The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency
Written by Chris Whipple
Narrated by Mark Bramhall
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
What do Dick Cheney and Rahm Emanuel have in common? Aside from polarizing personalities, both served as chief of staff to the president of the United States-as did Donald Rumsfeld, Leon Panetta, and a relative handful of others. The chiefs of staff, often referred to as "the gatekeepers," wield tremendous power in Washington and beyond; they decide who is allowed to see the president, negotiate with Congress to push POTUS's agenda, and-most crucially-enjoy unparalleled access to the leader of the free world. Each chief can make or break an administration, and each president reveals himself by the chief he picks.
Through extensive, intimate interviews with all seventeen living chiefs and two former presidents, award-winning journalist and producer Chris Whipple pulls back the curtain on this unique fraternity. In doing so, he revises our understanding of presidential history, showing us how James Baker's expert managing of the White House, the press, and Capitol Hill paved the way for the Reagan Revolution-and, conversely, how Watergate, the Iraq War, and even the bungled Obamacare rollout might have been prevented by a more effective chief.
Filled with shrewd analysis and never-before-reported details, The Gatekeepers offers an essential portrait of the toughest job in Washington.
From the Hardcover edition.
Chris Whipple
Chris Whipple is an author, political analyst, and Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker. He is a frequent guest on MSNBC, CNN, and NPR, and has contributed essays to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Vanity Fair. His first book, The Gatekeepers, an analysis of the position of White House Chief of Staff, was a New York Times bestseller. His follow-up, The Spymasters, was based on interviews with nearly every living CIA Director and was critically acclaimed. Whipple lives in New York City with his wife Cary.
More audiobooks from Chris Whipple
The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Spymasters: How the CIA's Directors Shape History and Guard the Future Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Gatekeepers
Related audiobooks
The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memo to the President Elect Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How Did We Get Here?: From Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrump Revealed: The Definitive Biography of the 45th President Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Trump Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Living Through What You Hoped Would Never Happen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trump Must Go: The Top 100 Reasons to Dump Trump (and One to Keep Him) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5George H. W. Bush: The American Presidents Series: The 41st President, 1989-1993 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Plot to Destroy Trump: How the Deep State Fabricated the Russian Dossier to Subvert the President Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5William Howard Taft: The American Presidents Series: The 27th President, 1909-1913 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rick Perry: Man of the Hour Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America: And Four Who Tried to Save Her Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress’s Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Fascism: How the GOP is Subverting Democracy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDefender in Chief: Donald Trump's Fight for Presidential Power Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Broken: Can the Senate Save Itself and the Country? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProsecuting the President: How Special Prosecutors Hold Presidents Accountable and Protect the Rule of Law Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inside the Clinton White House: An Oral History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump's War on the World's Most Powerful Office Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First in Line: Presidents, Vice Presidents, and the Pursuit of Power Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Theodore Roosevelt: An American Force Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
American Government For You
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The White House Plumbers: The Seven Weeks That Led to Watergate and Doomed Nixon's Presidency Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Democrat Party Hates America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enough Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life Sentence: The Brief and Tragic Career of Baltimore’s Deadliest Gang Leader Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Romney: A Reckoning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward's Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Own Words Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Anti-Communist Manifesto Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Have the Right to Remain Innocent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Capitalist Punishment: How Wall Street Is Using Your Money to Create a Country You Didn't Vote For Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fear: Trump in the White House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Marxism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African American Voting Rights Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unbroken Bonds of Battle: A Modern Warriors Book of Heroism, Patriotism, and Friendship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why We're Polarized Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Watergate Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Gatekeepers
15 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fantastic book, especially with all that is happening in the White House today.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A very good "listen" and very informative of a position that many of us know little about. As one who didn't vote for President Trump but shares the idea that "the swamp must be emptied" I feel one can see the results of having a weak COS. If President Trump wants to revolutionize the government he should step back and make the traditional (and correct) choice of a strong COS.
In regards to the book, while doing a very good job of not trying to color the book with his political beliefs, it is evident that the author is a Democrat (that is not meant as a smear just a point of fact) and treats Democratic administrations more kindly then Republican. At the same time it is evident that the author has an extremely high regard for James Baker III and believes him to be the most effective COS on record. Overall the book is very balanced and there are some interesting tidbits of internecine fighting. I will say I believe he was too easy on President Obama's last COS, Denis McDonough. The Affordable Care Act rollout is just briefly discussed and the judgment on Mr. McDonough is very muted compared to other mistakes by other COS. Overall it is a great read and one that would behoove our current administration to read and act on. It is very evident that Mr. Priebus very much lacks the power needed to run a solid White House. As one who was looking for an answer for what this President needed to be successful this book lays it out in stark terms. Until Mr. Trump stops being his own de-facto COS, it is evident from history he will be doomed to repeat the mistakes of Ford, Carter and Clinto. All who had weak, terrible or no COS. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one of the BEST political history books I've read this past year! As an added bonus, the voice actor is STELLAR. Several different voices/vocal impressions, but never does it sound awkward or jarring. So good that the performance adds to the (already compelling) material. I rarely choose audiobooks over the written word, I can't put this down!