John Dickerson

John Dickerson is a CBS senior national correspondent and Chief Political Analyst. He is also a Contributing Writer to The Atlantic and is co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest.

How to Buy Copies of The Hardest Job in the World

“The office is kinda like the little country boy found a hoochie coochie show at the carnival. Once he paid his dime and got inside the tent: it ain’t exactly as it was advertised.” — Lyndon Johnson

Paperback Cover

Hello! Welcome! The book The Hardest Job in the World,  can be purchased from these purveyors:

Amazon, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers,  IndieBound, Powell’s, Target, Walmart,  Barnes & Noble, Books A Million.

How many problems can a president solve with a really stinging insult? How important is it that a president give good speeches? What do we mean when we talk about character? What is the skill no one talks about?

The Hardest Job in the World, now a New York Times best-seller, offers readers some ideas to help them come up with answers to these questions. It is a study of the presidency and what the job actually requires. By looking at a wide range of presidents, it argues for a shift in thinking about how we think about its duties. It is informed by the work of, and interviews with, historians, political scientists, staffers in administrations going back to LBJ and some of the men who have held the job.

That we should think of the presidency as a hard job is not an excuse. It’s a warning. Presidents must face high-stakes challenges requiring temperament, foresight, decisiveness, but also attention to team-building and a capacity for restraint. The latter two qualities are just some of the attributes that get almost no discussion, because in many public discussions the job is conceived and treated like a show rather than serious task. Or, the qualities of the job are defined by purely political passions.

The military and private sector spend millions thinking about how to leaders can do their job better, but presidential campaigns avoid these conversations or actively promote qualities that have nothing to do with the job, or, worse, that actively train candidates to be bad at the job.

We should think of the job’s requirements when picking presidents and evaluating those who have the job. The job is too hard and too serious not to.

 

 

4 thoughts on “How to Buy Copies of The Hardest Job in the World”

  1. Dear John,

    My name is Joe Barbour; my father and I have published a new novel about the Trump Campaign/Administration, and the foreign collusion scandal.

    Fishbowl 45: The Unpresidented Parody.

    It portrays Trump and Pence as used car salesmen in Queens NY circa 1993. I am writing to offer insight into the book for any coverage you might be interested in. We spent 3 years writing it and have been getting rave reviews from those who have read it in the 3 days it has been live. Let me know if you’re interested in learning more. Sending thanks in advance.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DC63R17

  2. If it’s not to late to get the book plate. By the way, miss your daily appearance on CBS morning show. I stopped watching it after you left the show.

  3. Buying two more copies. As a long time political junkie, I read and then recommended it to a few people. Gave mine to one, so replacing it for my library and getting another for a different young friend. It’s written in a style that makes the well researched history an enjoyable and thought provoking read.

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