"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.