Tip and the Gipper

When Politics Worked

Chris Matthews

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9781451696004
• eBook ISBN:
  9781451696011
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Political Biographies
• Index: Politics & International Relations

The New York Times bestseller about the historic dealings between Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill—“A superb tribute to the neglected art of compromise” (Daily News (New York)).

Tip and the Gipper is an “entertaining and insightful” (The Wall Street Journal) 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 top aide to Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, who waged a principled war of political ideals with President Ronald Reagan from 1980 to 1986. Together, the two men became one of history’s most celebrated political pairings—the epitome of how ideological opposites can get things done.

When Reagan was elected to the presidency in a landslide victory over Jimmy Carter, Speaker O’Neill was 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 cutting the size of government programs and lowering tax rates. 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, their common cause, set a course toward peace in Northern Ireland. Through it all they maintained respect for each other’s positions and worked to advance the country rather than obstruct progress.

At the time of congressional gridlock, Tip and the Gipper stands as model behavior worthy of study by journalists, academics, and students of the political process for years to come. “This book is an invitation to join Tip and the Gipper in tall tales about how grand it was in the old country” (The Washington Post).

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Preface
• Chapter One: Death of a Presidency
• Chapter Two: Starting Out
• Chapter Three: Starring Ronald Reagan
• Chapter Four: New Kid on the Block
• Chapter Five: Joining the Fight
• Chapter Six: The Lord is My Shepherd
• Chapter Seven: Ronald Reagan’s Journey
• Chapter Eight: The Rise of Tip O’Neill
• Chapter Nine: Hero
• Chapter Ten: Fighting Season
• Chapter Eleven: Battlefield Promotion
• Chapter Twelve: Turning
• Chapter Thirteen: Summit
• Chapter Fourteen: Partners
• Chapter Fifteen: Tip at the Top
• Chapter Sixteen: Deal
• Chapter Seventeen: Lebanon and Grenada
• Chapter Eighteen: Victory and Survival
• Chapter Nineteen: Mikhail Gorbachev
• Chapter Twenty: Hurrah!
• Chapter Twenty-One: Common Ground
• Chapter Twenty-Two: Last Battle
• Chapter Twenty-Three: Legacy
• Acknowledgments
• About Chris Matthews
• Notes
• Index
• Photo Credits
• Copyright