The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider's Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics: Chris Cillizza: 9780307987099: Amazon.com: Books

A divine guide to deciphering the sinful world of American politics, from the author of the Washington Post's The Fix

The political world is full of acronyms, shortcuts, and lingoes that stand as a barrier to entry for anyone not in the business. The onset of social media has only made that barrier higher, as insiders tweet furiously to one another in a language most of us can't even understand. Everyday Americans and even political junkies need a how-to manual for understanding what words matter in this arena and why.

Enter Brother Chris Cillizza and The Gospel According to the Fix--an essential guide to the wonderfully odd religion of politics. Based on his highly popular blog, The Gospel According to the Fix will teach you something new about politics, no matter who you are and whom you know. In our torturous political climate, this Gospel is the one true source for comprehending what the heck is going on in DC. Chapter and verse, this political Gospel will include parables the likes of:

• Why Ron Paul’s candidacy is a lot like the TV show Friday Night Lights
• What it takes to be Richard Ben Cramer and write the political classic What It Takes
• The top ten negative campaign ads of all time
• The top ten issues candidates should be discussing but aren’t because of the economy
• The dos and don’ts of surviving a political sex scandal

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } A divine guide to deciphering the sinful world of American politics, from the author of the Washington Post's The Fix

The political world is full of acronyms, shortcuts, and lingoes that stand as a barrier to entry for anyone not in the business. The onset of social media has only made that barrier higher, as insiders tweet furiously to one another in a language most of us can't even understand. Everyday Americans and even political junkies need a how-to manual for understanding what words matter in this arena and why.

Enter Brother Chris Cillizza and The Gospel According to the Fix--an essential guide to the wonderfully odd religion of politics. Based on his highly popular blog, The Gospel According to the Fix will teach you something new about politics, no matter who you are and whom you know. In our torturous political climate, this Gospel is the one true source for comprehending what the heck is going on in DC. Chapter and verse, this political Gospel will include parables the likes of:

• Why Ron Paul’s candidacy is a lot like the TV show Friday Night Lights
• What it takes to be Richard Ben Cramer and write the political classic What It Takes
• The top ten negative campaign ads of all time
• The top ten issues candidates should be discussing but aren’t because of the economy
• The dos and don’ts of surviving a political sex scandal

Customer Reviews

3.5 out of 5 stars

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1 star

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“ Therefore whatever value the book may have is short-lived. ” Marc Shepherd | 1 reviewer made a similar statement

“ The Fix and I even have a similar writing style (if you have read him, you will understand). ” Don Wills

“ I for one had some gaps in my political history and this certainly helped fill them. ” David Baker

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Does the Job It Promises July 11, 2012

By T. Sales

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Chris Cillizza's first book is a good effort that fits snuggly alongside many of the books now focused on the political environment. Coincidentally, it came out on the same day as "It's the Middle Class, Stupid," and adds more texture to what Carville & Greenberg discuss in that book about the upcoming election. Cillizza's chapters compartmentalize different aspects of the electoral process in the way a blog would--often using sports analogies: things like biggest issues, best ads, October surprises, 2016 Republican and Democratic all-star teams. They're serious topics, but Cillizza doesn't take them or himself too seriously.

I agree with another reviewer that Cillizza is not overly partisan. I'm sure he fights those tendencies because he is an MSNBC contributor and on multiple shows each day, but he does a good job in this book of looking at both parties, handicapping their chances, recognizing their up-and-comers, and leaving it for readers to decide where they stand. The people he skewers deserve to be skewered -- by their actions and not their affiliations.

I wanted to see how the blogger/contributor perspective compared to these other authors. I'd agree that Cillizza didn't do all the reading and footnoting that others have (hence no index), that he's not hosting a daily show or a former elected official himself, but his book shows you how people think and cope who follow the details of day-to-day politics and campaigns and immerse themselves in seeing close up how politicians act, keep or lose their way. It also shows how we as citizens and periodic voters choose to care or not care about the issues they talk and blog about every day. So from that angle of making politics more understandable, this book does the job it promises.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A mile wide and an inch deep July 27, 2012

By D. C. Carrad

Some of the facts in this book are interesting if you are, like me, a real political trivia junkie. This does not save this awkward, unedited pastiche of columns from being a random collection of thin gruel. A collection of columns almost never makes a good book (exception: Mike Royko) and while I enjoy the author's columns in the Washington Post this book just does not coalesce. He needs to sit down and be a bit more serious and thoughtful and might then produce an interesting, thoughtful in-depth book on current American politics. This is not it. Avoid.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the Aspiring Politico July 15, 2012

By David Baker

Not for several years have I opened up a book and read it cover-to-cover in a single day. The Gospel according to the Fix changed that because it described the world of politics from an accessible angle. As a Politico myself working in the elections a lot of this stuff was well known, and the conclusions similar to those read & repeated in bars by the rest of DC. But what most of us lack is the historical perspective around a lot of those conclusions and Chris Cillizza gets into them with just the right amount of detail to keep you interested & educated. I for one had some gaps in my political history and this certainly helped fill them. Certainly anyone wanting to understand more about politics in 2012 will find this an enjoyable, quick read that informs while making you laugh and cry at the state of american politics.