The Triumph of William McKinley

Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters

By: Karl Rove

Narrated by: Karl Rove

From New York Times best-selling author and political mastermind Karl Rove comes a fresh look at President William McKinley, who found a message that healed his nation, pried his party away from its bosses, and extended its reach to forge a governing majority that lasted 30 years.

Many of the changes that the country experienced in 1896 match those of today: A rising immigrant population made traditional white Protestants a shrinking share of the electorate, an economic upheaval led to rising inequality, and there was little common ground between the two parties. McKinley's campaign found answers to many of these challenges, which is why it is so relevant to what ails our politics now.

A talented politician and reserved Ohioan, McKinley (called "The Major") changed the arc of American history by running the first truly modern presidential campaign. Knowing he didn't stand a chance with the GOP's traditional base of supporters, he did the unthinkable and reached out to diverse ethnic groups, including openly seeking the endorsement of Catholic Church leaders. Running on the slogan "The Man Against the Bosses", McKinley also took on the moneymen who controlled the party by doling out favors. He even deployed what we would consider modern tactics, including microtargeting voters with the use of the latest technology. Above all, he offered bold and controversial answers to the nation's most pressing challenge: how to make a new, more global economy work for everyone. And although he alienated factions within his party and longtime allies, he won the White House.

The 1896 election is a compelling drama in its own right, but McKinley's brilliant strategies offer important and powerful lessons for both political parties today.

©2015 Karl Rove (P)2015 Simon & Schuster

President McKinley and the Temper of his Time

Rove writes well, but his read performance is average at best. Nevertheless, this bio is well worth listening to as it is one of the most accessible explanations of the birth of 20th century politics.

For History Buffs and Political Junkies

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to any history buff, or any political junkie. For most everyone else, it's a pretty long recap of McKinly and his life

Interesting

A surprising number of parallels with the 2016 Election. I enjoyed the background on McKinley and am surprisingly well-versed on silver vs gold thanks to the comprehensive look at the economy at the time.

Understand Modern Presidential Campaigns

Would you listen to The Triumph of William McKinley again? Why?

Yes. This book will reward a second reading since there is a lot of new background information about 19th Century politics that explains how McKinley was elected President.

What other book might you compare The Triumph of William McKinley to and why?

Any book from the "Making of a President" series.

What three words best describe Karl Rove’s performance?

Decent--no actor.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

Readers who bring a contrary opinion about Rove to the reading of this book will not enjoy this book. I say lighten up! Rove understands how elections work and how to get a candidate elected to the highest state or national office. This book is written by one of the leading political campaign strategists today (the equal on the Democratic side is David Axelrod). Rove is not manipulating the reader; he is providing a reasonably objective account of McKinley the man, the politician and his campaigns for public office up to and including his Presidential campaign. The book is an account of how McKinley rose to the Presidency by examining the strategy of his successive campaigns. It provides a pretty good account of the competing 1896 campaigns, and explains why McKinley won. Most historians agree with Rove's conclusions about the campaign, but they cannot hope to write an account from the point of view of someone like Rove, who has actually successfully managed Presidential campaigns. Rove also explains why modern political campaigns are the active, aggressive, personal campaigns we are seeing today.

Thanks Karl

Loved the book. Really interesting story that you never hear about and it's relevant today. The narration by the author was terrific. The TR accents were hilarious and a great addition.

Great...

It would’ve been far better had Karl Rove not tried to impersonate figures like Theodore Roosevelt when quoting. Because it was so infrequent it didn’t ruin the Audible just could have gone without.

Just as important today as it was then.

Just finished this tremendous book. I STRONGLY encourage my fellow Republicans to read it, for it is just as germane in 2016 as it was in 1896. This sentence from Rove encapsulated the message and method that President McKinley employed in his campaign:

"Politics is a game of addition, but Bryant played subtraction and McKinley took advantage of it."

Of course this is a very thinly veiled admonishment to all of us that if The Donald continues on the perilous path that he's on, we will wind up with another impeachable President Clinton.......

Interesting, insightful and very Karl Rove

I didn't know if I would like this book, not because I have strong feeling about KR, but because I had no strong feeling about McKinley. I was pleasantly surprised how interesting McKinley was, the issues and debates of his time, and twists and turns of the election of 1896. Make no mistakes, this is very Karl Rove. What I mean is this is telling of the ELECTION of 1896 really not about William McKinley (though he does a good job summarizing his life and the time he lives in) or his presidency, It is the nuts and bolt details of the strategies, sub plots and almost day to day campaign of 1896. Karl Rove expertise comes through and he is able to make an interesting story out an all but forgot election and frankly president. Karl is able to makes the case that McKinley should not be forgot and the 1896 election has ramifications still felt in our times. A must read for political junkies and anyone who wants to learn more about an under discussed period of American history.

I'm a Democrat but...

I'm a Democrat but this book was a solid portrayal of an important time in American history.

Good History

This is really interesting and well-done history with important implications for politics in the modern world.