****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I had the honor and privilege of knowing and working for Jack Kemp. I've never reviewed a book on Amazon and it's fair to say I'm a bit biased on the subject, which is why I hesitated to review it long after I read it. That said, my hope is that in the current political climate people will read this book and understand that there were (and hopefully are) public servants and politicians that you could believe in, that worked in the public interest, that strived not for self aggrandizement, but to truly make a difference. I encourage anyone interested in political history read this book. This is a well researched, in depth and entertaining book that tells a story that is sadly too often overlooked if not completely forgotten. Jack Kemp's story, if submitted as a fictional screenplay to a Hollywood studio, would be tossed out as too improbable and too fantastic to be believed. His pro football career was improbable enough, coming out of a small college, being cut, and rising to become a champion and MVP. What followed was an even more improbable political career in which he became a champion and chief architect of an economic program and historic tax cut which led to an unprecedented economic boom. All the while being mocked and ridiculed as a political "backbencher" and "dumb jock." If he were to run for office in the current political climate, he would be hard pressed to find a home in either major political party. An ardent believer in free trade, a supply-sider, an anti-communist, a "well-armed dove", a friend of unions, a tax cutter, pro-immigration, pro-life, and civil rights champion who believed in "The Party of Lincoln." A great read about a great man whose voice is sorely missed.
