A Snapsot of an American Historical Era on Its Deathbed

Whatever someone's feelings on whether it is for good or for ill, whatever someone's feelings on the direction it is heading, there is no denying American politics has been irrevocably altered over the last ten years and will continue to be so for at least the next five. In this shifting landscape, Mitt Romney is a footnote to future history, one of the last of a dying breed, and whose legacy is more symbolic than significant: First Mormon major party nominee for President; first Senator to vote during an impeachment trial to convict a President of his own party; etc. In 20 years, his name will be remembered by pub trivia champions and very few others. He is not a historical figure worthy of a weighty tome Jon Meacham or H.W. Brands might write, and his memoirs would be unlikely to top any bestseller list, if indeed they could find a publisher. In that sense, McKay Coppins is the perfect biographer, both because as a reporter for The Atlantic, Coppins writes what is essentially an extended magazine piece, and because his shared Mormon faith gained him a level of trust with Romney, such that Romney was honest with Coppins in ways he might otherwise reserve for a book he alone could write. This brutal honesty makes for a fascinating if disposable read. One wonders how history may have been different if voters in 2012 had been given the full picture of Mitt Romney the man, both those who might otherwise have voted for him, and who otherwise might have voted against. For the years since, Romney is in a unique position to provide insights into how and why these times are changing, and he is clear-eyed as to how the seeds of this current transition had already been sown into politics during and long before his brief moment in the spotlight, perhaps even going back to the founding documents. It is hardly a book that will be read and reread for years to come, but as a quick read for journalism junkies, it is certainly worth that time. ( )