Full Disclosure by Vice President John Hoynes

Thanks to the Federal Reserves Bank

Title: Full Disclosure 

Author: Vice President John Hoynes

Publisher: not known 

Source: TV series The West Wing S6 E7 A Change is Gonna Come 

Ex-Vice John President Hoynes goes on television to promote his new book, Full Disclosure. And he certainly has a lot to disclose. Obviously there’s his political career, a Democratic senator from Texas, and chosen by President Josiah Bartlett as his running mate because he would bring Texas with him. Bartlett, as a New Hampshire Democrat, had no chance of winning Texas himself.

American politics is astonishingly complex. If you want to get a handle on it, try watching The West Wing. It was made between 1999 and 2006 but don’t let that bother you. Although, things have changed a lot. And if you wear a MAGA hat, probably stop reading here.

If you want a more detailed handle (but with added entertainment - I genuinely laughed a lot) try the episode by episode discussion that is The West Wing Weekly. This podcast from Hrishikesh Hirway (he has another podcast: Song Exploder which is a whole nother thing and definitely worth checking out if you are a music fan) and actor Joshua Malina (who was in The West Wing) is no longer live, but as I write (July 2024)  you can listen to, or read transcripts of the episodes here. Remember that podcasts are for some irritating reason always listed with the most recent episode first. The West Wing Weekly was recommended by The Guardian and I found it both educational and enlightening. I really learned a lot more than I expected.

If you want an accessible and considered up to date take on American politics, written by an expert, look for Heather Cox Richardson on substack. You won’t be sorry. There is a free version of her daily Letter from an American if you cannot afford to subscribe.

We do not know if Hoynes has written about his alcoholism, which apparently President Bartlett knew nothing about when he tapped him for VP, or how much he has to say about his many affairs. Yes, he really is one of those guys who just can’t keep it in his trousers. He had to resign as Vice President because he leaked classified information to his mistress Helen Baldwin, who got herself a seven figure book deal (and guess what? she probably didn’t even have to write the book herself).

If you are interested in tell all books by celebrities or politicians, and a lot of people are, Full Disclosure might be an interesting choice.

Hoynes sends a copy of the book to Josh Lyman with ‘time to lead’ written across the front. Which tells us that he is in the race for the next presidential election, but Josh, having helped President Bartlett get elected (twice), has found himself a new candidate: Matthew Santos.

There are 5 or 6 different books called Full Disclosure IRL. One is by William Safire who was a speech writer for Richard Nixon, and later wrote a political column for the New York Times. It’s a political adventure involving an ambushed helicopter with the President of the United States on board. Might be worth a try?

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