Simon & Schuster
October 2013
On Sale: October 1, 2013
450 pages ISBN: 1451695993 EAN: 9781451695991 Kindle: B00BSB2DBO Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List
TIP AND THE GIPPER is a magnificent personal history
of a time when two great political opponents served together
for the benefit of the country. Chris Matthews was an
eyewitness to this story as a top aide to Speaker of the
House Tip O’Neill, who waged a principled war of political
ideals with President Reagan from 1980 to 1986. Together,
the two men forged compromises that shaped America’s future
and became one of history’s most celebrated political
pairings—the epitome of how ideological opposites can get
things done.
When Ronald Reagan was elected to the
presidency in a landslide victory over Jimmy Carter (for
whom Matthews had worked as a speechwriter), Speaker O’Neill
realized Americans had voted for a change. For the first
time in his career, O’Neill also found himself thrust into
the national spotlight as the highest-ranking leader of the
Democratic Party—the most visible and respected challenger
to President Reagan’s agenda of shrinking the government and
lowering taxes.
At first, O’Neill doubted his
ability to compete on the public stage with the charming
Hollywood actor, whose polished speeches played well on TV,
a medium O’Neill had never mastered. Over time, the burly
Irishman learned how to fight the popular president on his
key issues, relying on legislative craftiness, strong
rhetoric, and even guerrilla theater. “An old dog can learn
new tricks,” Tip told his staff. Of O’Neill, one of his
colleagues said, “If Martians came into the House chamber,
they’d know instantly who the leader was.”
Meanwhile, President Reagan proved to be a much more
effective and savvy leader than his rivals had ever
expected, achieving major legislative victories on taxes and
the federal budget. Reagan and his allies knew how to work
the levers of power in Washington. After showing remarkable
personal fortitude in the wake of the assassination attempt
against him, Reagan never let his political differences with
Democrats become personal. He was fond of the veteran
Speaker’s motto that political battles ended at 6 p.m. So
when he would phone O’Neill, he would say, “Hello, Tip, is
it after six o’clock?”
Together, the two leaders
fought over the major issues of the day—welfare, taxes,
covert military operations, and Social Security—but found
their way to agreements that reformed taxes, saved Social
Security, and achieved their common cause of bringing peace
to Northern Ireland. O’Neill’s quiet behind-the-scenes
support helped Reagan forge his historic Cold War–ending
bond with Mikhail Gorbachev. They each won some and lost
some, and through it all they maintained respect for each
other’s positions and worked to advance the country rather
than obstruct progress.
As Matthews notes, “There
is more than one sort of heroic behavior, and they don’t all
look the same.” Tip and the Gipper is the story of
the kind of heroism we need today.
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