, Regnery, and now the Free Press, everything else is liberals, liberals, liberals. As far as the eyes can see.

[Bullish]

Fact checking really only applies to conservative writers. Leftists are allowed to write anything in their books as long as it slanders conservatives.

[jincarolina]

Why do the leftist always paint us as Nazis and Marxists when it is plain they are the ones who tout that philosophy

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Sadly, Kevin Phillips used to be a conservative.

A Nixon conservative (maybe), who tolerated Reagan, and can't stand the Bushes.

I've Read some of his more recent and not so recent stuff in excerpts, he's got the lefty propaganda down pat now. And since conversions to the dark side are rare, I tend to think he's always been so, and is openly showing it of late.

[mdefranc]

To the best of my knowledge, Kevin Phillips always has been a liberal Republican and NEVER has been a conservative. He has a right-wing reputation only because of his first book, "The Emerging Republican Majority", published in 1969. That book was a brilliant, objective analysis of why the GOP would dominant presidential politics for decades to come. I was told that Phillips was a Young Republican, but on the wrong side within the organization. He worked in the Nixon Justice Department. ALL his later political books have displayed an anti-liberty, pro-government bias typical of elitist, northeastern RINOs.

[summer]

That book was a brilliant, objective analysis

Your comment brings me to another point I was pondering: Why is this book "American Dynasty" even called "non-fiction"? This authors struggles in the beginning to claim that the dynasty is a FACT, but the way I see it - you have to actually WIN elections in this country. Gov Bush lost by the narrowest of margins in his first race for gov - no one was waiting around to "crown" him governor, which is what this title implies, and implies wrongly, IMO. If the author has a different opinion that I do (and, a bunch of non-facts painted as facts) that he wants to throw in, then I think his book should be in a new category of books called OPINION books. Just as we now have "SELF-HELP" books, so too should book stores start recognizing that some authors are NOT sticking to "facts" - they are offering their own opinions. The long editorials should NOT be labeled as "non-fiction." What if some student relies on this book for facts? The kid would look like an idiot claiming Gov Bush's 1994 running mate was "Tom Mooney."

[summer]

This authors = This author, Kevin Phillips,....

[summer]

I meant: If the author has a different opinion than I do (and, a bunch of non-facts painted as facts that he wants to throw in),...

[summer]

See post #2.

[summer]

Re your post #5 - Maybe, but what does that imply about the rest of the "facts" in this book? It seems like a hit 'n miss proposition here.

Here's another example: The author says when Gov Bush worked in real estate in Miami, Gov Bush actually made "$75,000" renting out office building(s). Well, the author implies this is some monumental sum of money to be paid for work done by a realator, or that it was earned improperly. But what if that was just the legal fee for that property or properties? You have to know that (1) people working in real estate usually DO expect to paid for their work; and (2) earning $75,000 in Miami commercial real estate is no big deal. Believe me, I know realators in FL, and they work hard and atually expect to be paid when they close a sale or rental agreement. It is not the groundbreaking news the author tries to make it out to be.

[summer]

atually = actually

[summer]

realators = realtors

[summer]

With the exception of Crown Forum, Regnery, and now the Free Press, everything else is liberals, liberals, liberals. As far as the eyes can see.

I think "Bush County" was published by St Martin's Press.

[NYCVirago]

Sadly, Kevin Phillips used to be a conservative.

He's been bashing Republicans for 20+ years now, and the media *still* calls him a conservative Republican!

[mdefranc]

Hmmm, I think that B&N would respond to your proposal this way: conservative nonfiction in the OPINION section and liberal opinion in the NONFICTION section. B&N employees, like most liberals, aren't too hung up on reality and facts - with them, it's how an author FEELS about certain topics that determines a book's merit.

[summer]

conservative nonfiction in the OPINION section and liberal opinion in the NONFICTION section

IMO, that's EXACTLY the way the NYT previously published its weekly education column, titled at that time, "Lessons." It was always written by someone taking a liberal point of view, and always bashing any reforms in education by conservatives. Any rebuttal written by a conservative was published in the "Op Ed" (opinion) section of the newspaper, but never in the "Lessons" column,

Now, they have changed the title of the column to something like "Education" -- but they seemed to have abandoned their simultaneous announcement that they would now have a variety of writers on that column. I have only read recent bashing of education reforms by the same writer, a Michael someone.

In short, I think you make a very valid point.

[Eva]

I'm afraid that it looks like this another one of those Democrat inspired, hurriedly put together hit pieces. It looks like the man prostituted his writing skills and his good name.

[summer]

I just hope that these kind of books - and there are a lot of them - are not seen as "historial" in the future. I don't think they can honestly claim to be historial in nature. I hope this is not all we are left with.

[Eva]

Someone will do a good serious biography on Bush when this is all over, and maybe someone will do one on Condelezza Rice too.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Seeing such a simple piece of factual information be so wrong like that made me wonder how much of the rest of the book was likewise tossed together, without any regard for facts.

Pretty much par for the course. There is little, if any, true fact checking done before a book or article is published.

I don't even know why the publishers bother with editors anymore. They certainly are not fulfilling their traditional role.

[squidly]

He's been bashing Republicans for 20+ years now, and the media *still* calls him a conservative Republican!

Anyone who had any kind of job anywhere in the Nixon administration will forever after be thusly categorized. That's the way these things work.

[mware]

Why dont you contact Sean Hannity or Rush regarding your findings?

[mware]

Better yet, why don't you contact the NYT's?

[summer]

RE post #36. Thanks, mware. SH- FYI.

[summer]

Better yet, why don't you contact the NYT's?

Oh, I don't think they will care. But, I'll tell you - I just read the entire link on this "Tom Mooney" and he is quite an interesting guy, with a very sad life story, after he is repeatedly framed. And, the page makes mention of the fact no GOP governor would ever help him. I am wondering if this "mistake" is perhaps deliberate, to make the subject GOP governor, Jeb Bush, look bad in some way, by association in this "mistake" or "typo." I don't want to accuse anyone like the author, Kevin Phillips, of deliberately doing that, but, good grief - read the link I posted about this Tom Mooney. His life was sheer H*ll because no one would listen to him after he was framed.

[summer]

Better yet, why don't you contact the NYT's?

Oh, I don't think they will care. But, I'll tell you - I just read the entire link on this "Tom Mooney" and he is quite an interesting guy, with a very sad life story, after he is repeatedly framed. And, the page makes mention of the fact no GOP governor would ever help him. I am wondering if this "mistake" is perhaps deliberate, to make the subject GOP governor, Jeb Bush, look bad in some way, by association in this "mistake" or "typo." I don't want to accuse anyone like the author, Kevin Phillips, of deliberately doing that, but, good grief - read the link I posted about this Tom Mooney. His life was sheer H*ll because no one would listen to him after he was framed.

[summer]

And, that Tom Mooney link I posted was not something I hunted down - it was just the first link on google to come up.

[mattdono]

Well, you could look at the positive side of things...the bookstore has put the books in high-traffic areas and there are still "piles" of them left over.

In my mind, that's capitalism working. The people really aren't interested in that tripe, so it sits in piles, and piles, and piles.

[alwaysconservative]

On the occasions that I have to go into Barnes & Noble to buy a book, I find that they hide the conservative books off in the hinterland, while prominently displaying the socialist and Chomsky cr*p. So it gives me great pleasure to turn some of the leftists books backwards and put the covers of some of the sane, conservative books in prominent display. That is probably not the most mature thing I do, but it is very satisfying!

[summer]

I hope that is true, but it gets harder and harder to find adult writers who will actually attempt to be objective for an adult audience.

[summer]

There is little, if any, true fact checking done before a book or article is published.

This is sad to me, because I believe there was a time when the written word meant something. Now it often seems to mean nothing. You have to somehow bring more of your own knowledge, instead thinking you are going to acquire it via the written word.

[Rome2000]

You can have all kinds of fun by turning those "books" upside down and back wards.

With the way Feeney was vilified by the left back in '94, its amazing that they could have forgotten his name so quickly

[Irish Eyes]

Read your post and I had to laugh, have done the same thing myself maybe not real mature but gives you a very good feeling... LOL

[summer]

Not only that, but Feeney is still very active NOW.

[writer33]

"I think "Bush County" was published by St Martin's Press."


Yep. There's always exceptions, but the majority go to those three presses. I queried to a press, and I'll leave the editor nameless, but they replied, "This isn't for my list. And my beliefs would prevent me from doing it as well."

I simply replied thanking them and commenting on their honesty. Because at least this person was honest. I know of no conservative editors out there. Well, not working full time under a major publisher.

[summer]

Who published Hannity's book, and O'Reilly's books? Do you happen to know?