Whistlestop

My Favorite Stories from Presidential Campaign History

By: John Dickerson

Narrated by: John Dickerson

From Face the Nation moderator and contributing editor for The Atlantic John Dickerson come the stories behind the stories of the most memorable moments in American presidential campaign history.

The stakes are high. The characters full of striving and ego. Presidential campaigns are a contest for control of power in the most powerful country on earth. The battle of ideas has a clear end, with winners and losers, and along the way there are sharp turning points—primaries, debates, conventions, and scandals that squeeze candidates into emergency action, frantic grasping, and heroic gambles. As Mike Murphy the political strategist put it, "Campaigns are like war without bullets."

Whistlestop tells the human story of nervous gambits hatched in first-floor hotel rooms, failures of will before the microphone, and the cross-country crack-ups of long-planned stratagems. At the bar at the end of a campaign day, these are the stories reporters rehash for themselves and embellish for newcomers.

In addition to the familiar tales, Whistlestop also remembers the forgotten stories about the bruising and reckless campaigns of the 19th century when the combatants believed the consequences included the fate of the republic itself. Some of the most modern-feeling elements of the American presidential campaign were born before the roads were paved and electric lights lit the convention halls—if there were convention halls at all.

Whistlestop is a ride through the American campaign history with one of its most enthusiastic conductors guiding you through the landmarks along the way.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2016 John Dickerson (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"As much as we arrogantly think our present political moment is new, it is not. Now, along comes this wonderful book to set us straight. It connects and interconnects signal campaigns from our 'glorious' past, where the same sausage making we decry today is on vivid, sometimes impressive, sometimes hilarious, display. Dickerson's artful time travel, so accessible but so eloquently written, will be red meat for anyone who counts themselves a politics carnivore—or anyone who cares about the fascinating mechanics of getting elected in the United States."—Ken Burns

"Dickerson knows what he is doing...[This book] should be kept on the night stand and dipped into when you crave a good tale. Like Dickerson as an interviewer, it has sturdy charm; it is inquisitive, generous, probing, and thoughtful. You read Whistlestop to put the chaos of today into perspective—or, perhaps, to escape from it."—NYT Book Review

"Filled with colorful characters and rollicking tales, this chronicle of exciting presidential campaigns is fun, informative, and enlightening. John Dickerson has a storyteller's touch and a historian's insight. It's nice to be reminded of the beauty and glory of American democracy at its best."—Walter Isaacson

Entertaining and Interesting

An entertaining and interesting compilation of presidential stories. Encouraging to see that our republic has survived scandals, dirty tricks and incompetent presidential candidates long before the last few election cycles.

Lovers of the podcast this is ultimate fix!

John Dickerson in his usual bemused baritone delivers this entire book in the same way her delivers his amazing podcast. This was just the fix I needed and I may listen to it again. Fans of his whistle stop podcast will delight in extended in depth versions of podcast narratives; as well as new and interesting stories.

A wonderful introduction to American elections

As a fan of John Dickerson's podcast, I was more than willing to purchase the audiobook and hear more of his stories. And I thoroughly enjoyed the book. In fact, after listening to all the podcasts and the whole book, I went back and made a list of podcasts and book chapters so I could listen to them all again in order, from earliest to most recent. It turns out, there are a number of duplicates -- podcasts that are more or less identical to chapters in the book -- but there is enough that is different to make me glad I bought and listened to the book. Maybe in 10 years I will be able to listen to what he has to say about the 2016 election, but I think I need some distance first.

Adds insights and spice to political campaigns

The author has a gift for pulling a common thread through several different campaigns at different times in US history. His writing style provides interesting new information with a twist of humor, irony, and a bit of spicy sarcasm. Great story to listen to

Puts 2016 election into helpful context

Book is well researched and interestingly presented. Just watch Face the Nation for a taste of John Dickerson.

Regardless of where you came out on the 2016 election this book will provide a helpful context. Believe it or not it wasn't all that unique in our history.

In fact, I'd say it fell somewhere into the middle of the "crazy" to "uneventful" continuum based on what I learned in this book.

Interesting & Entertaining

If you could sum up Whistlestop in three words, what would they be?

Interesting. Entertaining. Fun. I like history, political strategy & stories. It's interesting to hear what worked, what didn't & why candidates made certain choices..

Wanted More Stories

I love Dickerson's writing and it's great that he read the book. After listening to the podcast, I couldn't imagine a different narrator.

Great Romp through Political History!

Loved this book which shared stories not covered in the history books and shed light on our foundational history. Thank you!

Deep Dive into Presidential Campaign Trivia

John Dickerson lays out a wide buffet of interesting, funny, and sometimes sad tales of events that have shaped Presidential campaigns in America. From the founding fathers to modern times, Whistlestop explains how we arrived to the campaigns of today with anecdotes and historical details that bring the reader into the campaigns. This is a must-read for anyone interested in American Presidential lore and a necessary companion to Dickerson’s Slate podcast of the same title.

Boring

I enjoy behind the scenes stories. This isn't that, this is a boring history lesson. It had very little additional information.