[Tublecane]

“’Team of Rivals’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin”

This book is wildly popular, so unless it’s a huge fluke it can’t be all bad. But I think Goodwin is a hack historian and mediocre writer. More importantly, the main conceit of the book—that somehow internal rivalry made Lincoln’s administration strong and that Lincoln is somehow a genius for having planned it that way—remains largely unexplored. That is because it’s not teneable. Rivalry makes administrations rivalrous, not productive.

We all know the benefit of healthy competition, but I don’t see the application to Lincoln’s administration, and frankly I don’t see them as exceptionally successful. As for Lincoln being a genius, well, he is, but not because he assembled a team of rivals. In fact, that had nothing at all to do with Lincoln and everything to do with the Republican party being brand new and not yet having established a firm ideological range.

What’s left are interesting stories, naturally, those being interesting times. But thematically, it is empty.

[Trust but Verify]

I read Team of Rivals. Liked it so much, I read it a second time.

[jessduntno]

“’Team of Rivals’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin”

Not bad if you are a confirmed leftist.

[dead]

But I think Goodwin is a hack historian and mediocre writer.

She also had an affair with LBJ, which makes me throw up in my mouth.