The Dean audiobook

So I am not from Michigan (nor the Midwest) and thus up until a couple of years ago when he popped up on Hilary Clinton's twitter feed I never knew who John Dingell was. Lo and behold I very quickly realized I was missing out and followed him until his death a couple of months ago. His passing inspired me to read this book. I overall enjoyed it especially when he made wisecracks which he did frequently because I kind of felt like he wrote in those moments how he would post on twitter. The book overall was really interesting if for no other reason I feel like I now know more about how Congress works (and has evolved) and we are lucky enough to have a written account from someone who lived through seeing the Civil Rights movement as well as the Affordable Care Act come in to law. If this does not truly amaze you I don't know what will. Was he a bit long winded in points? Yes. But I would recommend. Also it's very clear he didn't like Trump which I mean who does anyway....

Best thing I've read this year.

The more time that passes, the more I appreciate political memoirs. Of course, when I heard that John Dingell was writing one, I knew I had to read it. Unsurprisingly, it did not disappoint. Dingell is a fantastic storyteller with the power to inspire laughter, hope, and outrage (at the current administration) in a relatively short book. He ties the story of his father’s time in Congress to his own and then his wife’s in a way that displays the Dingell family’s true devotion to American politics. His lengthy, distinguished career provides a bevy of stories and chunks of wisdom. From FDR to Watergate to the Tea Party to Trump, it’s a great trip through history. Dingell’s commitment to goals like universal healthcare and his never-ending fight for the vulnerable are made very clear. The only downside comes in his solutions for American democracy, which seem a little disproportionate in nature to the problems we face. Overall, with his recent passing, “The Dean” is one of the best newer memoirs out there. I highly recommend this to others seeking to learn more about how politics was and is in America.

Learn how John Dingell, the longest serving member of Congress that there ever was and ever will be, came to run the Congress floor, controlling policy for anything that ‘moved, burns, or is sold.’ Meet the Dingells, the progressive political dynasty that came up alongside the Roosevelts and the Kennedys—and will likely outlast them all.John Dingell’s politically-oriented biography Celebrates his family origin: moving over from Poland to take job openings left by freed slaves, and moving up to a place of prominence in the American political system through devoted public service. While sick in bed with tuberculosis, a young John Dingell Sr, inspired by the writings of Theodore Roosevelt, decided that he would become a member of Congress. And that’s exactly what he did.Dingell Sr railed against the big banks of the Great Depression era, and worked tirelessly to realize a dream that is still in the making—universal healthcare. He was standing next to FDR as Social Security was signed into law.Dingell Jr served 60 years in Congress (even more if you count his years serving in the youth page program). In that time he continued his family’s fight for healthcare, playing the game of politics back in a time before “compromise” became a dirty word. It is no coincidence that Dingell Jr was beside president Obama as the Affordable Care Act was signed into law.His life story includes insights and anecdotes that are fascinating because they are so poignant and coming from a true political insider.SOME OF MY FAVORITE NUGGETS: On the theme of compromise: “Progress never follows a straight line.”“you can do extraordinary things when you talk about them in ordinary ways."“You can accomplish most of what you want if you don't mind letting other people take the credit for it.”“looking for the good in everyone makes it possible to find allies in the strangest places”“Knowing when the time is right to make some thing an issue with a hard skill to learn. Yet it's how I was able to get a lot done, especially on the environment. You eventually learn to watch for when the bastards are distracted and then sneak things through when they're not looking.”“Banketeering” a nice term for criminal bank profiteers. Teabaggers — A fitting name for members of the Tea PartyAs a lawyer (or any service provider): “when the person paying you here's your amount, laugh out loud, and quickly says, "you bet!" You've almost certainly left a lot of money on the table.”In response to modern GOP members: “I’d just say shame on them, but you can't shame these characters. They're right out of the Wizard of Oz, one of the first movies I ever saw it as a kid. They've got no brains and they've got no hearts. They definitely haven’t the courage to stand up to the flying monkeys who foot their campaign bills.”SHOCKING HEALTHCARE FACT: “Fully 1/3 of 18 million young men who have been drafted were suffering from previously undiagnosed (and therefore untreated) illnesses that prevented them from serving their country.”EVIL LOBBYING: Where the AMA killed healthcare reform, the Dingell-Murray-Wagner bill: “The American medical Association fought back hard, fully aware that the cost of any change to the status quo of “pay to play” healthcare would come out of its well lined pockets.Reflection on the Clinton Care.He announced it two months before saying what was in the bill. Giving the opposition time to kill it in the cradle. When grilling people: “never ask a question you don't already know the answer to”Strong framing which destroys voter ID laws: “today's voter ID laws represent merely a poll tax under a new name. Poll taxes and voter ID laws both require voters to pay money to the government in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote.” Republicans’ claims of voter fraud: in-person voter fraud in the United States is rarer than hens teeth. Their voter ID laws are a solution to a problem that does not exist"Eloquent way of referring to ‘the people’: “consumers, investors, and the American public”There are so many more golden nuggets of wisdom and humor in there. BUT you’re going to have to read for yourself if you want to get a mental picture of how grown men expressed enthusiasm in a time before the high five was invented!CONCLUSIONI’m certainly glad I read this book, and would recommend it to anybody who wants to get a deeper look into how American politics work, and also to get a review of US legislative history through the perspective of a Congress insider. In his 60 years of public service John Dingell was a workhorse, not a show horse, so I’m grateful that he spent his final years to leave this book behind for future generations. And on that topic, one last quote. “Children are 25% of our population and 100% of our future”

John Dingell did a lot of good in his time in the House of Representatives. He played integral roles in significant bills that have done a great deal for the people of the United States.But it is hard to talk about his legacy right now without pointing out Dingell's relentless support of gun rights and the National Rifle Association. In 2014, when he announced his retirement, and in 2019, when he died, reflections on his political career recognized that Dingell, with six decades in Congress, had played an outsized role in the seeming intractability of the gun issue of the United States. It is to his wife's credit that she had challenged her husband's legacy in this regard, but in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas shooting just days ago, my feeling of generosity is limited.It is also worth recognizing that Dingell's support of the auto industry has furthered the seeming intractability of the United States' dependence on fossil fuels.Every political figure is a mix of the good and the bad; even the most admired and beloved have messy moments in their history that a full reckoning of their career must acknowledge.As a political memoir, this book is intermittently successful. Occasionally it is illuminating, even inspiring. Occasionally it is frustrating, because there does seem to be that frustrating graduation eyes syndrome, reflecting on when everything was all hunky-dory and you could disagree without being disagreeable. Perhaps there is some validity to that, yet Dingell doesn't seem to fully recognize the anti-democratic trend that the Republican Party has demonstrated. Indeed, I question if this would have remained his perspective had he been alive for the 2020 election and its aftermath.Dingell undoubtedly witnessed extraordinary history. His remembrances of everything from the declaration of war in 1941 to the signing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 demonstrate the vastness of his experience, the moments and relationships he shared with history-makers of wide repute.This book works best, though, as a loving tribute from a son to his father. Dingell clearly not just loved his father, but admired and respected him. There are moments that are incredibly touching as a 90-year-old man reflects on his deceased father, gone some 60 years now.I have to admit that I was supportive of Debbie Dingell's primary challenger, Solomon Rajput, in the 2020 election; this was less out of animosity toward Dingell as opposed to my hopes that Rajput, a 28-year-old progressive Muslim medical student, would better represent my progressive mindset in Congress. Yet, reading this, and learning more of the Dingell family as a whole, I am impressed and grateful to them for their service.I do hope, though, that a scholarly biography is written on Dingell, without personal bias and a wide-ranging view at his many successes and failures.

This book was good but not great. It suffered from bad editing. For instance, the same quote from FDR was used twice within thirty pages near the end of the book. Also there was too many and too long of quotes in general. Ok, that said, I enjoyed the book because it was about John Dingell, who was a great American. I really enjoyed reading about his ancestors early days in America and his father’s life. And one of the first chapters is his personal perspective and memory of being in the House of Representatives when FDR gave his “day that lives in infamy” speech and the House voted to go to war with Japan. That was really a great chapter. The book started out good, the best chapters were those about his father’s younger years and his own younger years. But as the book went on, the chapters had a less focused narrative. Although some very nice historical factoids and anecdotes were sprinkled in still. But most of the chapters in the middle and end of the book lacked a focused story, for example the chapters about civil rights and oversight. I blame the coauthor for this as well as any editors. A positive aspect that I did love was that I could hear Dingell’s voice throughout the book. He has a hilarious crassness at times that is recognizably dated language so you know you’re listening to the words of an old man. Reminded me of talking to old men that are family friends or WW2 veterans at the VA hospital where I’ve worked in the past. In the end, being from Michigan, i enjoyed reading about this special American from my home state and I learned a few things along the way and I enjoyed the Epilogue where he suggests abolishing the Senate chamber. And I appreciated the strong pointed rebuke of DJT and company. I don’t give the book a strong recommendation but I like John Dingell now even more than i ever have after the past few years reading his hilarious and truthful takes on the Twitter machine. He is already missed. I can loan you this book if you’d like.

This should be required reading for every freshman rep before they take their oath. Dingell led such a deep life of public service. He was a page when Roosevelt made his day of infamy speech. He was a staunch defender of the 2nd Amendment. He was at the signing of the ACA.Any who hope to follow him should be rightly fearful of being able to measure up to his example. But that should be their great ambition. And anyone who fails to and leaves the House only to join the ever growing ranks of Washington lobbyists should only feel the deepest shame.It also left me wondering if I was wrong about Ford. He humanizes him in a way that makes me want to learn more about him and his administration.

John Dingell was there when FDR addressed a joint session of Congress following Pearl Harbor, he witnessed the signing into law of such bills as Medicare and the Civil Rights Act, and he was sat next to Barack Obama when he signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Dingell played a role in so many important moments in US political history! This was a really great memoir from one of my all time favourite US politicians. There were parts of this that literally made me laugh out loud and others that were incredibly poignant. It's also sprinkled with excerpts of speeches Dingell gave or heard or were relevant to the book which I felt added to getting the point across.

John Dingell's autobiography should be a must read for each new member of congress. His family's story is an American story of rags to public service. As one of the longest serving members of Congress, Dingell offers sage advice on how to restore civility to Washington politics and surprising ideas on how to reform our government to better reflect the demographic changes occurring this century. A friend recommended this book and I am glad that I took his advice and took the time to read it. You will be too.

Chairman Dingell's autobiography is enormously entertaining and readable. He places his career squarely in the legacy of his father, who crusaded for national health insurance, bank regulation, and many other sensible goals. The book is much more of a personal reflection than recitation of accomplishments on legislation and oversight (about which he could have filled at least three books) and as such this serves as an inspiring memoir about the importance to our republic of public service by honorable citizens.

Great history from a first hand observer. Super fortunate to have all this family history finally written down. My boys will read this book and do will there kids, God willing. Captures his voice very acutely. It was said at his funeral that you remember all your conversations with him. This book is like everything you wanted to ask in one 300-page listening session.