Tucker Carlson had two goals for his forthcoming book Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites: to write a book that people would actually want to read, and to tell the truth. The first goal is relative; it depends on your interests. If you are interested in cable news, you will be interested in this book. If you are not interested in cable news or Tucker Carlson then you might not have a strong interest in the subject. The second goal, however, seems accomplished. PP&P (Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites) is nothing if not straightforward and truthful and that is what gives it its peculiar charm and humor. There is nothing particularly profound or deeply insightful about it. Instead it is just an inside look at the wild and woolly world of cable news. Carlson has nothing to prove, no pretension to be more important than anyone else. It as if he says to the reader: “I have this real interesting job let me tell you about it.” If you are fascinated by the media, by politics, by the constant spin and counter spin of cable news, then you will want to read Carlson’s light hearted romp through his experiences in the business.
Carlson’s entry into cable news came by chance. In October 2000, Carlson happened to be home when a producer from CNN called. They were looking to do immediate reaction to the Cheney-Lieberman VP debate with a show called The Spin Room. The thought was that the campaigns were going to be spinning the debate why not have a show that looked to do the same thing but on live TV. Carlson and Bill Press were given a meager set and a time slot after each of the presidential debates. The network provided chairs and the cameras and not much else. In fact, on that first show even the scripts were incomplete. Carlson’s teleprompter simply read “Ad Lib Here.” Carlson learned very early that live TV rarely goes as planned. Carlson goes on to relate the travails of dealing with the networks failure to provide a decent set or coffee mugs or even a decent producer. On the positive side, the co-hosts of The Spin Room had practically free reign to discuss whatever they wanted to without interference from Atlanta.. The inability to get mugs, however, had a deeper meaning. The show was summarily cancelled after eight months.
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