Still relevant, insightful, and amusing
In this decades old political novel, Micheael Halberstam has captured some essential truths about politics, politicians, race, antisemitism, and America. It's a fascinating book because the issues that he illustrates are still with us in 2008. Levine has echos of Obama, and there is plenty of Clinton there too. The best part is his understanding of people, their motivations, strengths and weaknesses.
Political satire with surprising ties to the 2000 elections
Al Levine is an electronics salesman turned real estate developer cum political mixer that got swept into the fictional 1988 elections and got on the ballot as the Democratic party candidate for President. He's the first Jewish candidate ever to that post, and combined with his rather hilarious (and not-so-clean) salesman past, all make for a very funny insight into presidential electioneering and politics. The story is as bleivable as the tooth fairy's, but with the recent Gore/Liberman candidacy, It is funny and a-propo as well. Highly irreverent for all and totally irrespectful of many organizations, races, creeds, genders and Holy Cows, the book is a very good primer on American Presidential politics and human interrelationships.
a strange, funny, slightly racist look into another past
The wanting of Levine is a well spun yarn about a the future. Not the Science fiction Robert A. Heinline future that was all to common in the '70's either. Actually it's a rather pessimistic veiw of the late '80s that might have been. Things seem to be going right down the toilet when A.L. Levine's name appearns on a pole by a clerical mistake. Suddenly he's the democratic cantidate for the 1988 election and things start, if not to look up, then at least like the downward spiral could stop. I din't think the book was funny as the back lead me to believe it would be, but if you see the book, eseciall you if you find it at a library sale like I did, pick it up. Its certainly worth a couple dollars.
