Tim Miller (10) (1981–)

3.5 stars, rounded down for the author's snarkiness. But former Republican political operative Tim Miller offers a fascinating look into the thoughts and motivations of the people who campaigned for, worked for, and otherwise were connected to Trump in a professional sense.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, it's not because they were all racists. Some of them convinced themselves they were filling a noble role by being the "adults in the room," sacrificing their principles so that their show more positions weren't taken by someone even more terrible. Some of them demonized Democrats/liberals/the media, so that whatever was bad for the other side was good, even if it was a lying, cheating, racist, misogynist, dangerous man. Some were just ambitious, or wanted to be "in the room where it happened." Most them learned to compartmentalize almost constantly, doing their jobs to support their families while sticking their fingers in their ears so they could pretend they didn't know anything about Trump's latest atrocities.

As a gay Republican (yes they exist) who played an active role in centrist campaigns such as John Huntsman, John McCain and Jeb Bush (sorry, that's Jeb! Bush), Miller has a unique perspective. And while he doesn't devote much time to analyzing your basic Trump voter, he does provide some insight into how the Republican party went from recommending a more inclusive, moderate platform after Mitt Romney's 2012 loss to pandering to the trolls who spewed conspiracy theories about Venezuelans rigging our voting machines and Hillary Clinton sexually abusing children at a pizzeria.

Miller doesn't end with any recommendations for how to fix things or any hope that things will be any better in the 2022 election and beyond. This book is troubling and depressing (also snarky) but it is an important reminder of how we got to the dumpster fire of current politics. show less

Miller writes intelligently about the political gamesmanship and cynicism that have so divided America. He’s authoritative; he was there, and did some of the work.

The book is honest and thought-provoking. He ends by speculating that he and an old friend may never heal the rift between them, precisely because all that cynicism worked so well.

That’s a cop-out. All of us need to find a way to reverse the damage. Miller, as one of its architect, has that responsibility especially. Remorse is show more justified, honesty is admirable, but if you break that much glass, you really need to help clean it up.

I very much hope there’s a sequel that charts a path forward from here. A bright and committed guy like Miller is likely to have some good ideas. show less

The author seems to be a rare character: someone who was willing to work on behalf of sleazy politicians, but was unwilling to join the MAGA cult. This book is a memoir of sorts, and a history of sorts, an insider's analysis of why his friends and colleagues were unable to resist the pull of power, and found themselves losing all dignity and sense of decency in service to a madman. I found myself asking how the author, as a gay man, reasonably progressive, and seemingly a self-reflective show more moral person, could work as a GOP operative, against his own interests, enabling and amplifying the worst impulses of conservative extremists. It's a fascinating look behind the scenes of the high-power world of national politics. His analysis, of both himself and his party, is brutally honest and forthright, if ultimately disheartening. If you're trying to understand how the GOP was transformed from a political party to a mob of crazed berserkers intent on destroying American democracy, this book is at least part of the answer. show less

"America never would have gotten into this mess if it weren't for me and my friends. Tim Miller's book starts with this great first line. As a key Republican operator for multiple political campaigns and a former spokesman for the Republican National Committee, Miller knows many of the key players in Trump World and has heard them express their honest, private opinions about Trump. This allows him to say "When the Trump Troubles began there wasn't a single one in our ranks who would have show more said that they were in his corner. To a person, we found him gauche, repellant, and beneath the dignity of public service we bestowed with bumptious regard....But, at first, gradually and then suddenly, nearly all of us decided to go along."

The purpose of this book is to explain why these people were willing to support Trump despite their initial disparagement of him. To try to understand what happened with these people, he tells the stories of many of the well-known names that worked in Trump World including Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer, Elsie Stefanik and many others. However, he begins his story being telling how he himself was willing to work for politicians that were espousing policies he was personally opposed to. For example, Miller reveals that he is a homosexual but worked for and developed attack lines for politicians that were very homophobic. He eventually left the Republican fold and became a Never Trumper. As such, he reports that he then frequently became a confessor to people in Trump World who wanted to explain that they really did not believe in Trump World.

He classifies the reasons they went along into 11 categories. Categories include Demonizers and Tribalist Trolls who demonized anything coming from the Democratic Party, LOL Nothing Matters Republicans who were essentially nihilists, Strivers who went along in order to get ahead, and a number of people who just went along as a way to make money.

The book will definitely not appeal to fans of Donald Trump. Although it does deliver plenty of inside gossip about players in Trump World, the detailed portraits of how some of the key players abandoned their principles in order to jump on the Trump train, are actually full of pathos. These stories should appeal to people interested in moral philosophy and fans of Hannah Arendt.

The writing in the book is, however, annoying. It is filled with overly "hip" phrasing that might e entertaining in a podcast but becomes tiresome when repeated constantly in a book. show less