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Sparknotes

Terry McAuliffe's What a Party

by Elizabeth Hanna-Owens
-- Staff Writer

Terry McAuliffe is a rock star in the Democratic Party. Best known for serving as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005 and being a close friend of the Clintons, he currently serves as chairman of Hillary's presidential campaign. Thanks to his fundraising prowess, he has been an insider at the top levels of the Democratic Party since the Carter Administration, as well as a graduate of Georgetown Law School. His autobiography, What a Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals was released in January and quickly became a best-seller. It's a fun read, full of insights and hilarious anecdotes, but we've read it so that you don't have to.


Here are some of the more interesting tidbits McAuliffe offers:
  • During the 2004 campaign, Terry was prepared and excited to go on the offensive after George Bush, but the Kerry campaign kept him muzzled. He was told to stop mentioning the story of Bush going AWOL during his days in the National Guard, and all of his references to Bush in his speech at the Democratic National Convention were removed.
  • During the 2004 Republican National Convention, John McCain said the following to Terry: "Terry, what's the matter with your guy? I like John [Kerry]. You know that. But he's looking like such a wimp. He's got to start fighting and defending himself [against these Swift Boat attacks]. . . My guy is no great shakes, but your guy looks like a wimp."
  • Terry once wrestled an alligator in exchange for a $15,000 contribution to the Carter-Mondale campaign in 1980. He was initially told, by the chief of the Seminole Indian tribe in Florida, that the alligator would be drugged and toothless. However, at the last minute, hundreds of spectators and reporters turned up, and the tribal chief didn't want to look weak, so he was able to convince Terry to wrestle a regular alligator, rather than a toothless, drugged one.
  • Terry went to Georgetown Law School in the 1980s. During his time at Georgetown Law, he was not only a full-time student, but he also worked full time as a fundraiser for the Mondale campaign, the DNC, and the DCCC, as well as running four investment businesses. Despite almost never going to class, he graduated on time and passed the bar exam, though he never practiced law.
  • Thanks to business investments, Terry made enough money in his 20s and 30s to be able to work for the Democratic Party for free for the past 15 years.
  • Terry was the author of the infamous 1994 "Lincoln Bedroom Memo," which seemingly indicated that the Clintons had invited people to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom in exchange for donations. The memo itself dealt strictly with fundraising and didn't mention the Lincoln Bedroom; but, unbeknownst to Terry, upon receiving the memo, President Clinton turned it over and wrote "Ready to start overnights right away." However, Terry himself had never seen the President's comment, and there's no evidence that the Clintons ever asked anyone for money in exchange for spending the night in the Lincoln Bedroom.
  • On what President Clinton told him about Linda Tripp during the impeachment proceedings: "I feel really sorry for that woman. . . It wasn't her fault, Mac. I hope it's behind her. She didn't mean to do it, Mac, I know she didn't."
  • During a trip to South Korea, some members of the Korean Secret Service had some questions about the nature of the relationship between Terry and President Clinton after the two had stayed up late playing cards in the President's hotel suite. "Is there something we need to know about President Clinton? He was alone in his suite last night until almost 5 A.M. with a good-looking younger man," one of the Korean Secret Service agents asked an American agent.
  • The month after the impeachment, Terry went on a family vacation with the president. Relations among the first family were a little tense, especially when Hillary turned on the TV and almost every channel was discussing the scandal. She finally settled, uncharacteristically, on ESPN.
  • President Clinton once offered John McEnroe tips on his tennis game. McEnroe listened politely, and the McEnroe listened politely, and the President later admitted that he really had no idea what he was talking about.
  • Terry suggested that Clinton build his presidential library in the Anacostia neighborhood of D.C., which could give the area an economic boost. Georgetown offered to donate $30 million to the construction of the library if they built it there, but it was important to the President that the library be located in Little Rock.
  • Bill Clinton was frustrated that Al Gore didn't want to have him on the campaign trail in 2000. The President said to Terry, "Mac, what the hell am I doing golfing with you today? This is the first time in twenty-five years I haven't been out campaigning on the last two weeks before the election."
  • Terry once took his 11-year-old son and seven of his friends along when he made an appearance on Fox News. Upon reaching the green room, Terry told the kids, "It's all yours, boys!" and the boys proceeded to stuff their faces with food before running loudly around the studio.
  • Once, when Terry was talking to Tony and Cherie Blair, Cherie asked Terry how Americans felt about Tony. He replied "With all due respect Mr. Prime Minister, most people think you're a lapdog for George Bush." She turned to her husband and said "See, I told you so, Tony."
  • After Bill Clinton's 2004 heart surgery, the first call he received was from George W. Bush, who said to him, "You know, this is very serious surgery you had. You need to recuperate and it'd be very bad for you to get out and start campaigning too soon. . . . Let me be honest, Bill. This Kerry campaign is the most inept group I have ever seen in politics. Don't let them ruin your reputation."
  • Terry single-handedly delayed the start of one of the 2004 presidential debates. He sat directly behind Laura Bush in the audience, and George Bush refused to take the stage until Terry McAuliffe moved from out of his line of sight. Terry moved, but only after an armed Secret Service agent asked him to.
  • Terry places most of the blame of the 2004 election loss on the Kerry team, though not necessary on John Kerry himself, who was often kept in the dark about what his staffers were doing. Additionally, there was a lot of conflict between Kerry and Edwards. Edwards felt that he had been muzzled with regards to attacking Bush. Kerry, on the other hand, was unaware of this, and was frustrated with Edwards for not coming out stronger against Bush.