Primary Colors Essay, Research Paper

"Primary Colors" is a fictional account of a presidential primary

campaign. The book is writen by Anonymous, who we now know is Newsweek

colunmnist Joe Klein. Klein includes a disclainer saying he invented the

characters and situations, but I feel that the book is about the Clintons. All

the events are there. The champaign takes place in 1992. Stanton is the governor

of a small Southern state. He has an authoritative wife, Suzan. He also has

problems with promisuity, draft dodging, and war protest. The central charactor

of the book is not Jack Stanton but the narrator Henry Burton. Former

congressional aide and grandson of the famous civil rights leader, Harvey

Burton. Henry tells the story of Governor Jack Stanton’s presidential campaign.

Young, black and no novice to insider politics, he signs on as deputy campaign

manager but rapidly becomes the Governor’s right hand man and psychological

confident. Henry struggles with his role in the campaign, his responsibility to

the candidate, and most disturbingly with how much he actually knows and

believes in the real Jack Stanton–the man he would help become the leader of

the United States of America. He also developes an odd comradeship in the manic,

obsessive Richard Jemmons. The governor of a small southern state, Jack Stanton

is the consummate politician. His love for the American people is palpable, but

starkly contrasted with his relentless pursuit of power and his on-going sexual

indiscretions. He is a master of the political system. Stanton has gone to great

measures to surround himself with unwavering supporters, from his wife Susan

Stanton to people he connects with along the campaign. Stanton is man who wants

to be president and will let nothing, least of all his own actions, stand in his

way. Susan Stanton is a skilled lawyer and experienced campaigner. She shares

the Governor’s same ruthless desire but is as careful as he is careless. She

never falters from standing by her man, but to underestimate her is to

misunderstand the power she wields behind the scenes of both the campaign and

the Governor’s Mansion. Together they are a formidable couple. She knows as well

as he that they can only reach their dream together. Susan’s identity is tied to

her husband’s, but the control of the relationship is clearly hers. She has her

own way of dealing with his weaknesses. Nicknamed the "Dustbuster,"

Libby Holden has always been there in the past to clean up Governor Stanton’s

extracurricular indiscretions. Newly released from the loony bin for this

campaign, she is back and ready for action. And there is plenty of dust for her

to bust! Her methods are sometimes extreme but she is constantly looking for the

truth and always, always gets the job done. An overwhelming presence, she is

keeper of all the Stanton secrets; she knows both the Governor and his wife

inside and out or thinks she does. Known as the best democratic political

strategist, Richard Jemmons is not your run-of-the-mill campaign spin doctor. An

explosive, hyper, and usually manic presence, he knows how elections work but

can’t quite seem to get a grasp of his newest responsibility. At times

obsessive, Jemmons knows better than anyone and earlier than anyone, that the

most dangerous threat to the Stanton campaign is not an opposing candidate but

Stanton himself and his own checkered past. Up-and-coming media consultant,

Daisy Green is responsible for the public perception of the Governor. She is

outspoken, fast-talking and a New Yorker at heart. Daisy never quite makes it

into the inner circle of the Stanton campaign. She does however fall in love

with Henry Burton. She discovers that the relationship, if it is going to work,

must survive the treacherous terrain of the political playing field. All though

this book we wonder if this a story about the Clintons. Like Stanton, Clinton

has been a politician since his college days. Like bill Clinton, Jack Stanton

has a hard time keeping his pants on around good looking women. Jack Stanton’s

campaign suffers from its own "bimbo eruptions." Klein describes a

complex man, like all great men, has large virtues and failings. I feel that the

author does love a part of Clinton, which he labeled Jack Stanton.